| Kalama | |
|---|---|
| Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Island | |
| Tenure | February 14, 1837 – December 15, 1854 |
| Spouse | Kamehameha III |
| Issue | |
| Prince Keawe Aweʻula-o-Kalani Prince Keawe Awe'ula-o-Kalani II |
|
| Full name | |
| Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili | |
| House | House of Kamehameha |
| Father | High Chief Naihekukui |
| Mother | High Chiefess Iʻahuʻula |
| Born | March 17, 1817 Ka'elehulu near Kailua, Hawaii, |
| Died | September 20, 1870 (aged 53) Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii |
| Burial | October 8, 1870 Mauna Ala |
Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili, Queen Consort of Hawaiʻi (1817–1870) was Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi alongside her husband, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as King Kamehameha III.
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She was born March 17, 1817; this date is a later invention when her husband declared that their birthdays would be on Saint Patrick's Day. Her father was minor Kona chief Naihekukui, who was commander of the native Hawaiian fleet at Honolulu. Her mother was Chiefess Iʻahuʻula, the younger sister of Charles Kanaina. her uncle Kanaina would become hānai (Hawaiian form of adoption) parent the child. She was a woman of stunning beauty, but considered a maka'ainana (commoner) rather than an ali'i (chief).
Due to her uncle's friendship with Kamehameha II, she associated with the royal family. The young Kamehameha III, the boy king at the time, was needing a suitable royal bride. Many of the traditional chiefs wanted a union between the king and his sister Nahienaena, like it had been customary to in the Hawaiian court since the beginning of time. But the missionaries and Christian chiefs, who held the most political power, opposed this suggestion, calling it incest. Kamanele, the daughter of Governor John Adams Kuakini, was proposed as the most suitable in age, rank, and education. The young king fell in love with Kalama. This angered his sister Kīnaʻu and many of the high chiefs. Kamehameha III married her on February 14, 1837. This was only a few months after Nahienaena's death.[1]
Though given the title of Queen Consort, she was overshadowed by the great authority wielded by her mother-in-law, Kaʻahumanu, and sister-in-law, Kīnaʻu, both having the authority of Queen Regent because Kamehameha III had come to power only at the age of ten when his brother Kamehameha II died of measles in England.
Kalama and Kamehameha III had two children who died in their infancy. Both were named Keaweaweulaokalani, after their father.
It was said by Kekauluohi that she secretly caused the death of her two sons. It was because she was a common Hawaiian woman wholly without rank or chiefly blood. She and Kamehameha III would later hānai (adopt) their nephew Alexander Liholiho, who later became Kamehameha IV. She also adopted Kaiminaauao daughter of Analea Keohokalole and Caesar Kapaakea as her own. She even adopted her husband's illegitimate son Albert Kuka'ilimoku Kunuiakea by Jane Lahilahi Young.
She would outlive both her husband Kamehameha III and her nephew Kamehameha IV, becoming known as the Queen Dowager of Hawaii. She met Prince Alfred on his visit to Hawaii in the reign of Kamehameha V. She drove out to Waikiki in her own carriage of state, accompanied by her adopted son, Kunuiakea, and Miriam Likelike. The drivers of these carriages wore the royal feather shoulder capes, and the footmen were clad in like royal fashion. It was considered one of the grandest occasions in the history of those days. She died on September 20, 1870, in Honolulu at the age of 53, only 2 years before the end of the Kamehameha Dynasty's reign over Hawaii. On September 21, US forces placed the American flag at half staff upon the death of Queen Kalama, when the American consul at Honolulu would not assume responsibility for so doing.[2]
She and her husband would spend time in their summer palace. Hakaleleponi Gate, an entrance for servants and attendants in ʻIolani Palace, is named after her.
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Victoria Kamamalu |
Queen Consort of Hawaiʻi 1837 - 1854 |
Succeeded by Queen Emma |
| Preceded by Queen Kaahumanu |
Queen Dowager of Hawaiʻi 1854 - 1870 |
Succeeded by Queen Emma |