Kalama

Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili (1817–September 20, 1870) was a Queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi alongside her husband, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as King Kamehameha III. Her second name is Hazelelponi in Hawaiian.

Early life

She was the only child of Kona chief Naihekukui, who was commander of the native Hawaiian fleet at Honolulu. Her mother was Chiefess Iʻahuʻula, the younger sister of Charles Kanaʻina. Kanaʻina would become hānai (Hawaiian form of adoption) parent of the child.

Kalama means "The Torch" in the Hawaiian language.

Marriage

The young Kamehameha III, the boy king at the time, was needing a suitable royal bride. Many of the traditional chiefs wanted a union between the king and his sister Nāhienaena, like it had been customary to in the Hawaiian court since the beginning of time, but the missionaries and Christian chiefs, who held the most political power, opposed this suggestion, calling it incest.

Kamanele, the daughter of Governor John Adams Kuakini, was proposed as the most suitable in age, rank, and education. The young king fell in love with Kalama in 1832. This angered his sister Kīnaʻu and many of the high chiefs. Kamehameha III married her on February 14, 1837. This was only a few months after Nahienaena's death.