“We the chiefs were the terror of the country”

Appeal to the Princess: Nahi’ena’ena, David Malo and Waine'e Church in Early Hawaiian Newspapers  

by Nick Freeman, PhD

While valuable research has been completed on Princess Hariet Keopuolani Nahienaena’s short life (1815-1836), including her beginnings, her development on the royal stage, and a portion of the tug of war between her ali’i and Christian life, very little has been focused on her relationship with her fellow Hawaiian church members at Waine’e Church in Lahaina including Rev. David Malo, while in the throes of her faith challenges. However, recent archival research has uncovered in the Ka Lama, Ka Nupepa Kuokoa and Ke Kumu newspapers multiple significant Hawaiian language articles which shed light on the princess’ struggle of faith and her relationship with her fellow Hawaiian Christians and the Rev. William Richards, her spiritual mentor.

The first Hawaiian print article was a letter published in 1825, following her conversion during the Maui revival, in which she proclaimed her love for Christ to the missionaries and her people. Later, in 1834, after her first crisis of faith, a second article was printed by the members of Waine’e Church at Lahaina, imploring her to return to Christ. A third article, on behalf of all Maui churches, was authored in 1836 by Hawaiian historian Rev. David Malo, who was also a member of the Lahaina church, pleading with the princess to return to Christ.

Before reviewing the articles, a look back into the circumstances that brought the princess to her faith in Christ would be helpful. Her mother, Queen Keopuolani, who was the first Hawaiian Protestant convert and baptism in the Islands, had done everything in her power to raise her young daughter in the Christian faith. She saw to it that Nāhiʻenaʻena received a proper education, while at the same time, continuing to demonstrate to her a love for Hawaiian culture.

Unfortunately, the Queen mother passed away in 1823 at Maui, which was surely an enormous blow to the eight-year-old princess. However, Keopuolani had saw to it that the young princess was surrounded with mature Christian mentors including missionary William Richards, Hawaiian historian David Malo, and others.  With the remembrance of her God-fearing mother Keopuolani, the examples of strong faith filled ali’i women such as Queen regent Kaahumanu and Chiefess Kapiolani (already adults), who had experienced that same dichotomy of serving as an ali’i as well as serving Christ, along with encouragement from her fellow church members such as Rev. David Malo, she was able to stay temporarily on the path that led to her salvation.

Majorie Sinclair writes of Kaahumanu’s affect stating, “Finally, Kaahumanu—kuhinanui and regent—who had not easily been dissuaded from the traditional customs of her people, embraced the new faith. Once she had professed herself a Christian, she was an ardent advocate of the puritan God and morality; and she brought her influence to bear upon Nahienaena and Kauikeaouli, admonishing them to receive the Christian attitudes in their hearts.”[1]

Just two years after her mother’s death, those around her noted that she was finding her own foothold in Christ. In 1825, one of the first revivals in the Islands began at Maui, and Elisha Loomis’ journal records that Missionary Richards stated “he had never seen a move of God like the present, and that its affects had reached Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena , who had recently turned her mind wholly to the subject of religion.[2]“ During this same time, Richards reports to the mission board of her and the revival stating: “The state of things at this station are at present flattering. The little Princess never appeared so well as now. She attends the female prayer meetings and even takes part in them. Those who have heard her pray say she excels all the females they have heard. She is inquisitive in asking questions and asks a great many of a very interesting character. It is only within the last two months that she has appeared so well. I think there are now not less than seventy people praying in Lahaina. In the morning as I walk along the little streets, I hear the voice of prayer in every direction.”[3]

It was also during this time, on May 8, 1825, that Elisha Loomis records in his journal that she became a Christian.[4] The following is a portion of a letter she authored that was published in the Ka Nupepa Kuokoa newspaper that same year at the age of ten years old:

Na Nahienaena.

Oahu, Inlai, 1825.

Aloha oukou, e na Misionari a pau loa.

Aloha ke Akua i ka hoomanawanui mai ia kakou. Aloha Iesu ko kakou Haku e ola'i.

Ke hai aku nei au ia oukou i ko'u wahi manao. Ke aloha nei ko'u naau i ke Akua i kona haawi ana mai i kana keiki e make, i ola ka poe kina o neia ao. Ua hanini mai kona koko mana i wai anau no ko'u naau a no ko'u kino e pau ai ko'u naau hewa.

Ke makemake nei ko'u naau e paulele ia Iesu i ko'u Haku e ola'a au. Ke pule nei au i ke Akua e hoohuli mai na makaainana, ame na alii a pau loa. Ko'u makemakeia i pule ai au i ke Akua i ko maua aupuni, e haawi ia Iesu i aupuni maikai loa, i nele loa ka diablo i ke aupuni ole...."[5]

  *   *   *   *   *

By Nahienaena.

Oahu, Inlai, 1825.

Hello, all the missionaries.

God loves for all of us to have patience. May our Lord Jesus save us.

I am telling you here what I think. My heart loves God that he gave his son to save the world. His mighty blood was so beautiful that it bathed my heart, and my heart is completely clean.

My heart believes in my Lord to save me. I am praying to God to convert all the people and the kings.  It is my desire that I pray to God in our midst, so that Jesus may give us a very good government, instead of the devil taking control of our government.”[6]

Two years later, she was admitted to the church at Lahaina at the age of 12 years, which included baptism on January 1827[7], and there she gave additional evidence that she was aflame for Christ. Not long after her conversion she stated publicly, “Since the first time that I told you that I had given away myself to the Lord, I have had but one thought, and that is that as I have set out and I cannot go back; and if all the other chiefs adhere to the old system, still I have but one thought, and that is to follow the Lord though it be alone."[8]

Not only was her faith strong, but she put it into action in 1828 by touring Maui with Missionary Richards, sharing with her people in Kaupo and elsewhere of the wisdom of the word of God stating: “Formerly we (the chiefs) were the terror of the country—when visiting your district— we should have perhaps have bidden you erect an heiau and after being worn out with this labor, we should have sacrificed you in it. Now we bring you the palapala—the word of God—why should you fear it?”[9] She also carried this same message to additional islands including Lanai[10] and the Big Island.

Missionary Samuel Ruggles gave a report of her speech at Hilo in 1828 stating, “The princess also made a long and animated address in which she gave them much good advice.”[11] Later in 1829, she gave another speech to the chiefs and the people stating, “God was the King above to whom they should give their hearts and render constant homeage.”[12] Later she toured Oahu with Dr. Judd who noted, “we set out in company with the Princess to make the tour of this island by the way of Ewa & Waialua.”[13]

In a subsequent speech to the missionaries she stated, “I am revealing to you, my thoughts. My heart yearns for God, and I feel that I am indebted to Him because He gave his Son to die to save sinners of this world, and his blessed blood was shed to cleanse my sins of body and soul. My heart is yearning to trust in Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I pray God to turn all the commoners and chiefs to Him. This has been my constant prayer, that God bless our kingdom, and that the nation as a whole be purified so that the devil may be without power over this nation.”[14]

Later, in a letter to her friend and mentor Charles Stewart, she wrote of the growth of Christianity in her Islands stating, “In former times when you dwelt in the midst of us, the word of God had not taken deep root in this land. But now the reality of the wonderful power of God here, is distinctly to be seen. I greatly exalt in the witness of the blessings received by my own soul. On this point I cannot write more fully at present.”[15]

However, as the years passed, as she moved closer to adulthood, Nāhiʻenaʻena had several relapses into her prior way of life, which was complicated by her youthful love for her brother Kaukeaouli, along with pressure from Chief Boki, Governor of Oahu, regarding their relationship.

Missionary Levi Chamberlain describes one incident:

Tuesday June 9th 1829. Three native schooners arrived from Lahaina this morning, The Princess, Hoapili wahine, Kekauonohi, Keliiahonui came with her. They were met by Boki who had been drinking; and he said to the Princess: “Do you kill Kaahumanu & all her family & take your brother for a husband, or you will not be king of these islands Kaahumanu will set up Kamehameha. If you & your brother marry and have a child he will be the rightful heir to the kingdom.”

The princess replied, “What you say is foolish.”

Boki took her by the ear to pull her along saying what did you come down here for; did you come down as a god to be worshipped?

He endeavored to separate her from her attendants in order to retain her into the house alone with the King; but Kekauonohi & Keliiahonui remained with her while some of her attendants run off to inform Hoapili wahine.”  She however got out of the hands of the Governor and went to the house of some of the other chief.[16]

This time she managed to avoid the situation, but other trying times would later come. Most of this struggle was a result of some of the ali’i desiring for the two to produce royal offspring that would surely be “a very great chief.”[17] Other challenges she faced included a temptation towards drunkenness, which was also rampant among a portion of the ali’i class,  and constant challenges to her Christian faith by unbelievers encouraging her return to the worship of Hawaiian gods, including a Hawaiian priest who admitted to missionary Richards that “he had induced the princess to sacrifice to other gods.”[18]

On October 23, 1831, she confessed to the church of drunkenness, which resulted on Nov. 6^th of her being excluded from the communion service. Later, December 31 of that year, she was examined by her church, and after her apology was voted as sincere, she was restored.[19] Then again in 1834, she had another relapse, which was a much harder fall, while she was visiting Oahu in June 1834. John Ii reported to Missionary Richards that he had confirmed she was having an incestual relationship with her brother, along with getting drunk and other things.[20]

After her return to Maui, Missionary William Richards made several attempts to restore her through letters while he visited Wailuku and Lahaina in early 1834 but was unsuccessful. She insisted that she would like to speak with him in person about the matter, rather than by letters, but he refused to meet with her in person until she promised that she would entirely leave her prodigal lifestyle. After multiple failed attempts, and her refusal to make that promise, Richards assembled a committee of Hawaiian saints endeavoring to help her return to the faith including Hoapili, Kalaikoa, and David Malo.[21] However, after several weeks of futile efforts, the committee made the recommendation to excommunicate her. On May 23, 1834, the church voted to follow through. The next day, on May 25, Rev. Malo hand delivered her the excommunication letter.[22]

While this outcome may appear severe, this was common practice in the churches of Hawaii at that time, and she was not alone in being suspended or even excommunicated in response to sins such as adultery, incest, and drunkenness. However, just as the churches took their time in admitting members, they also went to great lengths to restore members. The church at Lahaina did the same, as far back as 1834, in response to the princess’ wanderings evidenced by the following article published in the Ka Lama Hawaiian language newspaper, in which the members plead with her to return to Christ:

He manao aloha

Auhea oe e Nahienaena; o ka manao no hoi au i kauoha mai ai, i ka wa pono; o ka pule hoomau. Ua hana iho nei makou, he pule okoa. Ua paa mua kou manao i ke paiia, ke hai nei hoi ko makou manao.

Eia hoi ko makou manao kauoha ia oe; aole o makou wahi makemake iki i ka huli ana ou ma ka manao kuuna o oukou.

Oia ko oukou luapau, e luku mau ana a hiki i na mamo a oukou, aole i ka na makaainana.

Hookahi wale no mea e pakele ai, o ka nana aku i ke kalahala, ia Iesu.

A uhea oe, ua paa loa ko makou manao e hele mau ma ka pono, aole e likeme kou manao ka muhee ka hololua....[23]

  *   *   *   *   *

It's a feeling of love

Where are you Nahienaena? It is this reason that we have been led at this time in continuous prayer. Today we have a different prayer. You have already made up your mind it seems, but we are still thinking about it.

This is our commandment to you; We don't want you to turn to your traditional way of thinking.

This will be your grave, and will continue to destroy your descendants, not the Hawaiian people.  There is only one way to escape, and that is to look to forgiveness, to Jesus.

Where are you? We are determined to always try to walk in the right way, which is not like your double-mindedness.[24]

Afterwards, while not a member of the church, she did seemingly settle down, and within the next year, after leaving the relationship with her brother, she met and married her new love Hawaiian noble William Pitt Leleiohoku on Maui on November 25. (Some sources have the date as June 2). They were married in Waine'e Church, with the ceremony being performed by missionary Richards. The church was packed full and the prayer of the people that day was that “God would bless them.”[25] Later in January 1836, the coupled moved their permanent residence from Lahaina to Wailuku.”[26] After the move, to the disappointment of her fellow church members, she again appeared to return to a more wayward lifestyle, perhaps because she was lacking the accountability and support from her church family at Lahaina. During this same time, she became pregnant with her first child and gave birth to a son on September 17, 1836. Sadly, the child only survived for a few hours.[27]

Three months later, Nahienaena herself became deathly ill. The exact cause of her illness is not known, but it has been attributed to complications with her pregnancy or possibly related to her self-destructive lifestyle. Either way, just days before her death, after getting word of another relapse into drunkenness, Rev. David Malo published a public plea on December 12, 1836, in the Ke Kumu newspaper, appealing to her once again, to return to her faith:

Na Harieta Nahienaena.

Na makou aku. na ko Lahaina nei lahui ekalesia keia palapala, no ko makou makemake nui e noi aku ia oe e huli mai, no ka mea, oia ka makemake nui a ko kakou Haku ke Akua hoonani mau loa ia aku.

Lahaina, ke kulanakauhale nia ka moku o Maui, Detemaba 12, 1836.

Auhea oe e ka mea i kapaia ka luwahiue o ka lai? Ooe no kekahi o na hua mua i kohoia mai e ke aloha o ko kakou Akua.  Hemolele, no kou manaoio ana aku i kona inoa.

Nolaila, ua kapa pono ia oe he keiki no ka malamalama, he hooili hoi no kela ola nui kaulana e hiki mai ana, he mea ku pono oe imua o ko ke Akua maka, aka, ua haalele loa oe i keia mau mea nou e pomaikai nui ai, ua lilo loa oe ma ka makemake o kou kuko iho.

Nolaila, nui ko makou aloha ia oe, me ke kaumaha nui o ko makou naau, i ko makou lohe ana ua huli oe i ka hewa, aole i nui loa ko makou kaumaha, no ka mea.  Ua inanao makou e huli hou mai oe, aole ka a i keia wa, ke ike nei makou.  Ua kaumaha loa ka mai maluna ou, aha malama o kou mai ana ua nui ke kaumaha o ko makou naau, no ka mea, aole paha oe i mihi, a hoomakaukau no kou hopena.

Nolaila ke noi haahaa aku nei makou ia oe, me ka oluolu, a me ke aloha aku ia oe, a me ko makou waimaka. E ko makou hoahanau aloha e Harieta e huli mai oe, e huli mai ma kou Akua, e huli mai ano, mai kakali oe, mai hoopanee oe i ka huli mai, e mihi i kou hewa, e hoomaemae ia oe iho nona, o kahea aku i kona inoa me kou naau a pau a me kou uhane a pau, a me kou ikaika a pau loa. Auhea oe? mai noho pu oe me ka poe hana hewa, mai malama oe ia lakou, mai hahai oe ma ko lakou kapuai, aka, e hahai oe ma na kapuai o ka poe hana pono.

Pela no ke kauoha a kou makuwahine a me Kaahumanu, a me Kalaimoku, a me Hoapili ma, a me na makuwahine o olua, a me na kumu haole, a me makou no hoi. Auhea oe? Ke koi ikaika mai nei ke aloha o Kristo ia kakou a pau, ma ka inoa o ko kakou Haku Iesu, e ae mai oe i ka makou noi aku ia oe me ke aloha, a na ko kakou Akua e haawi mai ke kuikahi, a me ka malu, a me ke ola maluna o kakou a pau. Amene.

Aloha oe me ka maikai. Owau o Davida Malo, ka mea nana i kakau keia palapala.

Na na Ekalesia a pau o Maui nei.[28]

  *   *   *   *   *

Harriet Nahienaena.

“The clear light, this belongs to Lahaina! This church letter, because of our great desire to ask you to come back, because of this, this is our great desire, therefore may God glorify you.

Lahaina Town on the island of Maui, December 12, 1836.

Where are you, the one who is called the princess of the land? You are one of the first fruits chosen by the love of our God, good because you believe in his name.

Therefore, you are rightly called a child of glory, an heir to that glorious life that is to come, you are worthy of God's grace, but you have completely abandoned these things that you have been blessed with, and you have completely become the object of your own lust.

However, we love you very much, and we had great sadness in our hearts when we heard that you turned to sin, and although our sadness is great, we thought that you would return again, and that there should be no harm at this time. But we see that the disease is very heavy on you. This is why your illness is so heavy in our hearts, because you may not have repented, and are not prepared for your end.

Therefore, we humbly ask you, with care and with our tears because we love you. Our beloved sister Harieta, turn to God, turn now, don't wait, don't delay turning, repent of your sins, purify yourself for Him, call on his name with all your heart and soul, and with all your strength. Where are you? Do not live with evildoers, do not obey them, do not follow in their footsteps, but follow in the footsteps of those who do good.

This is the order of your mother and Kaahumanu, and Kalaimoku, and Hoapili, and your mothers, and foreign teachers, and us too. Where are you? The love of Christ strongly urges us all, in the name of our Lord Jesus, accept our request to you with love, and may our God give peace, peace, and life to all of us. Amen.

Aloha and blessings.  I am Davida Malo, the author of this document.[29]

While these events and articles were most assuredly impactful to the Hawaiian Christian community, they did not seem to have a negative affect overall regarding the growth of Christianity in the Kingdom, evidenced by the fact that by the time of her death later that month, the Great Hawaiian Revival, an event that would do even more towards the Christianization of Hawaii, had already begun. Other reports noted the effect helped the community spiritually in that “The news of the Princess’ fall created considerable excitement and it was thought a favorable occasion for a protracted meeting.”[30]  Too, the situation affected the rest of the world, as one of the missionary team wrote, “ It may be proper to mention in particular, the case of the Princess which has pained not our hearts only but 1000‘s of others in various parts of the world.”[31]

Her final moments included several pleas by the missionaries and others to repent. Missionary Richards said of her, “I saw at the same time the Princess who appears to be quite low. I conversed with her a little and exhorted her to repentance. She did not appear to be perfectly present, but certainly not to be much awakened with a sense of her condition.”[32] A more detailed account of her last moments came from missionary father Hiram Bingham who stated:

She mourned at the last and expressed with tears her desire to return to him whom she had forsaken, and she has faded away in the bloom of youth and is gone… On hearing her express her desire to return to the Savior I rehearsed to her the declaration of Paul "It is a faithful saying & worthy of all acceptations that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." She replied, "Ua ku pono ia iau. That is well suited to me." In her confessions, looking uward with streaming eyes as one of her friends sat by her, she said, "E ke Akua, ua pono oe; ua hewa wau; ua hoomaau aku wau ia oe. O God thou art righteous; I am guilty; I have persecuted thee.[33]

Days after her passing, the newspaper reported on her death stating, “The Princess Harrieta Keopuolani died this morning (Friday, December 30, 1836) about 10 o'ck. A single gun was fired at the Fort and the flag hoisted half-mast. Everything remained still and very little wailing was heard until evening. During the evening and night there was considerable wailing in the neighborhood of the King's residence.”[34] Her funeral was postponed until Saturday Feby. 4, 1837, and is described as “funeral ceremonies of the Princess took place this afternoon with much display of sumptuous kahilis & military parade of Sandwich Island grandeur. The remains were brought to the native chapel followed by a concourse of chiefs, foreigners and common natives. The sermon was preached by Mr. Bingham. At the close of the exercises the remains were carried back to the place whence they were taken, there to remain until removed to Maui.”[35]

While Nāhiʻenaʻena’s legacy was somewhat tarnished later in life, her early life was one that exhibited a strong faith in Christ while living out her royal and cultural obligations. But even after her short and tumultuous life had come to an end, she returned to Christ whom she discovered as a young girl during the Maui revival of 1825. The story that these archival records demonstrate first is the collaboration between the aliʻi and the missionaries regarding the spread of the gospel in the Hawaiian Kingdom. Second, they illustrate significant unity and growth of the early Hawaiian church, in that early Hawaiian Christians were not simply passive participants, but actively involved in addressing apostasy, repentance, and restoration within one of the preeminent royal families of the kingdom.

FOOTNOTES: