He Aupuni Kū‘oko‘a: Kaua‘i and the Sandalwood Trade

Most historians point to the year 1810 as a pivotal time in the formation of a pan-Hawaiian identity and of the Hawaiian Monarchy and Kingdom. It was in this year that peace negotiations between the ali‘i nui (high chiefs) Kaumuali‘i and Kamehameha led to the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing Kaumuali‘i's territory, the islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, under Kamehameha's authority. Many changes within the islands were occurring during the same time period; one of the driving forces of these changes was the growth of the sandalwood trade, which encompassed much of the Pacific Ocean, involving and incorporating countless island and continental societies. It is clear that the 1810 peace negotiations profoundly affected the culture and politics of the islands, and it has previously been thought that the negotiations ended the autonomy of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. However, when viewed through the lens of unification, the sandalwood trade of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau provides an important litmus indicating that Kaua‘i may have retained certain aspects of independence at a time when all other islands fell under the complete administration of Kamehameha. By recognizing the continued autonomy of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, a more dynamic construction of agency and identity within conceptions of Hawaiian history will surface.