Pauahi: The Kamehameha Legacy

Pauahi: The Kamehameha Legacy is the definitive biography of a beloved and influential figure in Hawaiian history. With extensive research, Dr. George Hu'eu Sanford Kanahele presents the life of Princess Pauahi amid the social and cultural upheaval of 19th century Hawaii. Last of the royal Kamehameha line and great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I, at the close of her life Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop dedicated her estate to what would become the Kamehameha Schools.

It had been planned from childhood that Pauahi, born into Hawaiian royalty, would later marry her hanai brother Lot Kamehameha. Instead - and against the wishes of her family, other ali'i, and missionaries-Pauahi married Charles Reed Bishop, a businessman from the United States ten years her senior.

After ten years of marriage the Bishops had not produced an heir. In 1872, at the deathbed of Kamehameha V, Pauahi was offered the Hawaiian throne but, surprising a great many, refused it.

Before her death Pauahi had inherited over 375,000 acres of land, making her then, and her estate today, the largest private landholder in Hawaii. She directed that this massive estate achieve one goal: to found and maintain the Kamehameha Schools. Pauahi's heirs would ultimately be the students of these schools.

Pauahi: The Kamehameha Legacy is a must for all who seek to understand the vast social, economic, and political impact Pauahi has had and will continue to have on Hawaii and its people.