Kapiʻolani (chiefess)

Kapiʻolani
High Chiefess of Ka'ū and South Kona
Silhouette by Persis Goodale Thurston Taylor, 1839
Bornc. 1781
Hilo, Hawaii
DiedMay 5, 1841
Honolulu
SpouseHigh Chief Naihe
(others?)
FatherKeawemauhili, Aliʻi Nui of Hilo
MotherHigh Chiefess Kekikipaʻa

High Chiefess Kapiʻolani (c. 1781–1841) was an important member of the Hawaiian nobility at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and the arrival of Christian missionaries. She was one of the first Hawaiians to read and write, as well as sponsor of a church. She made a dramatic display of her new faith, which was the subject of a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.