HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN
HERE IN HAWAI'I AND
WONDERED HOW THE STREET
GOT ITS NAME?
WELL, EVERY THURSDAY WE
HAVE OUR WEEKLY ALOHA
AUTHENTIC SEGMENT THAT
SHARES THE MEANINGS,
STORIES BEHIND OUR
VARIOUS STREETS AROUND
YOUR ISLANDS TO HELP
ALL OF US AND OUR
ISLAND'S HISTORY.
THIS WEEK WE DIVE INTO A
COMMONLY USED STREET IN
THE AREA OF AIEA THAT
CARRIES THE NAME OF ONE
OF THE MOST POWERFUL
WOMEN IN HAWAI'I'S
HISTORY.
HERE ON OAHU LIES A
STREET NAMED IN HONOR OF
THE MOST FAVORITE WIFE
OF KING KAMEHAMEHA THE
GREAT KAIMED KA -- NAMED
KAAHUMANU STREET.
EVEN THOUGH KAAHUMANU
DID NOT HAVE ANY
CHILDREN OF HER OWN SHE
WAS CONSIDERED THE
GUARDIAN AND FOSTER
MOTHERS OF KING
KAMEHAMEHA'S SONS.
RIGHT BEFORE KING
KAMEHAMEHA THE GREAT HAD
PASSED, KEA HUE MANU
SAID THE KING HAD
REQUESTED SHE CO-RULE
ALONGSIDE THE YOUNG KING
BECAUSE OF HIS
INEXPERIENCE.
IT GAVE HER MUCH
POLITICAL POWER IN THE
KINGDOM OF HAWAI'I.
AFTER CONSULTING THE
BOARD OF ADVISERS, QUEEN
KAAHUMANU CREATED A
POSITION FOR HERSELF
WHICH SERVES SIMILAR TO
A REGION ENTER OR PRIME
MINISTER.
IT WAS REALLY BOTH THE
KING AND KAAHUMANU WHO
RULED HAWAI'I.
QUEEN KAAHUMANU IS
CREDITED WITH BEING ONE
MOST DOMINANT WAHINE IN
HAWAI'I'S HISTORY.
DID YOU KNOW?
NOW YOU DO.
VERY COOL.
BRAVO, THAT IS SO
INTERESTING.
OF COURSE SO MANY OF US
DRIVE ON KAAHUMANU AND
PEOPLE DON'T EVEN THINK
ABOUT THE HISTORY BEHIND
IT.
YOU SAY KAAHUMANU WAS
KING KAMEHAMEHA THE
GREAT'S FAVORITE WIFE.
HOW MANY WIVES DID HE
HAVE?
TAKE A GUESS.
FIVE?
21 WIVES.
TO PAINT A PICTURE AT
LEAST FOR KAAHUMANU, SHE
WAS OVER SIX FEET TALL
AND 300 POUNDS.
BACK IN THE DAY, THAT
WAS NORMAL.
THE BIGGER YOU WERE,
THE MORE ALOHA.
WHAT WAS PROBABLY THE
MOST MEMORABLE THING SHE
DID IN THE REIGN OF KING
KAMEHAMEHA, II.
A TRADITIONAL SYSTEM
THAT FORBID A LOT OF
THINGS BUT INCLUDED MEN
AND WOMEN EATING
TOGETHER.
KAAHUMANU ALONGSIDE OF
THE BIOLOGICAL MOTHER OF
KING KAMEHAMEHA, II,
BOTH SAT DOWN TO EAT.
IN THAT ACTION THEY WERE
ABOLISHING AND QUEEN
KAAHUMANU HAD A REALLY
BIG ROLE TO PLAY.
SPEAKING OF, KING
KAMEHAMEHA THE GREAT
BELIEVED IN THE ANCIENT
GODS.
WHEN THE MISSIONARIES
ARRIVE AND BROUGHT FORTH
THEIR CHRISTIAN GOD, SHE
EMBRACED IT A LOT.
SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
TO BE CONVERTED TO
CHRISTIANITY AND THE
FIRST ALI'I GIVEN A
BIBLE.
REALLY.
A BIBLE TRANSLATED IN
HAWAIIAN.
EVEN IN HER RULE, SHE
CREATED A LOT OF RULES
AND LAWS AS SHE REIGNED
THAT WERE VERY INSPIRED
BY CHRISTIAN FAITH AND
ALSO THE TEN
COMMANDMENTS.
SO SHE ALSO URGED HER
PEOPLE TO BE BAPTIZED IN
THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AS
WELL AS SHE DID.
WHEN SHE WAS BACK
ADVERTISED, SHE TOOK ON
THE CHRISTIAN NAME
ELIZABETH.
SO WHEN KING
KAMEHAMEHA PASSED, DID
SHE EVER REMARRY?
SHE ACTUALLY DID.
THIS WAS REALLY DUE TO
STRATEGIC PURPOSES.
BEFORE KING KAMEHAMEHA
HAD PASSED, HE HAD
CONCURRED ALL OF THE
ISLANDS.
THE ONLY ISLANDS HE DID
NOT CONCUR THROUGH WAR
WAS THE ISLANDS OF
KAUA'I AND NI'IHAU.
EVENTUALLY LED THE
ISLANDS TO BE UNDER ONE
RULE.
WHEN KAMEHAMEHA HAD
PASSED, QUEEN KAAHUMANU
WAS FEARFUL THAT WOULD
THEN BREAK UP AND GO ON
THEIR OWN SEPARATE WAYS,
SO HER ALONGSIDE HAD
KIDNAPPED AND FORCIBLY
MARRIED HIM ALONG WITH
KAAHUMANU TO SECURE THE
UNION.
WOW.
OKAY.
COOL.
THANK YOU FOR THAT
KNOWLEDGE.
MA HAL EU.
SO WHAT'S NEXT WEEK?
LILIHA.