Ruling Chiefs of Hawaiʻi (revised edition, hardcover)

By S. M. Kamakau

Eighteenth-century Hawaiian historian Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau traces Hawai‘i’s history from ‘Umi, high chief eight generations before Kamehameha I, to the death of Kamehameha III in 1854. This volume covers the arrival of Captain James Cook, the consolidation of the Hawaiian kingdom by Kamehameha I, the coming of the missionaries, and the changes affecting the kingdom through the reign of Kamehameha III.

This history was originally written by Kamakau in Hawaiian as a series of newspaper articles in the 1860s and 1870s. The English translation was by a team of esteemed Hawaiian scholars: Mary Kawena Pukui, Thomas G. Thrum, Lahilahi Webb, Emma Davidson Taylor, and John Wise and first published in 1961.

About the Author
Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau (1815–1876) lived at a time when access to first-hand information about the ancient cultures was still available. His schooling and subsequent teaching at Lahainaluna Seminary on Maui gave him a lifelong interest in Hawaiian culture and history. Throughout his career, he was active in politics and government service. He was elected to numerous terms in the legislature and served as an educator, civil servant, and judge.

Hardcover. 1992. 6.75 x 9.75". 528 pp.
eBook available for IOS and Kindle.
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