Kaniakapupu

Coordinates: 212102.7N 1574852.07W

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kaniakapp ("the singing of the land shells"), known formerly as

Luakaha (place of relaxation), is the ruins of the former summer Kaniakapupu
palace of King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama on the island of U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Oahu in Hawaii. Built in the 1840s, and situated in the cool uplands
of the Nuuanu Valley, it served as the king and queen's summer
retreat after the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii moved from
Lahaina to Honolulu in 1845. It was famous for being the site of a
grand luau attended by an estimated ten thousand guests during the
1847 Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day celebration. No records
exist about the palace in the intervening years; by 1874 it had fallen
into ruins. Rediscovered in the 1950s, the site was cleared and
efforts were made to stabilize the ruins from further damage by the
elements and invasive plant growth. The site remains officially off-
limits to the public and trespassers are subjected to citations, Ruins of Kaniakapupu
although the site is not regularly monitored.

Contents
1 Name
2 History
2.1 Contemporary descriptions
3 Modern conservation
3.1 Vandalism Nearest city Nuuanu, Hawaii
4 Plaque
Built 1845
5 See also
6 References NRHP Reference # 86002805
7 Bibliography Added to NRHP October 15, 1986
8 External links

Name
Kaniakapp is the current and most commonly used name of the site
and palace. Archaeologist Susan A. Lebo and anthropologist James M.
Bayman, writing in 2001, claim that the name is a modern misnomer,
possibly originating in the early 20th century.[1] Moolelo, (oral
accounts) from this period associate the name with the remnants of a
stone structure to the southeast of the house believed to be a heiau
(temple) dedicated to Lono, the Hawaiian god of fertility and
healing.[1][2] Tradition states that the king may have chosen to build his
house on the heiau because of the mana (spiritual power) associated
with the area.[3] The contemporaneous Hale Alii (i.e. Iolani Palace),
was built on the site of a heiau called Kaahaimauli.[4]

According to Lebo and Bayman, the actual region of Kaniakapp and

Kaniakapp Heiau (also called Kawaluna Heiau) was located in the King's Summer House (1853),
Waolani area of Oahu; contemporary records do not mention a heiau lithograph by Paul Emmert
onsite or the king building his house on top of one.[1][3] Kawaluna
Heiau was associated with Kalii, the 16th-century alii nui of Oahu,
who asserted his control of the Kona district (the area encompassing much of modern Honolulu) after a
ceremony at the temple.[5] One of the earliest references to Kaniakapupu and its association with Kawaluna
Heiau was in the "Legend of Kamaakamahiai", published on August 13, 1870, in the Hawaiian-language
newspaper Kuokoa. It stated: "...where the house of our King now stands. Kawaluna was its name in the old
days and Kaniakapupu is its name today".[6] Kaniakapp means "the singing of the land shells" in the
Hawaiian language. The name refers to the khuli or Oahu tree snails which were once abundant in the area
and, according to Hawaiian folklore, were able to vocalize and sing sweet songs at night.[2][7][8]

Luakaha ("place of relaxation")[9] was the name of the property during the king's lifetime and originates from
the name of the traditional ili k (land division) of the ahupuaa of Honolulu, which encompassed a third of the
forested upper slopes of Nuuanu Valley.[1][2][10]

There are no records of the house itself having any specific name, though when it was in use it was referred to
as "the king's house, cottage, or retreat in Luakaha or Nuuanu".[1][11] Luakaha was one of the many strategic
grounds occupied by King Kalanikpule during King Kamehameha I's invasion of the island of Oahu in 1795.
Traditions state that Kamehameha rested his troops near the site during this campaign, which culminated in the
decisive Battle of Nuuanu, in which many of the defeated Oahu warriors were pushed off the Nuuanu Pali to
their deaths.[2][12][13]

History
In the early 19th century, Honolulu was situated on a dust plain. The
aridity and lack of water, save for the Nuuanu Stream, prompted many
residents to seek reprieve a few miles outside of town in the forested
uplands of the Nuuanu Valley. In this suburb, American missionaries,
white merchants, and the Hawaiian royals built European-style homes
to escape the summer heat. During this period, the site of Luakaha was
located 5 miles (8.0 km) outside the city and was reachable by horse
and carriage.[14][15] The claim on the area was relinquished by Charles
Kanaina during the Great Mhele of 1848, and became a part of the
Crown Lands.[1][10] Kamehameha III also allocated a nearby piece of
land to his advisor and friend Keoni Ana, who built Hnaiakamalama to
be near the king.[16]

Kaniakapupu was built prior to the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii

moving to Honolulu from Lahaina in 1845. With Hale Alii, the king's
new official residence in the center of town, and a summer retreat in the King Kamehameha III
Nuuanu Valley, the new royal residences were built to resemble the
spatial-cultural geography of Mokuula, the king's royal residential
complex in Lahaina.[16] On July 5, 1842, American missionary Amos Starr Cooke, the teacher of Royal
School, wrote in his journal that Governor Kekanoa was in the process of building a "stone house" for the
king in Luakaha.[17]

It was completed in 1845 and was a place for entertaining foreign celebrities, chiefs, and commoners.[18] On
Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day (L Hoihoi Ea) in 1847, King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama
hosted a grand luau at the palace. The celebration commemorated the fourth anniversary of the restoration of
Hawaiian independence and sovereignty by British Rear-Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, following a five-
month British occupation of the kingdom during the Paulet Affair of 1843. The luau was attended by an
estimated ten thousand guests.[19][2][20][21][22] The palace may also have been the site of an earlier luau, or
great ahaaina (feast), which was part of the initial ten-day restoration festivities in 1842.[23][24] Children from
the Royal School, including all of the future Hawaiian monarchs, often visited with their teachers, the
Cookes.[17]

By 1874, a map of the region labeled the area as the "Old Ruins", implying its dilapidated state. No records
exist as to why the site was abandoned.[2][25]
Contemporary descriptions

Danish explorer Steen Anderson Bille, who circumnavigated the globe on the corvette Galathea between 1845
and 1847, visited Oahu in October 1846. Besides having an audience with King Kamehameha III at Hale Alii,
and commenting on Honolulu social life, Bille wrote a description of Luakaha:[6][26]

One of the most distant county seas on the right side of the road is that of the King. It is rather a
large building with a surrounding porch, and does not distinguish itself by any architectural beauty.
A small cottage build by an Englishman on the road a little before the King's house is reached, is
still more insignificant, but if you pass to the rear of its garden you will see a seething fall
cascading down from a height of more than 70 feet.[6]

Another account was written in 1908 by Gorham D. Gilman, a New England merchant who resided in Lahaina
and Honolulu from 1840 to 1861:

The last building in the valley after the foreign style is His Majesty's country seat, at which he
spends considerable time during the summer. It is about five miles from town, and a pleasant ride.
It is in a fine situation and is surrounded by many of the original forest trees. It is a plain stone
building with one large room and two sleeping rooms, the whole surrounded by a wide veranda
enclosed by a neat paling fence. It was her that the great meal fete was given by His Majesty to
Admiral Thomas at the time of restoration.[6][24]

Modern conservation
The area was rediscovered in the 1950s, and the Territorial Commission
on Historic Sites cleared and stabilized the ruins onsite. However, the
site deteriorated over the next 30 years due to the lack of maintenance.
A fund was created by the Historic Hawaii Foundation in 1998 to pay
for preservation work on the ruins, which was completed two years
later. An archaeological survey was also conducted around this time.
Today, the site is managed by the State Historic Preservation Division of
Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) with the
help of the Historic Hawaii Foundation and other local preservation
organizations, including the Aha Hui Malama O Kaniakapupu.[19]
Ruins of Kaniakapupu, 2015
Kaniakapupu was added as site 66000293 to the National Register of
Historic Places listings in Oahu on October 15, 1966.[27]

Kaniakapupu is located at the end of an unmarked trail off the Pali Highway. The property is near the Luakaha
Falls, and the surrounding area and trail leading up to the site are covered by a forest of invasive bamboo.[8][28]
Periodic clearing is necessary in order to halt the deteriorating effects of invasive root growth.[3] The trail and
ruins, which are located in a protected watershed, are officially off-limits to the public, although state DLNR
officials do not regularly monitor the site. Trespassers are subjected to citations if caught.[29][30][31]

Vandalism

In 2016, Kaniakapupu was damaged by vandals who scratched crosses into the historic stone walls. Previously,
tourists had etched initials and other markings, while others often leaned, sat, or climbed on the walls for photo
shoots. These actions further degraded the ancient structure. State DLNR officials and volunteers denounced
these acts as "utter disrespect" for the cultural importance of the site.[29][30][31] Land Board Chairwoman
Suzanne Case said in a written statement:
 It's hard to understand how anyone thinks it is okay or pono to draw or etch graffiti on any of
Hawaii's historical or cultural treasures. They need to understand that their actions not only
potentially destroy the cultural integrity of these sites and structures, but also show tremendous
disrespect toward our host culture and to the countless volunteers and staff who work hard to
preserve these places for future generations.[30][32]

Social media was blamed for bringing unwanted visitors to the site and not pointing out that the area is off-
limits to the public. Following these acts of vandalism, the state of Hawaii asked for the removal of directions
to Kaniakapupu on many social media websites and tourism blogs, and encouraged those who knew the
direction to the ruins to come with respect.[29][33]

Plaque
A plaque was erected at Kaniakapupu by the Commission on Historical
Sites, which reads:

KANIAKAPUPU
SUMMER PALACE OF KING KAMEHAMEHA III
AND HIS QUEEN KALAMA
COMPLETED IN 1845 IT WAS THE SCENE OF
ENTERTAINMENT OF FOREIGN CELEBRITIES
AND THE FEASTING OF CHIEFS AND
COMMONERS. THE GREATEST OF THESE Historical plaque at the ruins of
OCCASIONS WAS A LUAU ATTENDED BY AN Kaniakapupu
ESTIMATED TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE
CELEBRATING HAWAIIAN RESTORATION DAY
IN 1847.

COMMISSION ON HISTORICAL SITES[18]

See also
Hnaiakamalama, the summer palace of Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV

References
1. Lebo & Bayman 2001, p. 157.
2. Pacific Worlds 2003.
3. Becket & Singer 1999, p. 20.
4. Judd 1975, p. 66.
5. Becket & Singer 1999, pp. 5, 20.
6. Sterling & Summers 1978, p. 307.
7. Soehren 2010a.
8. Crowl 2011.
9. Pukui, Elbert & Mookini 1974, p. 135.
10. Soehren 2010b.
11. Hawaii Privy Council & 184749.
12. Kamakau 1992, p. 172.
13. Kuykendall 1965, pp. 2960.
14. Gilman1908, pp. 121123.
15. Dye 1997, p. 12.
16. Klieger 1998, pp. 74-75.
17. Cooke & Cooke 1937, p. 151.
 18. Commission on Historical Sites Plaque at Kaniakapupu. Honolulu, HI: Kaniakapupu.
19. Woodward 2007, p. 122.
20. Thrum 1929, pp. 101106.
21. Gilman 1892, pp. 7077.
22. Kuykendall 1965, pp. 219221.
23. Judd 1999, p. 149.
24. Gilman 1908, p. 123.
25. Cummins 1905.
26. Forbes 2000, pp. 140-142.
27. National Park Service 1986.
28. Doughty 2015, pp. 193194.
29. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resource 2016.
30. Kakesako 2016.
31. Valcour & t2016.
32. Ka Wai Ola Staff 2016, p. 4.
33. Associated Press 2016; Kelleher 2016; Wakida 2016; Valcour & t2016

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External links
Media related to Kaniakapupu at Wikimedia Commons

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