Lanihau
| Lanihau | |
|---|---|
| Governess of Kauai | |
|
In office July 31, 1886 – August 23, 1888 |
|
| Preceded by | Paul P. Kanoa |
| Succeeded by | William Hyde Rice |
| Keeper of the Royal Mausoleum | |
|
In office March 6, 1885 – c. 1886 |
|
| Preceded by | Haumea |
| Succeeded by | Keano |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Kingdom of Hawaii |
Lanihau (fl. 1888) was a Hawaiian high chiefess of the Kingdom of Hawaii, She served as the Keeper of the Royal Mausoleum of Mauna ʻAla and was the last Governess of the islands of Kauai and Niihau from 1886 to 1888. During her tenure, she was given the honorific Her Excellency, the Governess of Kauai and was sometimes referred to as A. Lanihau in official documents. In the Hawaiian language, her name means "cool heaven". An ahupuaʻa (land division) of the same name was located in the district of Kona on the island of Hawaii. Lanihau was also the name of a short-lived son of Kalanimoku and his wife Likelike.
During the reign of King Kalākaua, Lanihau was appointed Keeper of the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii at Mauna ʻAla, on March 6, 1885. In 1886, Lanihau was appointed as Governess of the islands of Kauai and Niihau to succeed Paul P. Kanoa who had resigned. The appointment was chiefly influenced by the regard to her rank. She served in this position from July 31, 1886 to August 23, 1888.
On August 21, 1886, the newly appointed Governess visited the town of Waimea (where Captain James Cook first landed) and she was royally entertained by the residents. A grand luau was thrown by the community and the next day she made an address in the local church filled with people. In her first months in office, she made a royal tour of the island of Kauai. Like in Waimea, the people of Niimaulu, Hanalei and Wainiha gave her a positive reception and threw luaus and concerts in her honor. The Advertiser newspaper in Honolulu noted that "[t]he Governess of Kauai has been most enthusiastically received by the people of the Island wherever she has stopped." On August 25, 1886, the newly-built steamer Waialeale landed in the Nawiliwili harbor and Governess Lanihau went aboard with more than fifty of her people. Inspecting the vessel, she and her attendants were popularly received. The Advertiser noted, "Music was furnished by the ship's crew and the attendance of the Governess. The people of Kauai were reportedly delighted with the appearance of the steamer and the name given her." In October 1886, the schooner Mary C. Bohm purchased and repaired by the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company was renamed the Lanihau for the Governess. During her governorship, Lanihau established her political seat at Koloa instead of Lihue unlike previous Kauai governors with the exception of John E. Bush who also resided in Koloa. Her gubernatorial mansion was also located at Koloa.
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