Gideon Peleioholani Laanui
| Gideon Peleʻioholani Laʻanui | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1797 Waimea |
| Died | September 12, 1849 Waialua |
| Spouse |
Namahana Kekuwai-Piia Theresa Owana Kaheiheimalie |
| Issue |
Elizabeth Kekaaniauokalani Gideon Laanui II |
| Father | Nuhi |
| Mother | Kaohelelani, |
Gideon Peleʻioholani Laʻanui (1797–1849) was a Hawaiian chief and was grandnephew of Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. From him descends the House of Laanui.
Peleʻioholani Laʻanui was probably born at the District of Waimea on the island of Hawaiʻi in 1797. His mother was Chiefess Kaohelelani, formerly heir to Hana, Kipahulu and Kaupo, and daughter of High Chief Kalokuokamaile and High Chiefess Kaloiokalani. His father was the High Chief Nuhi, ruler of Waimea and son of Chief Hinai of Waimea, by his wife, Kupapa-a-I. Nuhi had survived the 1792 battle at Puʻukoholā Heiau where Kamehameha I unified the island of Hawaiʻi. His only sibling was his sister Kekaikuihala.
When Laʻanui was a boy, Kamehameha was still trying to control the District of Waimea; if not in battle, through a matrimonial alliance. His failure to accomplish this through his niece Kaohelelani was a sting to the old warrior's pride, and now he chose a new agent by inviting Laʻanui to his court. The invitation was accepted, and the visit lasted for months. Kamehameha and Queen Kaʻahumanu arranged a marriage between Piia and Laʻanui.
Namahana Kekuwai-Piia was the youngest sister of Queen Kaʻahumanu and formerly one of the queens of Kamehameha. Piia is described as being a person heavily built and not prepossessing in appearance like her sisters Kaʻahumanu and Kaheiheimalie. At last, the proposition was put to Laʻanui, that it was the united wish of the king and queen that the marriage should take place. To wed a woman very many years his senior was not his desire. Yet realizing that it might be perilous to defy the powerful monarch, Laʻanui quietly consented "to take the bitter pill."
The couple lived at Waialua, one of the divisions of land that Piia had received from her father Keeaumoku Papaiahiahi's large estate. Soon after Kamehameha I's death in 1819, Kaʻahumanu became Kuhina Nui and Kamehameha II became king. After this, the first party of missionaries arrived. He and Piia, together with Queen Kaʻahumanu and several other chiefs, were among the first converts to Christianity. They were the first couples to be married by Hiram Bingham I in a Christian ceremony. Their favorite dwelling was Waialua, Oahu. They visited Honolulu only when necessary. Unfortunately, Piia's corpulence did not inure to healthfulness and before long, she sickened and died. On her deathbed, she said to her husband:
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