While the abolition of the tabu system received the universal approval
of the masses, the destruction of the gods and temples met with very
considerable remonstrance and opposition. It was believed by many
that the priesthood might be preserved without the tabu, and that
the king had transcended his sovereign power in striking down both at
a single blow. Hence many gods were saved from the burning temples,
and thousands refused to relinquish the faith in which they had been
reared. Deprived of their occupations, the priests denounced the
destruction of the heiaus, and it was not long before a formidable
conspiracy against the government was organized on Hawaii, under
the leadership of Kekuaokalani, a chief of rare accomplishments and
a cousin of the king. Defection appeared at the court, and several
chiefs of distinction gave their support to the revolutionary movement.
However it may be regarded in the light of its results, on the part
of Kekuaokalani the rebellion was a brave and conscientious defence
of the religion of his fathers. He raised the standard of revolt
within a day's march of Kailua, and invited to its support all who
condemned the action of Liholiho in decreeing the destruction of
the national religion. He scorned all compromises and concessions,
and but for the firearms of the whites would doubtless have wrested
the sceptre from his royal cousin.
It has been asserted that Kekuaokalani was ambitious and availed
himself of the discontent created by the anti-religious decrees of
Liholiho as a possible means of seizing the reins of government. This
assumption is not sustained either by the words or acts of the
unfortunate chief. The ambassadors sent to him after the first skirmish
of the conflict reported that he declined all terms of peaceful
settlement. This, however, was not the case. What he demanded was that
Liholiho should withdraw his edicts against the priesthood, permit the
rebuilding of the temples, and dismiss Kalaimoku as prime minister and
Kaahumanu as chief counselor of the government. These conditions were
declined, and the ambassadors returned with the story that they had
offered to leave the question of religion entirely with the people,
but that Kekuaokalani would have nothing but war. A correct statement
of what occurred at the interview would doubtless have weakened the
royal cause, and was therefore withheld. After the resignation of
Hewahewa as high-priest the position devolved upon Kekuaokalani by
right of precedence, and, believing in the sanctity of his gods,
as a brave man he could not do less than take up arms in their defence.
No characters in Hawaiian history stand forth with a sadder prominence,
or add a richer tint to the vanishing chivalry of the race, than
Kekuaokalani and his courageous and devoted wife, Manono, the last
defenders in arms of the Hawaiian gods. They saw all that the light
around them presented, but the only gods known to them were those of
their fathers, and they died in a futile effort to protect them. They
were brave, noble and conscientious, and the cause in which they
perished cannot detract from the grandeur or dim the glory of the
sacrifice.
In the veins of Kekuaokalani ran the best blood both of Hawaii
and Oahu. He was a nephew of Kamehameha I., and his strain was
even superior in rank to that of his distinguished uncle. His
great-grandmother was Kamakaimoku, a princess of Oahu, who became the
wife of Kalaninuiamamao, one of the sons of Keawe, king of Hawaii,
and the mother of Kalaniopuu, grandfather of Keopuolani, mother
of Liholiho. One of the full sisters of Kalaniopuu was Manona, the
grandmother of Kekuaokalani.
One of the early wives of Kamehameha I. was Kalola, a chiefess of
Hawaii. She subsequently became the wife of Kekuamanoha, a younger
brother of Kahekili, king of Maui, and the mother of Manono, wife
of Kekuaokalani. As the mother of Manono was a daughter of Kumukoa,
one of the sons of Keawe, king of Hawaii, and her father was a prince
of Maui, she was not only of high rank, but was related in blood both
to her husband and the reigning family.
Kekuaokalani is referred to by tradition as one of the most imposing
chiefs of his day. He was more than six and a half feet in height,
perfect in form, handsome in feature and noble in bearing. Brave,
sagacious and magnetic, he possessed the requirements of a successful
military leader; but as war had practically ceased with the conquest of
the group by Kamehameha I., and he had little taste for the frivolities
of the court, where he might have worn out his life in honored
idleness, he turned his attention to the priesthood. Beginning at the
bottom, with patient application he passed through the intervening
degrees until he stood beside the high-priest, fully his equal in
learning, and more than his peer in devotion to his calling. He
mastered the chronological meles of the higher priesthood and the
esoteric lore and secret symbols of the temple, and with the death
of Hewahewa it was the universal expectation that the duties of
the high-priesthood would devolve upon him. In disposition he was
humane, charitable and unselfish, and, appreciating the nobility of
his character, his wife worshipped him almost as a god. In return he
bestowed upon her the full measure of his affection, and the waters
of their lives flowed peacefully on together until the grave engulfed
them both.
This was the character of the sturdy chief around whom the friends of
the dethroned gods of Hawaii began to rally. He counseled peace and
submission so long as he could find listeners among the disaffected,
but in the end he was forced into the revolt and became the leader
of the movement.
He was present at the royal feast at Kailua when Liholiho publicly
violated the tabu and decreed the destruction of the temples. He saw
Hewahewa, the venerable high-priest, who had been to an extent his
religious guide and instructor, cast the first brand upon the heiau
where they had so often worshipped together and sought the counsels
of the gods. At first all this seemed to be a horrible dream, but the
burning temples and frantic rejoicings of the populace soon convinced
him that it was a bewildering reality, and he threw himself to the
earth and prayed that his sight might be blasted, that he might
witness no farther the sacrilegious acts of the people.
"Liholiho's brain is on fire with strong drink, and he may be urged
to do anything," thought Kekuaokalani; "but Hewahewa--it must be that
he is insane, and it is my duty to speak with him."
He sought and found the high-priest, and learned to his great grief
that Hewahewa was not only sound in mind, but was in thorough accord
with the king in his determination to destroy the temples and repudiate
the priesthood.
"And you, a high-priest of the blood of Paao, advise this!" said
Kekuaokalani, bitterly.
"I advise it," was the calm reply of Hewahewa; "but I am no longer
the high-priest of Hawaii; the king has been so notified."
"Then here and now do I assume the vacant place," returned
Kekuaokalani, promptly.
"By whose appointment?" inquired Hewahewa.
"By the will of the outraged gods whose temples are turning to ashes
around us!" replied Kekuaokalani, with energy. "They will teach me my
duty, even should they fail to visit vengeance upon their betrayers!"
With these words Kekuaokalani turned and walked away. His heart was
filled with anguish, and the shouts of the people drove him almost to
despair. Reaching the pavilion, he lifted and placed upon his shoulder
the prostrate and mutilated image of Lono that had stood beside the
entrance, and with the precious burden strode gloomily and defiantly
past the palace and disappeared.
For a month or more nothing was heard of Kekuaokalani at the
court. Meantime, the work of destruction continued, and the smoke of
burning temples rose everywhere throughout the group. At length word
reached Kailua that some of the priesthood, sustained by a number
of influential chiefs, were inciting a revolt in South Kono. Little
attention was paid to the report until it was learned that Kekuaokalani
had accepted the leadership of the movement. This alarmed the court,
and a council of chiefs was called. Discussion developed the prevailing
opinion that the threatened uprising was merely a local disturbance
that could be quelled without difficulty, and Liholiho's apprehensions
were further relieved by the assurance of one of the chiefs that,
with the assistance of forty warriors, he would undertake to bring
Kekuaokalani a prisoner to Kailua within three days.
"Not with forty times forty!" said Hewahewa, earnestly. Better
than any one else he understood and appreciated the lofty
courage of Kekuaokalani, and was too generous to listen to its
disparagement without protest. "No, not with forty times forty!" he
continued. "Without Kekuaokalani the revolt will amount to nothing;
with him, it means war."
"Then war let it be, since he invites it!" exclaimed Kalaimoku.
"But may he not be persuaded to peace?" inquired the king, addressing
the question, apparently, to Hewahewa.
"Undoubtedly," replied the latter, "if we are prepared to accept
his conditions."
"What, think you, would be the conditions?" returned the king.
"The restoration of the tabu and the rebuilding of the temples,"
was the deliberate answer of Hewahewa.
The king was silent; but before the council dissolved it was understood
that a force would be sent against the rebels at once, and for a week
or more preparations for the campaign were in progress, under the
supervision of Kalaimoku. Everything at length being in readiness,
the royal army, numbering, it is presumed, not less than fifteen
hundred warriors, some of them bearing firearms, moved southward from
Kailua in the direction of Kaawaloa, where had been established the
rebel headquarters.
Having accepted the leadership of the rebellion, and regarding himself
as a champion selected by the gods for their defence, Kekuaokalani
vitalized the movement with an energy and enthusiasm which soon
brought the people to its support in large numbers, and the winter
solstice found him in command of an army large enough to inspire him
with a reasonable hope of success.
The five intercalated days between the winter solstice and the
beginning of the new year had from time immemorial been set apart as a
season of tabu, dedicated to festivities in honor of Lono, one of the
Hawaiian trinity. In the midst of the general religious demoralization
Kekuaokalani devoted to the season its customary observances--the
last yearly festival ever authoritatively given to Lono in the group.
The movements of the government were regularly and rapidly reported to
Kekuaokalani, and when the royal troops left Kailua he was prepared
to meet them. Through his efforts a heiau near Kaawaloa had escaped
destruction. Thither he repaired, and, offering sacrifices to the gods,
prayed that they would manifest their power by giving him victory.
He did not await the assault of the royal forces. Leaving Kaawaloa,
he attacked and defeated their advance not far north of that place,
throwing the entire army into confusion. Satisfied with the success,
he returned to Kaawaloa.
News of the repulse reaching Kailua, a consultation was called by the
king, and Kalaimoku urged the prompt advance of reinforcements by land
and sea, and an immediate and overwhelming attack upon the rebels at
Kaawaloa, rightly claiming that every day would add to the strength
of the insurgents under the inspiration of the slight victory they
had achieved.
This advice was accepted, and every available force was immediately
sent to the front, including a squadron of double canoes under the
command of Kaahumanu and Kalakua, one of them carrying a mounted
swivel in charge of a foreigner.
Uncertain as to the strength of the rebels, and by no means confident
of the results of a struggle which had opened in favor of his
enemies, Liholiho advised a resort to peaceful negotiations before
staking everything on the chances of battle. Hoapili, who stood in
the capacity of husband to the queen-mother, and Naihe, hereditary
national counselor and orator, were selected as ambassadors to confer
with Kekuaokalani, and Keopuolani volunteered to accompany them.
Reaching the camp of the insurgents, the ambassadors were graciously
received by Kekuaokalani, and used every means to effect an amicable
settlement of the difficulties that had brought two hostile armies
face to face; but nothing satisfactory could be accomplished. They were
not authorized to offer such terms as Kekuaokalani felt that he could
consistently accept, inasmuch as they failed to embrace either the
restoration of the tabu or the rebuilding of the temples. Naihe offered
to leave the question of religion optional with the insurgents. To
this proposal Kekuaokalani bitterly replied:
"You offer the scales of the fish after you have picked the bones. As
they are without temples, where would they worship? As they are without
altars, where would they sacrifice? As they are without the tabu,
what to them would be sacred and acceptable to the gods?"
"Then must we take back the word that Kekuaokalani will have nothing
but war?" said Keopuolani, sadly.
"No, honored mother of princes," replied Kekuaokalani, in a tone
so solemn and impressive that his listeners stood awed in his
presence. "Say, rather, that Kekuaokalani, the last high-priest,
it may be, of Hawaii, is prepared to die in defence of the gods
to whose service he has devoted his life. If they are omnipotent,
as he believes them to be, their temples will rise again; if not,
he is more than willing to hide his disappointment in the grave!"
Naihe was his uncle; Kamakaimoku was the great-grandmother both of
Keopuolani and himself, and the king was his cousin. As a condition of
peace he demanded the recall of the edicts against the tabu and the
temples. As this could not be conceded, the ambassadors appealed to
his relationship with themselves and the royal family; but he could
not be moved. "We are proud of our blood," he said to Keopuolani,
"but who but the gods made kings of our ancestors?"
Finding that nothing could be effected, the ambassadors withdrew with
tokens of mutual regret, and were safely and respectfully escorted
beyond the rebel lines. The reports they allowed to be circulated
on their return, that Kekuaokalani had refused to consider any terms
of peace, and that they had narrowly escaped with their lives, were
inventions employed to mislead and exasperate the royal army.
With the departure of the ambassadors Manono sought her husband to
learn the results of the conference. The information that no agreement
had been reached did not surprise her. For weeks past all the auguries
had indicated blood, and the night before the alae had screamed in
the palms behind her hut.
"Thank the gods for the omen!" said Kekuaokalani.
"But the voice of the alae is a presage of evil," suggested Manono.
"Only to those who do evil," replied the chief. "The fate of the gods,
whose battles we fight, is shaped by themselves."
"Have you no fear of the result?" inquired Manono.
"I fear nothing," was the reply; "but the thought has sometimes
come to me of late that the gods are reserving for Liholiho and his
advisers a punishment greater than I may be able to inflict. Should
that be so, I am obstructing with spears the path of their vengeance,
and will be sacrificed."
"The will of the gods be done!" said Manono, devoutly. "But, whatever
may be the fate of Kekuaokalani, Manono will share it."
"Brave Manono!" exclaimed the husband, with emotion. "If the gods so
will it we will die together!"
That night Kekuaokalani took up his line of march for Kailua,
determined to give battle to the royal forces wherever he might
encounter them. He moved near the coast, and the next morning the
hostile armies met at Kuamoo. Arranging his forces in order of battle,
Kekuaokalani sent to the front a number of newly-decorated gods in
the charge of priests, and, in turn addressing the several divisions,
conjured them in impassioned language to defend the gods of their
fathers.
Kalaimoku commanded the royal army in person. The battle opened in
favor of the rebels, and with them would have been the victory but
for the great superiority of the royalists in firearms. At a critical
juncture a battalion of musketeers, some of whom were foreigners,
charged the rebel centre, when the division gave way in something of
a panic, and soon the entire rebel forces were in retreat. Retiring
to the adjacent seaside, under cover of a stone wall they made a
successful resistance for some time; but the squadron of double
canoes already referred to, under the command of Kaahumanu and
Kalakua, enfiladed the position with musketry and a mounted swivel,
and the insurgents abandoned the unequal struggle, the most of them
scattering and seeking shelter in the neighboring hills.
Although wounded early in the action, Kekuaokalani gallantly kept
the field. Everywhere was his tall form seen moving throughout
the conflict, rallying and cheering his followers, while at his
side fought the brave Manono. He finally fell with a musket-ball
through his heart. With a wild scream of despair Manono sprang to
his assistance, and the next moment a bullet pierced her temple,
and she fell dead across the body of her dying husband. Kalaimoku
was the first to approach, and gazing long upon the noble features of
Kekuaokalani, grand even in death, turned to his followers and said:
"Truly, since the days of Keawe a grander Hawaiian has not lived!"
Thus died the last great defenders of the Hawaiian gods. They died
as nobly as they had lived, and were buried together where they fell
on the field of Kuamoo.
Small bodies of religious malcontents were subdued at Waimea and one
or two other points, but the hopes and struggles of the priesthood
virtually ended with the death of Kekuaokalani.