JUNE 14, 1905

LUCY KAOPAULU PEABODY FORMS MODERN KA’AUMANU SOCIETY

The black holoku (gown) & yellow feather lei are the official garb of one of Hawaii’s prominent women’s groups, the Ahahui (or Society) Kaahumanu. The Society is usually seen prominently at the Kamehameha Day parade and other patriotic Hawaiian celebrations. Initially founded by Princess Victoria Kamāmalu in 1864 for the relief of the elderly and the ill, the original society disbanded after her death in 1866. The modern organization was founded in 1905 by a group of public-spirited women of Hawaiian blood led by Lucy Kaopaulu Peabody (center), former lady-in-waiting on the Royal Court. Members were distressed that no attention was being paid to the graves of the aliis (hereditary nobles) at the Royal Mausoleum. They initially supplied leis and flowers on significant Hawaiian feast days. Later they began to take care of funerals of their own members. The Society has chapters on Kaua’i, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. All part- or full-blooded Hawaiian women between 18 and 60 are eligible for membership.

Source: Dr. Patrick D. Hazard, “The Kaahumanu Society,” My Global Eye, 6/6/2010.  Retrieved 11/21/2021, My Global Eye: The Kaahumanu Society
Photo: A.A. Montano (1847-1913), between 1876-1883. Grace Kamaʻikuʻi Wahineikaʻili Kahōʻāliʻi (1854–1916), Lucy Kaopauli Kalanikiekie Peabody (1840-1928), and Lizzie Kia Nahaolelua (1852–1909). Public Domain. Source: The Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum – The Hawaiʻi State Museum of Natural and Cultural History.