Keōpūolani & Waine‘e Cemetery

Keōpūolani, sacred wife of Kamehameha I and mother of Kamehameha II and III, was the highest-ranking aliʻi of her time. With a genealogy that made her kapu moe, her very presence required subjects to prostrate themselves in her honor. Yet this woman of unmatched rank humbled herself before Christ, becoming one of the earliest converts of the Hawaiian royal family.

In 1823, after hearing the gospel from the missionaries and seeing its truth, Keōpūolani embraced Christianity. She requested baptism, affirming her faith in Jesus, and soon after, her health began to fail. On her deathbed she declared her trust in the Lord and urged her children to follow the path of righteousness. She said, “Jehovah is a good God. I love him and I love Jesus Christ. I have given myself to him to be his. When I die, let none of the evil customs of this country be practiced. Let not my body be disturbed. Let it be put in a coffin. Let the teachers attend and speak to the people at my interment. Let me be buried, and let my burial be after the manner of Christ’s people.”

Before her death, Keōpūolani made a remarkable request: that she be buried in Christian fashion rather than according to the old kapu rites. Her burial took place at Waine‘e Church in Lahaina (now Waiola Church), making it the first Christian royal burial in Hawai‘i. The churchyard became a resting place for many aliʻi, and her grave at Waine‘e stands as a turning point in Hawaiian history, where ancient rituals gave way to the hope of the gospel.

Keōpūolani’s decision echoed far beyond her own life. By choosing Christ over the old ways, she set an example for her children and the Hawaiian nation. Her humility, despite her sacred rank, opened the way for the aliʻi to embrace the faith that would transform the islands.