For the plant known as ʻaʻaliʻi or aalii, see
Dodonaea viscosa.
The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the
Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the noho aliʻi.
Cognates of the word aliʻi have a similar meaning in other Polynesian languages; in
MÄori it is pronounced "
ariki" and in
Tahitianari'i.
Background
In
ancient Hawaiian society, the aliʻi were hereditary nobles (a social class or
caste).[1][2] The aliʻi consisted of the higher and lesser chiefs of the various levels on the islands.[3][4] The noho aliʻi were the
ruling chiefs.[5] The aliʻi were believed to be descended from the deities.[6]
Aliʻi nui were ruling chiefs (in
Hawaiian, nui means grand, great, or supreme.[9]). The nui title could be passed on by right of birth.
Social designations of noho aliʻi (ruling line)
Historians
David Malo,
Samuel M. Kamakau[10] and
Abraham Fornander wrote extensively about the different aliʻi lines and their importance to Hawaiian history. The distinctions between the aliʻi ranks and lines comes from their writings.[11]
Aliʻi nui were supreme high chiefs of an island and no others were above them (during the Kingdom period this title would come to mean "Governor"). The four largest Hawaiian islands (
Hawaiʻi proper,
Maui,
Kauaʻi, and
OÊ»ahu) were usually ruled each by their own aliÊ»i nui. MolokaÊ»i also had a line of island rulers, but was later subjected to the superior power of nearby Maui and OÊ»ahu during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. MÅʻī was a special title for the highest chief of the island of Maui. Later, the title was used for all rulers of the Hawaiian Islands and the
Hawaiian monarchs.
Aliʻi nui kapu were sacred rulers with special taboos.
Aliʻi Nīʻaupiʻo were a rank of chiefs who were considered the very highest in descent and power. Nīʻaupiʻo chiefs can be from Piʻo or Naha unions.[12]
Aliʻi Naha were a rank of chiefs who were products of either half-blood sibling unions or the unions of uncle and niece or father and daughter. The exact definition is disputed amongst Malo, Kamakau and Fornander.[12][14] Chiefs of this rank traditionally possessed the kapu noho (sitting kapu).[13] Famous Naha chiefs include
KeÅpÅ«olani.
Aliʻi Wohi were a rank of chiefs who were products of marriage of close relatives other than siblings; one famous Wohi chief was
Kamehameha I. These chiefs possessed the kapu wohi, exempting them from kapu moe (prostration taboo).[15]
Papa were chiefs born to mother of the nīʻaupiʻo, piʻo, or naha rank with a lower-ranking male chief.[13]
LÅkea were chiefs born to high-ranked father with a mother who was a relative through younger siblings.[13]
LÄÊ»au aliÊ»i were chiefs born to parents who are children of high chiefs through secondary unions.[13]
KaukaualiÊ»i were lesser chiefs who served the aliÊ»i nui.[16] It is a relative term and not a fixed level of aliÊ»i nobility. The expression is elastic in terms of how it is used. In general, it means a relative who is born from a lesser ranking parent.[12][17] A kaukaualiÊ»i son's own children, if born of a lesser ranking aliÊ»i mother, would descend to a lower rank. Eventually the line descends, leading to makaÊ»Äinana (commoner).[18]KaukaualiÊ»i gain rank through marriage with higher-ranking aliÊ»i.
Aliʻi noanoa were chiefs born to a high chief and a commoner.[13]
One
kaukaualiʻi line descended from
Moana KÄne, son of
KeÄkealanikÄne, became secondary aliÊ»i to the
Kamehameha rulers of the kingdom and were responsible for various hana lawelawe (service tasks). Members of this line married into the Kamehamehas, including
Charles Kanaʻina and
KekÅ«anaÅÊ»a.[16] Some bore KÄhili, royal standards made of
feathers, and were attendants of the higher-ranking aliʻi.[16] During the monarchy some of these chiefs were elevated to positions within the primary political bodies of the Hawaiian legislature and the king's Privy Council. All Hawaiian monarchs after
Kamehameha III were the children of Kaukaualiʻi fathers who married higher ranking wives.[19][20]
Stokes, John F. G. (1932). "The Hawaiian King". Hawaiian Historical Society Papers (19). Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society: 1–28.
hdl:
10524/975.