PRINCE LOT KAPUAIWA KAMEHAMEHA
THE FIRST FULL BLOODED HAWAIIAN FREEMASON
By Herbert G. Gardiner,
Grand Historian, G.L. of
Prince Lot Kamehameha was
the grandson of Kamehameha the Great, who in 1810 completed the unification of
the Hawaiian Islands and founded the Kingdom of Hawaii by a combination of
conquest and a treaty, and became its first ruler. He is also known as
Kamehameha I, and is sometimes described as "The Lonely One." He established
the Kamehameha dynasty, which ended with the death of his grandson, Kamehameha
V. The native Hawaiian people regard Kamehameha I, as one of their greatest
heroes. The nation he created came to an abrupt end on January 17, 1893, when
Queen Lili'uokalani was deposed, and along with her departure the Monarchy
vanished. It was then that the Provisional Government became the ruling power
of the Hawaiian Islands.
Kamehameha the Great was
born between 1753 and 1760, at Kohala on the northern side of the big Island
of Hawaii, and died on May 8 1819. Captain James Cook, the famous Pacific
navigator and explorer, and the first Westerner to discover our Islands, saw
Kamehameha as a young warrior, when along with his uncle Kalaniopuu the Ruling
Chief of Kohala, they visited Cook's ships in November of 1788. On February
14, 1789, Kamehameha was wounded by gunfire in the fight at the beach when
Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay on the Island of Hawaii.
Some accounts of
Freemasonry in Hawaii have recorded that Captain James Cook considered by many
to be the greatest Pacific explorer and navigator, and the first Westerner to
discover the Hawaiian Islands was a Freemason. The exact date that the first
Hawaiians discovered the Islands is unknown, but most archaeologists tend to
agree that they have been here close to a millennium, give or take a few
years. Cook is considered by most scholars to be the first Westerner to
discover the Islands, and this he did on Sunday morning, January 18, 1778.
There are some individuals
who claim that the Spanish navigator, Juan Gaetano discovered the Islands in
1555, but the event did not become well known, while on the other hand, Cook's
exploits were widely publicized. In any case, virtually all historians credit
Captain James Cook with being the first Westerner to discover our Islands. His
expedition consisted of two converted colliers, the HMS Discovery, and the HMS
Resolution, with a combined crew of 192 officers and men. The Sailing Master
was William Bligh, who thirteen years later commanded the HMS Bounty which
ended in the most widely known mutiny in maritime history.
Captain Cook named the
Islands the "Sandwich Islands," in honor of his friend and patron, John
Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, and First Lord of the Admiralty, the name
which the Islands were known by for many years.
In spite of the oft-told
claim that Captain James Cook was a Freemason, this has never been confirmed.
The United Grand Lodge of England has advised us that a thorough search of
their Grand Lodge Register going back to the 18th Century, did not include his
name, and that no evidence in their archives indicated that Cook was ever a
Prince Lot Kapuaiwa
Kamehameha was born on December 11, 1830. His mother was Kinau the daughter of
Kamehameha the Great. She became the Kuhina nui, in 1832. His father was
Mataio Kekuanaoa, a descendent of the Chiefs of the Island of Oahu. He had
also been the governor of Oahu as well as a member of the House of Nobles and
the privy council.
The Kuhina nui is commonly
translated into English as a "prime minister” or "premier,” but neither of
these interpretations are correct, the office had no counterpart in any
European or American government. The constitution of 1840 defined the role of
the Kuhina nui as follows: All business connected with the special interests
of the kingdom, which the King wishes to transact, shall be done by the Kuhina
nui under the authority of the King. All documents and business of the kingdom
executed by the Kuhina nui, shall be considered as executed by the King's
authority. The Kuhina nui shall be the King's special counselor in the great
business of the kingdom. The King shall not act without the knowledge of the
Kuhina nui, nor shall the Kuhina nui act without the knowledge of the King,
and the veto of the King on the acts of the Kuhina nui shall arrest the
business. All important business of the kingdom which the King chooses to
transact in person, he may do it but not without the approbation of the Kuhina
nui. It was a unique system of dual executive government, and it came about
with the death of Kamehameha the Great. The Kuhina nui was the bane of the
Kings that immediately followed Kamehameha the Great.
Prince Lot was an
intelligent educated young man. At the age of eighteen he had traveled along
with his brother Alexander Liholiho in the care of Dr. Garrit Parmele Judd,
minister of finance, on a diplomatic mission to France, Great Britain, and the
United States, where they traveled extensively in all three countries. Their
voyage also included stops at Panama, Acapulco, Jamaica, and Havana. Lot and
Alexander served as Judd's secretaries, and both kept diaries. They departed
Honolulu on September 11, 1849, and returned on September 9, 1850. The young
men met President Zachary Taylor of the United States, and French President
Louis Napoleon who shortly after became Emperor Napoleon III. They also met
Lord Palmerston, and Prince Albert in Great Britain. They did not see Queen
Victoria, who was indisposed awaiting the birth of a child. In each of the
three countries, they met a host of dignitaries. There is no doubt that the
year of traveling in foreign countries, observing and mixing with people of
totally different cultures than their own, and meeting with heads of state,
greatly enhanced their education, and had a profound impact on how each
governed Hawaii when he became its King.
It has been speculated
that the experiences of Lot and Alexander on the trip greatly contributed to
their anti-annexation attitude toward the United States, and reinforced their
aristocratic tendencies. Prince Alexander was obviously very much impressed by
the British, which was later reflected in many of his actions when he became
King. His unfortunate experience as they were leaving Washington, D.C. by
train, when a conductor tried to put him out of a car because of his color,
certainly had a negative impact on Alexander's attitude about the United
States. When Lot became Kamehameha V, he abolished the Constitution of 1852,
which contained numerous American political concepts.
A fundamental concern of
both Prince Lot and Prince Alexander, was to keep their small Island Kingdom
an independent nation, and to prevent it from being annexed by any foreign
country, be it the United States, Great Britain, or France, who were the three
great foreign maratime powers with interests in Hawaii. The anti-American
attitude of each of the Princes had evolved mainly from the fact that the
largest foreign population was American, and many of them made no secret of
their desire to bring Hawaii into the American fold. This was based primarily
on business and political considerations.
Kamehameha III, the uncle
of Lot and Alexander, had earlier experienced the take-over of his Kingdom by
the British under Lord George Paulet on February 25, 1843, for a five month
period before it was terminated by the British Rear Admiral, Richard Thomas,
on July 31, 1843. Due to recent French demands and unpleasant experiences
with aggressive French military officers in the past, the King feared that
France was strongly considering making Hawaii a French protectorate.
Earlier, Captain Petit-Thouars of the French warship "Venus" who in a visit to
the Islands in 1837, had appointed Jules Dudoit French consul in Hawaii, had
taken over the Society and Marquesas Islands in 1844, as French protectorates.
As an interesting aside,
it was in Jules Dudoit's store that Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie No.124.
A.A.S.R. the oldest Lodge in Hawaii was founded on April 8, 1843.
Because of his personal
experiences with the British and the French, Kamehameha III authorized Robert
C. Wyllie, his Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was a Freemason, to start
negotiations with David L. Gregg, the American Consul, who was also a
Freemason, for the United States to take-over the Island Kingdom. The plan was
immediately scrapped when Prince Alexander became King Kamehameha IV, after
the death of his uncle.
Prince Lot, who had gained
considerable experience in conducting the affairs of the kingdom during the
reign of his brother Kamehameha IV, ascended the throne upon the death of his
brother who had no heirs, on November 30, 1863. The following proclamation was
issued by Her Royal Highness, Princess Victoria Kamamalu, sister of Prince
It has pleased Almighty God to close the
earthly career of King Kamehameha IV, at a quarter past 9 o'clock this
morning, I, as Kuhina Nui, by and with the advice of the Privy Council of
State, hereby Proclaim, Prince Lot Kamehameha, King of the Hawaiian Islands,
under the style and title of Kamehameha V.
God Preserve the King!
Given at the Palace, this thirtieth day of November, 1863.
Note: It was quite common for
the Kuhina Nui to take the name Kaahumanu, who was the original Kuhina Nui.
King Kamehameha V believed
in a strong monarchy, and ruled his Kingdom with a firm hand. He did not
believe that his people could at the time, manage a democracy. In his
Constitution of 1864, which strengthened the monarchy, he also abolished the
office of Kuhina nui. Because of Kamehameha V's inclination to rule the
Kingdom in many ways that followed the pattern of his grandfather Kamehameha
the Great, Lot was called "the last great chief of the olden type."
Mark Twain arrived in
Honolulu on March 18, 1866, and remained in the Islands for four months. In
describing King Kamehameha V, Twain wrote "There was no royal nonsense about
him...he dressed plainly, poked about Honolulu, night or day on his old horse,
unattended; he was popular, greatly respected, and even beloved." Mark Twain
was a Freemason and visited Hawaiian Lodge No. 21 F.& A.M. during his sojourn
in the Islands.
When Prince Lot at the age
of 23, became interested in Freemasonry there were only two Masonic Lodges in
Honolulu, Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie No. 124, Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite of the Supreme Council of France, and Hawaiian Lodge No. 21, Free &
Accepted Masons under the Grand Lodge of California. These Lodges were in
obedience to Grand Lodges halfway around the world from each other with the
closest one over 2,00 miles East of Hawaii. The Lodges had been chartered
during the reign of Kamehameha III, (Kauikeaouli), the uncle of Prince Lot.
Lodge le Progres de
l'Oceanie No.124, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, (A.A.S.R.) was the first
Masonic Lodge to be constituted in the Sandwich Islands. It was founded by
Monsieur Joseph Marie Le Tellier, Captain of the French whaling barque "Ajax"
on April 8, 1843, of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Supreme
Council of France.
Hawaiian Lodge No.21, Free
and Accepted Masons was Chartered by the Grand Lodge of California on May 5,
1852, and was the first American Lodge to be instituted in the Island Kingdom.
Its Charter shows the location of the Lodge to be in the city of Honolulu,
Island of Oahu, of the Sandwich Islands.
Young Prince Lot was the
first member of the Royalty to show an interest in the Craft. On Friday
evening, June 10, 1853, Secretary Joseph Irwin read the petition of Prince Lot
Kamehameha for membership in Hawaiian Lodge No. 21, Free and Accepted Masons,
which was just about one year after the Lodge had been Chartered. On June 13th
the Prince was elected to receive the degrees of Freemasonry, and on
Wednesday, June 15, 1853,
Prince Lot was initiated an
Entered Apprentice Mason. On Thursday, December 8, 1853, the Prince was passed
to the degree of Fellow Craft Mason. The following year, on the evening of
Monday, February 27, 1854, Prince Lot Kamehameha was raised to the Sublime
Degree of Master Mason, and became the first full blood Hawaiian to become a
On January 14, 1857,
Prince Lot's Brother King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) was initiated an
Entered Apprentice, and passed to the degree of Fellow Craft, in Lodge le
Progres de l'Oceanie No.124, A.A.S.R. Among the visiting brethren were: Prince
Lot; His Excellency, Robert C. Wyllie, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the
Kingdom of Hawaii; the Honorable David L. Gregg, United States Consul; Dr.
Thomas C.B. Rooke, Father-in-law of the King, and Joseph Irwin, both of
Hawaiian Lodge. Robert G. Davis, who was a member of the Hawaiian legislature
and a Justice of the Supreme Court, was the Worshipful Master of Lodge le
Progres de l'Oceanie. After the work of the Lodge was completed, a banquet was
held at the "Hotel de France" with the King as the principal guest. There were
about twenty-five people present, including Robert G. Davis the Master of the
Lodge, and David L. Gregg the American Consul.
Some months before the
conferral of the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft degrees on Kamehameha IV,
The Grand Lodge of California, on May 12, 1856, had placed an interdiction on
Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie, forbidding the members of Hawaiian Lodge No.21,
F. &A.M. from having any association or communication with Lodge le Progres de
l'Oceanie No.124, A.A.S.R. This meant no inter-Lodge visitations. The events
that led to the Interdiction are complex and beyond the scope of this paper.
However, it is quite reasonable to assume that if the present state-of-the-art
communications systems were available at the time, and had the brethren with a
more understanding nature prevailed, the Grand Lodge of California would not
have had cause to issue the interdiction notice. But that episode is a story
Prince Lot had apparently
decided that since Alexander Liholiho who was indeed his "Blood Brother" and
was also His Majesty, King Kamehameha IV, the reigning Monarch of the Hawaiian
Kingdom, he (Prince Lot) was going to be on hand to congratulate his brother
on his entry into the Craft. Obviously young Prince Lot was greatly impressed
by the Fraternity, and was happy that his brother was about to become a
Freemason. So he along with two other members of Hawaiian Lodge, attended the
conferral of the First and Second degrees on his brother King Kamehameha IV,
despite the interdiction.
The joy of the occasion
was short lived, for on Monday evening, February 2, 1857, Prince Lot
Kamehameha along with the other two brethren was charged by Hawaiian Lodge for
violating the interdiction. In the mean time, on February 8, 1857, King
Kamehameha IV was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in Lodge le
Progres de l'Oceanie. After the degree was conferred, the King invited the
brethren to the Palace for refreshments.
On February 25, 1857,
Prince Lot was tried and found guilty. However, "upon due consideration he was
excused from punishment." Many years later a Lodge historian noted “This no
doubt rankled the Royal personage because on March 2, 1857, a request for a
dimit was received from him by Hawaiian Lodge and on motion, was granted."
This assessment of Prince Lot's reaction to being tried was undoubtedly pretty
close to the mark. From that time on Prince Lot never affiliated with another
Lodge, not even his brother's Lodge, and he remained an un-affiliated Mason
for the rest of his life.
In 1857, Hawaiian Lodge
had fifty-four members, plus four Entered Apprentices, but ten members had
withdrawn; which included Prince Lot; Dr. T.C.B. Rooke, Jr. who had been
Junior Warden and was the father-in-law of King Kamehameha IV; Henry A.
Neilson, private secretary to King Kamehameha IV; and Henry Sea. As an
interesting note, Sea served as the Secretary of Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie
for a few years. On December 28, 1857, Dr. Rooke joined Lodge le Progres de
l'Oceanie, and on January 10, 1858, he became a Warden.
In retrospect it seems
that the entire affair involving Prince Lot could have been managed more
discretely, and handled in a far less conspicuous manner so that it would not
have been offensive or embarrassing to the Prince. It more than likely would
have resulted in his not getting a dimit. Naturally it is only proper that as
a member of the Lodge, he would be expected to abide by its rules just like
any other member. However, given the extraordinary circumstances of Prince
Lot's situation as a Prince of the Realm by birth, a grandson of Kamehameha
the Great, the heir apparent to the throne, and the first full blooded
Hawaiian to become a Freemason, and whose only offense was to be present when
his "blood" brother was initiated into the Masonic Fraternity, one cannot help
question the necessity of Prince Lot being tried at all, the interdiction
notwithstanding. There can be no denying that he had an extremely compelling
reason to attend the ceremony. His doing so, obviously demonstrated the strong
affection he had for his brother and the high esteem in which he held the
Masonic Fraternity. It certainly was not a mischievous prank, nor was it an
act that would discredit Freemasonry. Being tried was no doubt offensive to
Prince Lot and probably caused him some humiliation. Ironically, the only
reason that Freemasonry was allowed to operate and flourish freely and openly
in the Island Kingdom in the first place, was because Prince Lot's uncle
Kamehameha III, had granted members of the Craft permission to establish
Hawaiian Lodge and Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie. The breach between the two
Lodges was healed in 1859, during the reign of Kamehameha IV.
Other than receiving a
dimit and remaining an un-affiliated Mason for the rest of his life, Prince
Lot apparently took the entire incident in his stride, and neither said nor
did anything more about it. Considering the patronage that his brother King
Kamehameha IV, and later King David Kalakaua, extended to the Freemasons of
Hawaii, along with their active participation in the Masonic activities of the
times, there can be no doubt that the Craft sustained some loss of Royal
patronage, but more importantly, was the loss of the contribution that he
could have made to the Craft as Prince Lot, and later as King Kamehameha V.
As King Kamehameha V the
un-affiliated Mason, Lot did not abandon Freemasonry entirely. When Aliiolani
Hale, later the Judiciary Building, was to be erected, the King had his
Minister of Finance send the following request to the Masonic Fraternity:
Acting G.M. Cartwright, Dear Sir:
It is the desire of His Majesty, the King, that
the Cornerstone of the new Government Building be laid with Masonic
ceremonies. I therefore request the "Fraternity" through you as acting G.M. of
Free and Accepted Masons in Honolulu, to take the Necessary measures to carry
out that object.
I propose Monday the
19 inst., at 11 A.M. as a convenient time for the ceremony.
Believe me with the
On Monday, February 19,
1872, the Cornerstone was laid in the Masonic tradition by the members of
Hawaiian Lodge and Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie. The brethren formed in front
of the Hall of Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie, and under the direction of the
Marshal of the Kingdom, William C. Parke, a member of Hawaiian Lodge, the
procession marched to the site. A viewing stand had been erected over a
portion of the foundation of the building for the King, his staff, the ladies
of the Court and high government officials. The working tools were presented
to His Majesty the King, who, with the assistance of A.J. Cartwright, the
Acting Grand Master, spread the cement beneath the Cornerstone, and the Band
played "God Save the King."
Freemasonry and politics
aside, one of the legacies of Kamehameha V in a lighter vein, was establishing
the Royal Hawaiian Military Band. The King arranged to bring Heinrich (later
Henry) Berger, assistant bandmaster of an elite Prussian infantry regiment to
Honolulu. Berger arrived on June 2, 1872, and immediately formed and directed
what later became the world famous Royal Hawaiian Military Band, and also
became one of the most cherished institutions in Hawaii. He held the position
for forty-three years. It is now known as the Royal Hawaiian Band.
The perennial favorite
"Aloha Oe" (I'll Wait for Thee), was written by Her Royal Highness Princess
Lili'uokalani in 1878. It was introduced to the American public by the Royal
Hawaiian Military Band under the direction of Henry Berger, in a competition
at the Knights Templar Conclave in San Francisco in August 1883. The Band took
the contest by storm with "Aloha Oe" and it became an instant success. Within
a short time it became known the world over, and to this day it is synonymous
with the Hawaiian Islands. The words to "Aloha Oe" are preserved on a bronze
plaque inlaid in a lava boulder at Washington Place, which at one time was the
home of Queen Lili'uokalani, and is presently the residence of the Governor of
the State of Hawaii.
King Lot Kamehameha V, the
first native Hawaiian to become a Freemason, and the last of the Kamehameha
dynasty, died a bachelor on December 11, 1872, it was his forty-second
birthday. Hawaiian Lodge prepared a resolution which was read to the brethren
and placed in the minutes of the Lodge, and also sent a letter of condolence
to his half-sister, Her Royal Highness, Princess Ruth Keelikolani. A Masonic
funeral ceremony was conducted for Lot Kamehameha V, by Hawaiian Lodge and
Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie, at the Royal Mausoleum on January 7, 1873. The
Masonic apron which he had received as an Entered Apprentice, was placed on
In the 159 years since the
first Masonic Lodge in Hawaii was founded in 1843, Freemasonry has seen five
different governments rule the Islands. The monarchy was the first ruling
power, which was followed by the Provisional Government in 1893. The PG as it
was often referred to, was succeeded by the Republic of Hawaii in 1894. Hawaii
was annexed by the United States on August 12, 1898, but the Territorial
Government, was not established until June 14, 1900. This in turn led to
Hawaii eventually becoming the 50th State in 1959.
Both Hawaiian Lodge and
Lodge le Progres de l'Oceanie are still functioning today. In 1905, Lodge le
Progres de l'Oceanie transferred its allegiance from the Supreme Council of
France to the Grand Lodge of California. The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of
Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Hawaii was instituted in Honolulu on
May 20, 1989, at which time both Lodges came under the newly formed Grand
Lodge. Prior to the formation of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons
of the State of Hawaii, all Hawaii Lodges were under the jurisdiction of the
Grand Lodge of California.
* * * * *
Note No.1. The author is a
Past Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Hawaii, and presently the Grand
Historian of the GrandLodge of Hawaii. He is a member of Hawaiian Lodge, Lodge
le Progres de l'Oceanie, and was a charter member of the King Kalakaua
Daylight Lodge which turned in its charter in 1999, and is no longer a
functioning lodge. The author is also a member of, and secretary for Hawaii of
the Correspondence Circle of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076.
Honolulu, Hawaii March 15,
This article is reprinted
with permission of the author for the Northern California Research Lodge, with
thanks to Wor. Bro. Jorge Soto.