Kuhina Nui

"Kuhina Nui" was the name of an office in the Kingdom of Hawaiokinai. It was usually held by a relative of the king and was the rough equivalent of the 19th century European office of Prime Minister.

Origin of the Office

When King Kamehameha II assumed the throne in 1819, his father's favorite wife, Queen Kaokinaahumanu, told him that his father, Kamehameha I, had wished for her to rule the kingdom alongside him. Whether this was really the will of Kamehameha I is a matter of debate. In either case, Kamehameha II didn’t object and the office of "kuhina nui" was created for Kaokinaahumanu. In other version Kamehameha I had allowed Kaahumanu to succeed his father, Keeaumoku Papaiahiahi.

Kaokinaahumanu became the driving force behind the kingdom’s policy during the reign of Kamehameha II. She and another one of Kamehameha I's wives, Keopuolani, pressured Kamehameha II into abolishing the old kapu system of laws and religion.

Conflict between the "Kuhina Nui" and the King

After the death of Kamehameha II in 1824, his younger brother and heir, Kauikeaouli, was still only a child. Because of this, Kaokinaahumanu ruled in his place as regent. After her death in 1832, a queen named Kinau, a daughter of Kamehameha the Great and the Dowager Queen of Kamehameha II, assumed the office of "kuhina nui" as Kaokinaahumanu II and the regency until her half-brother Kauikeaouli declared himself to be of age in 1833. Kauikeaouli was crowned King Kamehameha III thereafter and the office of "kuhina nui" became the second-most powerful office in the kingdom.

During Kinau's time in office, the offices of the king and "kuhina nui" often battled for power. This was mainly due to conflict between the views of the two people holding the office. While Kamehameha III desired a revival of the old Hawaiian culture, his elder sister Kinau wanted Hawaiokinai to be a Protestant state which tolerated no other religion. For the first few years of Kamehameha III’s reign, the kingdom suffered from the frequent quarrels between Kinau and the king.

The Constitution of 1840

The 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaiokinai codified the office of "kuhina nui" into law. The constitution specified the following duties and powers for the "kuhina nui":

*The "kuhina nui" was to be appointed by the king.
*All business connected with the special interests of the kingdom, which the king wished to transact, was to be done by "kuhina nui" under the authority if the king.
*All documents and business of the kingdom executed by the "kuhina nui", were to be considered as executed by the king's authority.
*All government property was to be reported to the kuhina nui.
*The king was not allowed to act without the knowledge of the "kuhina nui", nor was the "kuhina nui" allowed to act without the knowledge of the king.
*All important business of the kingdom which the king chose to transact in person, he could do only with the approbation of the "kuhina nui".

The Constitution also created a degree of power sharing between the king and "kuhina nui". Both were given seats in the House of Nobles in the legislature and both also held seats in the Kingdom's judiciary. Ironically, the position of kuhina nui was written into a constitution devised by patriarchal American attorneys and missionaries. In the United States, women held no political offices, were denied suffrage, and in some states could not even control their inherited propert. Yet the American William Richards, John Ricord and William Little Lee all believe it was appropriate to reinforce the power and authority of the Kuhina Nui as an equivalent to the king despite the fact it had become a "traditional" female office. Perhap they had a much higher opinion of female leadership in Hawaii than most of their countrymen. Or perhaps they created the law to subtly humiliate the office of King. [Dismembering Lahui: A History of the Hawaiian Nation to 1887 By Jonathan Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio. Page 114-115]

The Constitution of 1852

The 1852 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaiokinai dedicated a full section (Section 2) to the office of "kuhina nui". Articles 43 through 48 described the "kuhina nui's" office:

*The "kuhina nui" was given the title, "Kuhina Nui" of the Hawaiian Islands", and the style of "Highness."
*All business connected with the special interests of the kingdom, which the King wished to transact, was to be done by "kuhina nui" under the authority if the King
*All documents and business of the kingdom executed by the "kuhina nui", were to be considered as executed by the King's authority.
*All important business of the kingdom which the King chose to transact in person, he could do only with the approbation of the "kuhina nui".
*The "kuhina nui" was to act as regent in the absence of the King, or if the King was too young to rule on his own. In addition, should the crown become vacant, the "kuhina nui" would act as monarch until a new king was chosen.

End of the Office

The power sharing scheme set in place by Kamehameha III in 1852 seemed to work and it remained in place throughout the remainder of Kamehameha III's reign and throughout the reign of Kamehameha IV. Kamehameha IV and his brother despised the position but Kamehameha IV did place the role upon his less than responsible sister, Victoria Kamamalu. Mostly she justed signed and approved papers to the wishes of her brothers. When Kamehameha V assumed the throne in 1863, however, the new king made it clear that he favored a more autocratic monarchy over the constitutional one set in place in 1852. In 1864, the King issued a new constitution that was much less liberal than the Constitution of 1852. The 1864 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaiokinai, among other things, abolished the office of "kuhina nui" and, for all intents and purposes, merged the powers of the "kuhina nui" into his own office as King. The office was never revived after that, with the Hawaiian monarchy lasting only about three more decades before being overthrown. The termination of the office didn't destroy opportunity for feminine leadership in the kingdom. By strengthening the office of the Monarch, it made it possible for a queen to wield real political power.

An office of Prime Minister was created during the reign of Kalākaua:
* Walter M. Gibson (1882-1887)
* Celso Caesare Moreno (1880)

List of "kuhina nui"

*Kaokinaahumanu (1819–June 5, 1832)
*Elizabeth Kiokinanau (Kaahumanu II) (June 5, 1832–April 4, 1839)
*Miriam Auhea Kekauluohi (Kaahumanu III) (April 5, 1839–June 7, 1845)
*John Kaleipahala Young II (Keoni Ana Opio) (June 10, 1845–January 16, 1855)
*Victoria Kamamalu (Kaahumanu IV) (January 16, 1855–December 21, 1863)
*Mataio Kekuanaoa (December 21, 1863–August 24, 1864)

Note that the "kuhina nui" often took the title "Kaokinaahumanu", in honor of the first holder of the office (in much the same way that all members of the Kamehameha dynasty took the title "Kamehameha").

Bibliography

* Mrantz, Maxine. "Hawaiian Monarchy: The Romantic Years." Honolulu: Tongg Publishing Co., Ltd., 1974.
* Potter, Norris W. "The Hawaiian Monarchy." – Honolulu: The Bess Press, Inc., 1983.

External links

* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/US_Hawaii.html Hawaiokinai Government 1842-1899]
* [http://hawaii.gov/dags/archives/centennial/kunina-nui Kuhina Nui 1819-1864]

References