Died 3 October 1864 | ||
Levi Haʻalelea (1822 – October 3, 1864) was a high chief of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He served as a kahu (royal guardian/attendant) and konohiki (land agent) for High Chief Leleiohoku, one of the grandsons of Kamehameha I, a Hulumanu (court of favorites) from the Royal Court of Kamehameha III, and eventually served as Chamberlain for the court. He was a member of the Privy Council and served in the House of Nobles. He helped the early Mormon missionaries to the islands by leasing them land and eventually converted to that faith. In the Hawaiian language, his name Haʻalelea meant man sacrificed when cutting an ʻōhiʻa tree for an image.
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Early life and family
Born circa 1822 in Lahaina, Maui, his father was Haʻaloʻu, the Governor of the island of Molokai under Kalanimoku, and his mother was Kipa. His half-brother was Timoteo Haʻalilio, diplomat of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a kahu (caretaker) and cared for High Chief Leleiohoku along with his uncle Malo. Leleiohoku was the son of Kalanimoku and a grandson of Kamehameha I. Haʻalelea would also serve as Leleiohoku's konohiki or chief of land (land agent). In 1834, he attend Lahainaluna Seminary with Leleiohoku, a school ran by the American missionaries who arrived in Hawaii in 1820.
Chiefly status and marriages
Haʻalelea also served as the private secretary and land agent of Kealiʻiahonui and his wife Kekauʻōnohi, the granddaughter of Kamehameha I and former wife of Kamehameha II, until the former's death in 1849. Around 1848 (Haʻalelea himself dates this to 1850) he married Kealiʻiahonui's widow Kekauʻōnohi. This marriage elevated him to the status of chief but produced no children before Kekauʻōnohi's death in 1851. He married his second wife Amoe Ululani Kapukalakala Ena (1842–1904) at the age of 16. She was the eldest daughter of the chiefess Kaikilanialiiwahineopuna and John Ena (Zane Shang Hsien) of Hilo, a merchant of Chinese descent. His only child was a daughter, Kamalalehua, who died before him. He was a member of the Privy Council from 1852 to 1855 and served in the House of Nobles from 1853 to 1862. He would also serve as Chamberlain of the Royal Court.
Mormon missionaries
In 1854, Haʻalelea leased his land in the Palawai Valley on the island of Lanai to the early Mormon missionaries who set up a Mormon colony on the island for a period of time. This land was however considered useless, so Haʻalelea may have used it as a chance to get rid of an unwanted piece of property. He would eventually convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And in 1863, he sold the entire ahupuaʻa to Walter Murray Gibson.
Death and legacy
Haʻalelea died on October 3, 1864 of aneurism at Holani Pa, his residence on Richard's Street in Honolulu. The two-story coral-house was originally built by Kealiʻiahonui and adjoined with Haimoeipo, the private residence of Queen Kalama, a relative of Haʻalelea. After his death, it became known as Haʻalelea Lawn but the house was later torn down and the land used by the University Club. In 1908, a memorial tablet at Kawaiahaʻo Church was erected honoring Haʻalilio, Haʻalelea, and his second wife Amoe Ululani, who was a great benefactor of the church. His brother's Christian name was written as Richard instead of Timothy and his birth year was inscribed as 1828 instead of 1822.
He was a related by blood to both Queen Kalama and her uncle, Charles Kanaʻina. After his death the two would approve administration of his Last Will and Testament as the devisees under the Will.