More than 130 people from the Hawaiian Islands and Mainland joined us on July 9th for a presentation on the extraordinary life of Kuhina Nui Miriam Kekāuluohi. The topic of power, who holds it, how it’s enforced and the impact this has on society is especially relevant at this historical moment.
View the full replay of Dr. Shirley Buchanan’s compelling presentation on the incredible life of Kuhina Nui Miriam Kekāuluohi below.
A Live Presentation of the Extraordinary Life of Miriam Kekāuluohi
Thursday, July 9, 2020 – 4:30 to 5:30 P.M.
Dr. Shirley E. Buchanan, lecturer at the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, presents her research on the extraordinary life of Miriam Kekāuluohi, also known as Kaʻahumanu III. Daughter of Kaheiheimālie, Kekāuluohi was a wife to both Kamehameha I and later to Kamehameha II.
From 1839 to 1845 Kekāuluohi served as Kuhina Nui* (or premier). The 1840 Hawaiian Constitution outlined the historical position of Kuhina Nui which was previously held by women such as Kaʻahumanu I and Kaʻahumanu II (Kinaʻu) as a model for successive generations.
Miriam Kekāuluohi was the first Kuhina Nui to serve under the precepts of the new Constitution, and though her reach was extensive throughout the Hawaiian Kingdom, we are still learning about her life. Her role as Kuhina Nui placed the aliʻi wahine in a position to directly negotiate with foreigners at a critical time in the Kingdom.
The talk will be followed by a Question & Answer session with the presenter.
*The Kuhina Nui was a unique position in the administration of Hawaiian government from 1819 to 1864 with no equivalent in western governments of the day. The Kuhina Nui held equal authority to the king in all matters of government, including the distribution of land, negotiating treaties and other agreements, and dispensing justice. https://ags.hawaii.gov/archives/online-exhibitions/centennial-exhibit/kuhina-nui-1819-1864/
Shirley E. Buchanan received her PhD. in History from UH Mānoa in 2019. Her research explores the connections between Native Hawaiian governance and American Indian policy in the nineteenth century, focusing on how indigeneity and gender shaped U.S. federal policies. Her work strives to illuminate the women who served as mediators throughout this period, changing the trajectories of nations. She has been a lecturer at UH Mānoa since 2011, teaching in both the Department of Women’s Studies and the Department of History.