GLR November-December 2025

that accompanied the revival of this tradition at the home of Kaomi, who happened to live next door: At daylight the natives assembled in the yard next to mine and had a great dance. The streets, lanes, fences were filled with people to witness one of their former pastimes. The utmost sat isfaction appeared to light the countenance of the spectators. The native at whose house the dance took place (by the name of Kaomi) was First to be baptized; the First to be Teacher; the First to be married; the First to turn off his wife; the First in the Dance; First in all turnings. Hawaiians from across the islands were ecstatic with the revival of their cultural practices, and many flocked to O‘ahu to savor the new freedoms. But the missionaries were shocked and horrified. Two male lovers were running the kingdom. Had they no shame? § T HE MISSIONARIES URGED the Christianized chiefs to intervene. Sensing the danger to his aik ā ne , Kamehameha III had Kaomi’s house surrounded with a detachment of guards and issued a procla mation that no one was to enter the compound on pain of death. Nevertheless, the Christian ali‘i hatched a plot to assassinate Kaomi. On March 15, 1834, exactly one year after the abrogation of the Christian laws, they sent an elder chief named Kaikio‘ewa to carry out their plan. He arrived at Kaomi’s house in what is now downtown Honolulu, along with a servant carrying a war club, who proceeded to tie Kaomi’s hands behind his back. Kaomi did not resist. He could have or Why did Kaomi allow himself to be overcome? I believe he recognized that the struggle between the traditional Hawaiian way of life and the restrictive Calvinist morals of the mission aries had come to a perilous tipping point. If he and his aik ā ne persisted in their relationship and rejection of Christianity, there would be a civil war. Kamehameha III would likely be deposed, perhaps even killed, and there would be no clear successor to lead the kingdom. Kaomi allowed himself to be escorted to Honolulu Fort, where he was to be executed. Kina‘u, the premier at that time, was alarmed at what appeared to be the beginning of a rebellion against the monarchy, but Kaikio‘ewa was insistent that the “troublemaker” should be put to death. Just at that moment, Kamehameha III rushed in, dressed in the scant clothing he was wearing when a guard had run to tell him about the plot against Kaomi, and untied his aik ā ne ’s bonds. Infuriated, Kaikio‘ewa sprang forward and attacked his ruler. Back and forth they tus sled, until the king ended on top of the rebellious chief. “You are not the ruler over the kingdom if you keep on indulging your self in evil ways!” said Kaikio‘ewa, but the king did not answer. Instead, he took Kaomi to his home at Ka-hale-uluhe (the “house of ferns,” near present-day St. Andrews Cathedral), which was made taboo so no one could enter it. Kamehameha III was not cowed by the attack on his aik ā ne ; instead he seemed determined to reassert his authority. A few dered his guards to kill Kaikio‘ewa and his servant; that was his royal prerogative as aik ā ne to Kamehameha III and co-ruler of the island. Instead, he simply said: “If death is my prophecy, death it shall be” (“ uaaeaku e paa i ke kaula, a e make paha, e make no ”).

king, Kamehameha III had in fact shown “a fondness for such tempting delights” from early on. Ka‘ahumanu had tried to put a stop to Kaomi’s behavior by offering him a young chiefess to marry, but he would not consent, reminding her that “The lover has been deaf even from ancient times.” His punishment was to build a cattle pen for Bingham, a task he undertook with relish. Everything changed when Ka‘ahumanu died unexpectedly in 1832. Kaomi, whom the missionaries refused to baptize de spite his important role in the spread of Christianity in Hawai‘i, rebelled against the church and became a leading spirit in a group of flamboyant young men who called themselves the Hu lumanu, or bird feathers. Declaring a kind of guerrilla war on Christian morality, they forced church members to drink gin in a parody of the breaking of the kapu in 1819, when Ka‘ahu manu rescinded Hawai‘i’s ancient system of taboos to subse quently promote instead Christian values. Now eating and drinking freely symbolized freedom from the church and its re strictions. They mocked Christian burial by burying a pet ba boon in a coffin with prayers and Christian ceremonies. They especially delighted in disrupting Sunday services by playing drums loudly at the church door. Kaomi’s relationship with Kamehamea III became official the next year when his aik ā ne elevated him to the position of m ō ‘i ku‘i, aupuni ku‘i , or joint king and joint ruler. This gave Kaomi the power to draw upon the kingdom’s budget, trans fer Christian-owned lands to the Hulumanu, distribute cloth ing and money, and impose special taxes to pay his debts. Chiefs, warriors, and guards were put at his service, and the king declared his house near Honolulu Harbor taboo to enter. While many previous ali‘i (heredity nobles) had appointed their aik ā ne to important social and governing roles, this was the first time that one had been given so much authority, making Kaomi and Kamehameha III the two most powerful people in the Hawaiian Kingdom. In March 1833, the joint rulers put their vision of a K ā naka Maoli (indigenous) nation into law. A crier was sent through the streets of Honolulu to proclaim the abrogation of all Christian laws and regulations save for the prohibitions against theft and murder. The Natives quickly resumed their “heathen ways.” Pas times like ‘ulu maika and p ū henehene, stone games accompa nied by gambling, were played with abandon. When Kuakini, now royal governor of O‘ahu, flew a kite—an entertainment pro hibited by the missionaries as frivolous—a hundred kites were seen flying in the sky within 24 hours. The “demon” rum, which the missionaries viewed as their greatest adversary, was again freely made and consumed, with Kaomi and Kamehemaha III teaching people how to set up their own stills. Church attendance fell markedly, and with the Biblical prohibitions on sexual be havior erased, people were free to make love however and with whomever they pleased. Hawai‘i was once again a land of le‘ale‘a : pleasure and joy. Of all the traditions Ka‘ahumanu had banned, the people most missed hula. More than just entertainment, hula was a way to preserve genealogies, reenact historical events, honor deities and leaders, celebrate fertility and procreation, and express joy, grief, and amorous passions. Stephen Reynolds, a longtime res ident merchant from America, described in his journal the joy

Despite gossip that Kaomi had seduced him, the young king had shown “a fondness for such temp ti ng delights.”

November–December 2025

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