Hoapili

Ulumāheihei Hoapili ( – January 3, 1840) was a member of the nobility during the formation of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a military and political advisor to Kamehameha I. Although trusted with one of the last symbolic rites of the Hawaiian religion, he later became a supporter of Christian missionaries.

Life Ulumāheihei (his original name) was born around 1775, during the reign of King Kalaniʻōpuʻu. Other sources give Liliha as an adoptive daughter in the ancient Hawaiian tradition of hānai. He would definitely later become a respected foster parent for royal children. In 1810 the King of the island of Kauaʻi agreed to become a vassal, and Kamehameha had united all the Hawaiian islands.

By 1815, Kamehameha had established succession with two sons, and entrusted Ulumāheihei with the care of their mother, Queen Keōpūolani, Kamehameha's wife with the best royal family background. This made Hoapili stepfather to Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena. He became known as hoa pili which means "close personal friend" in the Hawaiian language because of his trusted relationship with Kamehameha. A saying of the time was O Ulu-maheihei wale no, ia ia oloko, ia ia owaho, meaning roughly "Ulumāheihei knows everything inside and out".

Hoapili was with Kamehameha when he died on May 8, 1819, at Kamakahonu. The dying king whispered his last wishes into Hoapili's ear. To add to the secrecy, they waited for a night of a new moon. Theories are a cave was found along the shore that was covered at high tides, in the area known as Kaloko. This would be the last monarch of Hawaii to have all the traditional funeral rites of the Hawaiian religion.

When his nephew Keaoua Kekuaokalani organized an uprising, Hoapili was sent with chief orator Naihe to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Kekuaokalani refused, so Hoapii and military leader Kalanimoku led Kingdom troops to the battle of Kuamoʻo where the rebels were routed. Hoapili also led troops to suppress another brief uprising in the northern part of the island near Waimea.

In May 1823 he and Keōpūolani moved to Lahaina on the island of Maui, and asked for books and a chaplain so they could continue their studies. Hoapili served as Royal Governor of Maui from May 1823. Keōpūolani died September 16, 1823, after being a baptism by Ellis. Her funeral was a mix of Hawaiian and Christian traditions.

On October 19, 1823, Hoapili married Kalākua Kaheiheimālie (–1842) who became known as "Hoapili-wahine", roughly meaning "Mrs. Hoapili". It was one of the first Christian wedding ceremony for Hawaiian nobility.

In August 1824, Hoapili led troops from Maui to suppress an uprising by "George Prince" Kaumualiʻi on Kauaʻi. After the thatched house used as a church blew down, in 1828 he ordered the first stone church to be built adjacent to Mokuʻula which was a royal residence and burial site on a small island within a sacred pond.

His daughter Kuini Liliha married High Chief Boki, and inherited Boki's position of Royal Governor of Oʻahu after Boki's disappearance at sea in 1829. Liliha was suspected of organizing a rebellion in 1830, and Hoapili was sent to peacefully relieve her of her duties. In 1831 he donated land to be used for the Lanhainaluna seminary founded by Lorrin Andrews. This school would produce some of the important historians of the time, such as Samuel Kamakau and David Malo. Hoapili was consulted as an expert in astronomy and ancient Hawaiian mythology for the first book published on Hawaiian history. Hoapili selected a promising assistant to become educated as a teacher for Hawaiʻi island.

Legacy The girls' dormitory at Lahainaluna High School (at the site of the Lanhainaluna seminary) was named for him. The area where he lived on Oʻahu was given to his daughter Liliha and son-in-law Boki. It was then donated to the mission and became home of the Punahou School in 1841. Historian Sheldon Dibble called Hoapili "a meek and quiet disciple of Jesus and a firm supporter of the Christian Religion".