To spite the West, this Hawaiian princess ruled 353,000 acres from a grass shack

Princess Ruth’s Hawaiian Resistance Against Western Colonial Culture

Princess Ruth Ke’elikōlani stood six feet tall and weighed 440 pounds, but her stance for Hawaiian culture was even bigger.

Born in 1826, she owned grand Victorian mansions yet chose to live in a grass hut on the grounds of Hulihe’e Palace.

She spoke only Hawaiian, made English speakers use translators, and kept old gods close when others turned to Christ.

Then in 1881, as lava from Mauna Loa crept toward Hilo, she faced down the flow with chants and gifts for Pele. The lava stopped just feet from her hut.

Hulihe’e Palace still stands in Kailua-Kona, where you can walk the grounds where a princess once saved a town.

Two Fathers Claimed This Royal Hawaiian Baby

Princess Ruth Ke’elikōlani was born on February 9, 1826, bringing drama from day one. Her mother died giving birth to her.

The timing caused problems – her mother had married Mataio Kekūanāoʻa just three months before Ruth arrived. Ka’ahumanu, King Kamehameha’s favorite wife and Royal Regent, took baby Ruth to raise as her own.

Both Kekūanāoʻa and her mother’s other husband, High Chief Kahalaiʻa Luanuʻu, said Ruth was their daughter. She grew up as a “two heads” child.

Royal Women Shaped Her Early Life

Ka’ahumanu raised Ruth until 1832, when this powerful guardian died. Ruth then lived with her father Kekūanāoʻa and stepmother Kīna’u.

She went to the Chiefs’ Children’s School run by missionaries and learned English and Christian teachings. Kīna’u became her second powerful female guardian and served as prime minister after Ka’ahumanu.

These two women were among the most important figures in Hawaiian history. Ruth grew up seeing both Hawaiian ways and Western ideas.

Her First Marriage Ended In Heartbreak

Ruth married William Pitt Leleiohoku, Governor of Hawaii Island, in 1842 when she was just 16.

The match seemed good – he was handsome, well-off, and a good age for her. They had two children together, including son John William Pitt Kīnaʻu.

Then disaster hit. The measles outbreak of 1848 killed Leleiohoku, making Ruth a widow at only 22 years old. This loss came with new duties at Hulihe’e Palace.

She Lived In A Grass Hut Next To Her Palace

Ruth made strong choices that showed her love for Hawaiian ways. Though she knew English, she refused to speak it for business, making English speakers use translators.

She owned the fancy Hulihe’e Palace but chose to live in a traditional grass house on the palace grounds. She kept doing traditional Hawaiian religious practices.

She stood over six feet tall, weighed 440 pounds, and spoke with a voice people called a “distant rumble of thunder.”

The Government Called While Personal Tragedy Struck

The Hawaiian government put Ruth on the Privy Council in 1847 and in the House of Nobles from 1855-1857.

She worked as Governor of Hawaii Island for nearly 20 years from 1855-1874, then married Isaac Young Davis, grandson of Kamehameha I’s advisor.

In 1862, she had son Keolaokalani Davis, the last baby born into the Kamehameha line. Following custom, she gave this son to her cousin Bernice Pauahi Bishop to raise.

Death Took All Her Children

Sadness followed Ruth as a mother.

Her first son John William Pitt Kīnaʻu died at age 17 in an accident on Hawaii Island. Her second son Keolaokalani Davis died before his second birthday.

She adopted a son she named Leleiohoku after her beloved first husband and made him Crown Prince of Hawaii.

This adopted son also died young before taking the throne. Despite these losses, Ruth loved children, though her large size sometimes scared them.

Her Land Holdings Grew Bigger Than The King’s

Ruth became the richest woman in Hawaii as she got estates from parents, siblings, and royal family members throughout her life.

By the 1870s, she owned more land than anyone else in the Hawaiian Kingdom – 353,000 acres. She built Keōua Hale, a Victorian mansion even bigger than Iolani Palace in 1883.

Strangely, she never lived in this grand Honolulu home despite it being the largest house of its time. Regular Hawaiians loved her and called her Highness.

Lava Headed Straight For Hilo Town

Mauna Loa volcano started erupting on May 1, 1880, shooting spectacular fountains from its top that people could see from Hilo.

On November 5, 1880, a new opening formed, sending lava flowing toward Hilo.

The pahoehoe lava moved steadily through tubes toward town, slow but unstoppable. By March 1881, the flow reached within seven miles of Hilo above Kaumana.

Christian churches held prayer services to stop the volcano, but the lava kept coming.

Hawaiian Women Asked For Old Ways To Save The Town

By July 1881, lava crept to within five miles of Hilo with no signs of stopping. The governor called for a day of prayer, but the molten rock kept moving toward town.

A group of Native Hawaiian women who still followed the old religion traveled to Oahu looking for help. They asked Princess Ruth to step in using traditional Hawaiian religious practices.

She agreed and got ready to travel to Hilo with offerings for Pele, the volcano goddess.

She Faced Down A Volcano With Brandy And Chants

Ruth traveled from Honolulu to Hilo in late July 1881, despite her health problems. She set up camp right at the edge of the lava flow in Alenaio gulch with supplies for four days.

She brought offerings that Pele would like – brandy, silk scarves, pigs, and other sacred items. She chanted traditional oli (prayers) and performed rituals, offering herself to Pele if the goddess would spare Hilo.

The lava flow came within four feet of her grass hut by the fourth day.

Her Final Gift Created A Legacy For Hawaiian Children

On August 10, 1881, the lava flow stopped just 1. 1 miles from Hilo Bay shoreline.

Hawaiians credited Princess Ruth’s connection with Pele for saving the town. She returned to Kailua-Kona but fell ill after hosting a housewarming party at Keōua Hale in 1883.

She died on May 24, 1883, at age 57 in her beloved grass hut at Hulihe’e Palace.

Her final act of cultural preservation came through her entire 353,000-acre estate, creating the foundation for Kamehameha Schools.

Visiting Hulihe’e Palace, Hawaii

Hulihe’e Palace at 75-5718 Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona tells Princess Ruth Ke’elikōlani’s story of cultural resistance.

You can take self-guided tours Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 3:30pm for $16 ($12 for Kama’āina, $10 for seniors and youth).

Docent-guided tours run at 11:30am by reservation for $22 ($16 for Kama’āina and seniors). The palace hosts monthly cultural days with hālau hula performances on the grounds.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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