Mauna ʻAla

Mauna ʻAla means “Fragrant Hills” in ʻolelo Hawaiʻi and is the resting place of members of many of Hawaiʻi's ruling families.

The structure that serves as the Chapel today was first built as the mausoleum. When it became too crowded, the Kamehameha Crypt was built and the original mausoleum was turned into a chapel.

After the Kamehameha Crypt was built, the other structures—the John Young Tomb, the Wyllie Tomb, the Kalakaua Crypt and finally the Bishop Memorial—were also constructed.

In 2013, ​​as a descendant of the Kalakaua Dynasty, and royal and chiefly lineages from all the Hawaiian Islands, HRH Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa received permission to be buried at Mauna ʻAla. Her burial at Mauna ʻAla has been supported by multiple generations of kahu, or curators, of Mauna 'Ala, including the current kahu, Kai Maioho.

 

“Kawananakoa is a descendant of Kaumualiʻi, an Aliʻinui of Kauaʻi whose grandchildren were Queen Kapiʻolani, Kekaulike, and Poʻomeaikelani. The distinction of being a descendent of Kamualiʻi, an Aliʻi bloodline, and Queen Kapiʻolani, as Queen Counselor and descendant of Kaumualiʻi, carried the mana. The Kahu supports Ms. Kawananakoa’s request to be buried with her family at Mauna ʻAla.”

— William “Bill” John Kaiʻehe Maioho, April 26, 2013

 
 

Burial At Mauna ʻAla

In the Native Hawaiian culture, the burial of a family member is a very important responsibility and it is not proper for anyone to interfere in that burial. And the views of non-family members on that burial are not relevant.

In addition, there is a sacredness that surrounds the burial of our aliʻi, and that needs to be protected and preserved.

The Hoʻolulu Family descended from Hoʻolulu, a Kona chief and trusted advisor to King Kamehameha the First, who was given, along with his brother Hoapili, the responsibility to bury the King's bones in a manner as to never be found or disturbed. And to this day they remain that way.

The Hoʻolulu family have since then been responsible for the care of the remains of Hawaiʻi's royalty. Recent Kahu (or caretakers) of Mauna 'Ala - Lydia Namahana Maioho, William Maioho, and currently Kaihesekai Maioho, have all said that Abigail Kawananakoa's burial there is proper, that it is her birthright, and given her wishes to be buried there, it is a cultural imperative that she be laid to rest at Mauna ʻAla.

She will be the first burial these since 1953, when her uncle, David Kalakaua Kawananakoa's remains were placed in the Kalakaua Crypt. With his burial, that Crypt is now full.

This occasion marks an important and solemn moment in the history of Hawaiʻi and provides the opportunity to reflect on the chapter that will be closed with the passing of HRH Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa.

All proper legal steps have been taken and all the appropriate permissions have been received. This is not a political issue. It is a deeply personal family matter as well as an important historic moment.

 

Additional Information

  • On December 17, 2012, Princess Abigail applied to the State Board of Land and Natural Resources for approval to construct a tomb for her burial on the grounds of Mauna ʻAla. By lineage, she might have been laid to rest in the Kalakaua Crypt, but that Crypt is full and has no room for additional burials, thus necessitating the construction of a new tomb.

    By submission dated April 26, 2013, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Staff, through State Parks Administrator Dan Quinn, recommended to the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) that it approve the request of Abigail Kawananakoa to construct the tomb.

    The recommendation discussed her lineage as a descendant of King Kaumualiʻi of Kauaʻi, of Queen Kapiolani and the Kalakaua Dynasty, and of Prince David Kawananakoa, her grandfather, who was named heir to the throne. It also noted that her grandmother Abigail Wahiʻikaʻahuʻula Campbell Kawananakoa (Prince David's wife) and her uncle, David Kalakaua Kawananakoa are also buried there.

    The recommendation noted that her proposed tomb would stand opposite the Wyllie Tomb on the two sides of the entrance and that its design would resemble the Wyllie Tomb.

    Finally, the recommendation noted that all of the costs of the tomb would be borne solely by Princess Abigail, and that she would be its sole occupant.

    On April 26, 2013, the BLNR approved the request.

    There was testimony both for and against the request, and in the end the Board relied heavily on the testimony of William Maioho, the Kahu (or Caretaker) of Mauna ʻAla who expressed his view that she had the right by lineage and by blood to be at Mauna ʻAla. Maioho, whose family responsibility for the remains of Hawaiian royalty began with their ancestor Hoʻolulu, one of two brothers given the responsibility to secretly bury King Kamehameha's remains, a task they completed with such great skill that, to this day, those remains have never been found. Maioho noted that his mother, Lydia Namahana had spoken about Princess Abigailʻs burial at Mauna ʻAla going back to the 1970s. William's son, Kaihe-ekai maintains the family legacy as the current Kahu and continues to follow the path laid out by his grandmother and his father in supporting her burial at Mauna ʻAla.]

    The Board did require that an archaeological inventory be made of the specific site of her tomb.

  • Under the supervision of DLNR Staff and archaeologist Thomas S. Dye, the entire area to be used for her tomb was excavated. The tomb itself will only be two feet below ground so the area excavated was three feet deep and just over 15 feet by 15 feet, the size of her tomb. All of the excavated earth was removed and sifted through. There were no human remains of any kind and there were no cultural objects present. The area was then restored, awaiting the construction of the Kawananakoa Tomb.

  • The Kawananakoa Tomb was designed by architect and builder Robert Mandich who worked very closely with Princess Abigail as she had very strong wishes about the tomb design and and its placement.

    It resembles the Wyllie Tomb, from which it will sit opposite on the grounds, though it is smaller and shorter than the Wyllie Tomb.

    The Kawananakoa tomb will be made of granite, which is the strongest of the materials that could be worked with for this tomb.

    It will be black in color to match the Kalakaua Crypt features visible nearby.

    The design and the specifications, as well as the construction plan have been reviewed and approved by the DLNR staff.

 

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