Nāhiʻenaʻena | |||||
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Painting of Nāhiʻenaʻena by Barthélémy Lauvergne in 1836.
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Born |
c. 1815 Keauhou Bay at South Kona, Hawaiʻi |
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Died | December 30, 1836 Honolulu, Oahu |
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Burial | Mokuʻula then Waiola Church |
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Spouse |
Kamehameha III (uncanonical) William Pitt Leleiohoku I |
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Issue | Keiki Lot Kapuāiwa (hānai) |
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House | House of Kamehameha | ||||
Father | Kamehameha I | ||||
Mother | Queen Keōpūolani |
Full name | |
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Harrieta Keōpūolani Nāhiʻenaʻena |
Harriet or Harrieta Keōpūolani Nāhiʻenaʻena (1815–1836) was a high-ranking princess during the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the conversion of some of the ruling class to Christianity.
In the Hawaiian language nā ahi ʻena ʻena means "the red-hot raging fires".
She was born in 1815 at Keauhou Bay, South Kona, island of Hawaiʻi. Her parents were Kamehameha I and Keōpūolani the Queen consort. She had two older brothers, hiapo (first born) Liholiho, and Kauikeaouli, who were to become Kings Kamehameha II and III. This sacred muli loa (last born) child was trained for the immense kuleana (privilege and responsibility) that would accompany someone of such high birth.
In 1825, the ship HMS Blonde returned with the bodies of King Kamehameha II and the Queen Kamāmalu who had died on a trip to London. Ship's artist Robert Dampier painted a portrait of the ten-year-old princess, dressed in a red feather cloak for the state funeral.
She was in love with her brother Kamehameha III and the old chiefs strongly encouraged their marriage, but the missionaries were opposed to the union, calling it incest and therefore a sin. The practice of marriage between siblings in the royal family was considered a way of keeping the bloodlines pure in ancient Hawaii. Nāhiʻenaʻena's own maternal grandparents were half sister and brother.
Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena had been affected by the conflicts of Christianity and her culture causing her to embrace both beliefs. She would follow cultural traditions such as Hula, but also drink rum just as the missionaries did. She showed rebellion and distaste for many Christian tasks. She would interrupt church services and openly defy missionary teachings. Although she and many others were fragmented on beliefs, she never fully converted. On her death bead, missionary wives tried to urge her to repent for her sins. She may have been fighting to stay embedded with her Hawaiian culture.