Ruling Chiefs

This is the history of Hawaii from the great chief Umi, eight generations before Kamehameha the Great, through the reigh of Kamehameha III. Major events include Kamehameha's birth, rise to power, and consolidation of the Hawaiian kingdom; the arrival of Captain James Cook; the coming of traders and missionaries; and politics of the Hawaiian kingdom through the death of Kamehameha III in 1854. Written from 1866 through 1871 by one of Hawaii's greatest historians, the book is an essential record of oral traditions and histories of the Hawaiian people prior to the sweeping cultural changes of the later 19th century.

Kamehameha Schools Press, 1992 - History - 513 pages