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The House of Laʻanui (Hale O Laʻanui in the Hawaiian language) is a family of heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi collateral to the House of Kamehameha. Both houses are branches of the House of Keōua Nui.

The House of Laʻanui stems from the High Chief Laʻanui who was the son of Nuhi, the ruler of Waimea, Hawaiʻi[1] and became the aliʻi nui of Waialua.[2][3] He was one of the main chief warriors who went to Kauaʻi to subdue George Prince Kaumualiʻi.[4] His eldest offspring was a daughter named Elizabeth Kekaʻaniauokalani Laʻanui, the youngest, or muli loa was a son named Gideon Kailipalaki-o-Keheananui Laʻanui. The House of Laʻanui was continued through these two children[3] after Laʻanui himself died on 12 September 1849 and buried within the Liliʻuokalani Church cemetery grounds of his old estate where he ruled.[3] His daughter Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui became the only survivor of the Hawaiian nobility who were eligible to the throne after the death of Liliʻuokalani, the last queen of Hawaiʻi.[5] Her brother's child, High Chiefess Owana Kaʻohelelani Laanui was the only descendant from the House of Laʻanui to have children[3] and comprise the royal descendants from the house of Keōua nui the progenitor of the Kamehamehas.[6][5]

Kalokuokamaile

The eldest branch of the House of Keōua Nui is from descendants of chiefs of the Kona district of the island of Hawaiʻi, and from the island of Maui. The dynastic line was established by Kalokuokamaile who was the eldest half-brother of King Kamehameha I, who established the reigning House of Kamehameha. Kalokuokamaile was the son of High Chief Keōua Kalanikupuapaikalaninui and High Chiefess Kahikikala-o-kalani of Western Maui.[7]

Laʻanui-Kalokuokamaile

The male line of Kalokuokamaile became extinct when Kalokuokamaile did not produce a male heir. He was survived by his daughter Kaohelelani, by his wife Kaloiokalani of Kahikinui and Honuaula descent. Kaohelelani married Nuhi, who was a ruling chief of Waimea, Hawaii. Rather than being called the House of Nuhi, the House continued under the name of their son, Gideon Peleʻioholani Laʻanui. Gideon's male line came to end in 1944 after the death of Theresa Owana Laʻanui, the last female descendants.[citation needed]

Her descendants:

Claims to the throne

The Laʻanui are the descendants of the brother of Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau, who attended the Chiefs' Children's School. Each of the 15 royal children was declared eligible to succeed to the Hawaiian throne by King Kamehameha III[8] with approval of the House of Nobles.[9] Elizabeth was preemptive to the throne[10] and was the last survivor of the Hawaiian nobility[11] who officially could become a ruler,[12] outliving all other royals.[13] Elizabeth and her brother had the distinction of being the seniority line of the royal house of Keoua nui. In 1920, Elizabeth claims her niece Theresa Owana Kaʻohelelani Laʻanui will succeed as the head of the royal house and then her descendants will follow by their primogeniture rights.[11] The Laʻanui descendants never relinquished their royal claims, and continue to protest, inserting titles of nobility,[14] creating orders of knighthood, satisfying the prevention of prescription under international law to protect sovereignty and their royal rights.[15][circular reference]

Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau also protested to the United States to protect the crown lands from annexation.[16] Her claim was that the crown lands were the private lands of Kamehameha III in trust for the person who sits on the throne. Without the seat of the monarch, the crown lands should be inherited by the primogeniture family of Kamehameha III instead of transferring the lands to the United States and that her rights should not be ignored as she is a legitimate claimant to the crown lands.[17]

Members of the Laʻanui family are often referred to with the titles of prince and princess.[14]

Members of the family

References

  1. ^ "Image 272 of A history of the Hawaiian Islands, their resources and people;". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  2. ^ Kirch, Patrick Vinton; Sahlins, Marshall (July 1994). Anahulu: The Anthropology of History in the Kingdom of Hawaii, Volume 1: Historical Ethnography. ISBN 9780226733654.
  3. ^ a b c d "Historic Resources Evaluation Dillingham Ranch, Oahu, HI" (PDF). oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov. 2017. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  4. ^ "The Missionary Herald at Home and Abroad". 1825.
  5. ^ a b "History of Keoua Kalanikupuapa-i-kalani-nui, Father of Hawaii Kings, and His Descendants, with Notes on Kamehameha I, First King of All Hawaii". 1920.
  6. ^ "Image 272 of A history of the Hawaiian Islands, their resources and people; | Library of Congress". Loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  7. ^ Elizabeth Kekaʻaniauokalani Kalaninuiohilaukapu Pratt (2009) [1920]. Daniel Logan (ed.). History of Keoua Kalanikupuapa-i-nui: father of Hawaii kings, and his descendants. Honolulu: republished by Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1-104-76661-0.
  8. ^ "Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen". digital.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  9. ^ Robert William Wilcox (May 27, 1898). "Some Genealogy: R. W. Wilcox Corrects Statements in Ex-Queen's Book — Only Surviving Members of Royal School Destined to Be Rulers of Hawaii". Hawaiian Gazette. Honolulu. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  10. ^ Cooke, Amos Starr (1937). "The Chiefs' Children School: A Record Compiled from the Diary and Letters of Amos Starr Cooke and Juliette Montague Cooke, by Their Granddaughter Mary Atherton Richards".
  11. ^ a b "History of Keoua Kalanikupuapa-i-kalani-nui, Father of Hawaii Kings, and His Descendants, with Notes on Kamehameha I, First King of All Hawaii". 1920.
  12. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (July 20, 1844). "Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, July 20, 1844, Image 1" – via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
  13. ^ "Honolulu Advertiser" (PDF). e6df6b39-4433-4496-bb58-add46e803636.filesusr.com. 1928. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  14. ^ a b Sleicher, John Albert (1901). "Leslie's".
  15. ^ Prescription (sovereignty transfer)
  16. ^ Forbes, David W. (28 February 2003). Hawaiian National Bibliography, 1780-1900: Volume 4: 1881-1900. ISBN 9780824826369.
  17. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1893-03-02). "The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, March 2, 1893, Image 3". ISSN 2157-2127. Retrieved 2021-01-28.

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