Kaleohano (Mormon)

Kaleohano (1831–March 1896) was a Hawaiian ali'i, missionary, and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was born in 1831 to a noble family and was one of the first converts of missionary George Q. Cannon. After his baptism, Kaleohano served multiple missions throughout Hawaii and became a prominent community leader in Lā'ie. With his wife Kaahanui, he was the father of six children.

Birth and education

Kaleohano was born in 1831 in Pulehu in the Kula region of Maui. His family were ali’i, or part of the traditional Hawaiian nobility. Though his parents moved to Maui around 1819, his grandfather had been a chief at Ka’ū on Hawaii, and his family was distantly related to King Kamehameha I. When Kaleohano was a child, Protestant missionaries visited his island, and his parents converted to Christianity. In his early years, he was instructed in the traditional arts of mele and hula. After his parents' conversion to Christianity, he was also sent to the local missionary school. A promising student, Kaleohano, went on to attend a school in Lahainaluna, where he received a Western education.[1][2]

Baptism and church service

When Kaleohano returned from school at the age of twenty, he married Kaahanui and established a home with her at Keālia. Soon after their marriage, the couple was introduced to George Q. Cannon, a missionary from the LDS Church, by Kaleohano’s cousin and schoolmate, Jonathan Napela.[3] Kaleohano and Kaahanui were baptized in late June or early July of 1851, along with two others, Pake and Maiola, making them the first group of converts baptized by Cannon.[4][5]

After his baptism, Kaleohano accompanied Cannon to the other side of Maui, beginning a lifetime of missionary service. His education in the Hawaiian oral tradition made him a powerful speaker, and his noble lineage allowed him to facilitate connections for the missionaries wherever they traveled.[6] His time preaching on Maui was followed shortly after by a mission to the Big Island. In addition to his missionary service, Kaleohano also served as the clerk of the Kealohou branch, directed the choir at the dedication of the Kula chapel, and led the branch at Kealia, all within his first two years of church membership.[7][8] By the time the missionaries from Utah left Hawaii in 1854, Kaleohano had gone on seven missionary assignments throughout the Islands.[9]

Despite his busy life of church service, Kaleohano and Kaahanui were still able to start a family. On April 22, 1853, Kaahanui gave birth to the couple’s first child, Lucy. Kaleohano was so proud of his newborn daughter that he led the procession to church with Lucy in his arms, feeling "as important as the King on his throne," according to Elder Ephraim Green. The family had six children in total, two daughters and four sons.[10]

After the first group of Utah missionaries left Hawaii, Kaleohano continued his involvement in church leadership. He spoke in favor of a plan for the Hawaiian Latter-day Saints to gather to Lanai and oversaw various aspects of the move.[11] In addition, he also advocated for the mission to create a school where Latter-day Saints could learn English. It is likely that the future president of the church, fifteen-year-old Joseph F. Smith stayed with the Kaleohano family upon his arrival in Hawaii.

When the Hawai’i church fell under the leadership of Walter M. Gibson in 1861, Kaleohano distanced himself, remaining at Kula until leaders from church headquarters arrived in 1864 and excommunicated Gibson for the preaching of false doctrine, maladministration, and embezzlement. At a mission conference in 1864, Kaleohano was one of the speakers, and, reportedly, rejoiced at the arrival of legitimate church leaders. [12]

Time in Lā'ie

In 1865, the Kaleohano family moved to Lā'ie with many other church members to establish an agricultural colony.[13] In addition to traditional farming, Kaleohano also leased and sold land on Maui to support his family. Kaleohano and Kaahanui also continued to host newly arrived American missionaries in order for them to learn Hawaiian. He continued to go on short missions to Kauai and Hawaii, baptizing over a hundred people. [14] He also recruited new settlers for Lā’ie, bringing fifty-three from Hawai’i in April 1872.[15]

During his time in Lā'ie, Kaleohano became the Monarchy’s go-to contact within the church. In August of 1871, Kaleohano and Jonatana Napela were once asked to give a priesthood blessing to King Kamehameha V.[16] Later, in April 1874, King Kalākaua and Queen Kapi’olani visited Lā'ie. Many visits followed, and the king and queen regularly stayed with Kaleohano and Kaahanui or with their daughter Lucy.[17] Kaleohano dedicated the northwest cornerstone of the Lā'ie chapel on April 6, 1882.[18] In the fall of 1883, the King attended the chapel's dedication, and Kaleohano gave the welcoming remarks upon his arrival.[19] In 1886, Kaleohano and his family were asked to organize and participate in "a short exhibition of Hawaiian amusements" at the mission conference, including mele and hula.[20] Kaleohano continued to serve various missions, and in 1888 he traveled to Molokai and Lanai. His last call was as a "home missionary" in 1893. He passed away in March of 1896.[21]

Descendants

In July 2020, Kaleohano's fourth-great-grandson John S.K. "Keoni" Kauwe became the eleventh President of BYU–Hawaii.[22]

References
  1. Spurrier, Joseph H. (1989). Sandwich Island Saints: Early Mormon Converts in the Hawaiian Islands. Joseph H. Spurrier. pp. 209–210.
  2. Voyages of faith : explorations in Mormon Pacific history. Underwood, Grant, 1954-. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. 2000. ISBN 0-8425-2480-0. OCLC 45413468.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. p. 71.
  4. "H.K Kaleohano". The Journal of George Q. Cannon.
  5. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. p. 71.
  6. Underwood. Voyages of Faith. p. 292.
  7. Britsch, R. Lanier. (1989). Moramona : the Mormons in Hawaii. Laie, Hawaii: Institute for Polynesian Studies. p. 19. ISBN 0-939154-46-3. OCLC 20055787.
  8. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. pp. 212–213.
  9. Underwood. Voyages of Faith. p. 294.
  10. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. p. 216.
  11. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. pp. 218–219.
  12. Underwood. Voyages of Faith. p. 295.
  13. Moffat, Riley Moore, 1947- (2011). Gathering to La'ie. Woods, Fred E., Walker, Jeffrey N. [Laie, Hawaii]: Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Studies. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-939154-10-4. OCLC 761212134.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. p. 221.
  15. Gathering to Lai'e.
  16. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. pp. 221–222.
  17. Underwood. Voyages of Faith. p. 298.
  18. Gathering to Lai'e. p. 58.
  19. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. p. 229.
  20. Underwood. Voyages of Faith. p. 300.
  21. Spurrier. Sandwich Island Saints. pp. 231–232.
  22. "Church Names Native Hawaiian as New President of Brigham Young University–Hawaii". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
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