Female Suffrage in 19th-Century Hawaiʻi—Part 1
Cover Image: Masthead of Ke Au Okoa published on April 29, 1869.
Image: Installation of the Kaʻahumanu Society in Wailuku, Maui, 1923. Photo by T. Okamura. Bishop Museum Archives, SP 117310
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Aloha Nūhou Monday!
Dear Reader,
With terms such as “mana wahine” gaining popularity in recent years, one might infer that women in Hawaiian society have long been treated with high regard, as compared to their Euro-American counterparts. Whether true or not, what we do know is that female suffrage had been strongly advocated for, and even practiced to a substantial degree, within the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Image: Title page of the 1839 Hawaiian Kingdom Constitution. Bishop Museum Archives.
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In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote, irrespective of ethnic background or social standing. 53 years earlier, the Hawaiian Kingdom recognized women’s right to vote in the country’s very first constitution, referred to as the Luaʻehu Constitution or the 1840 Constitution. The document explicitly named several women as members of the kingdom’s legislature, including Kīnaʻu, Hoapiliwahine, and Konia. Though very progressive for the time, it should be noted that these women belonged to the kingdom’s nobility, and as such, were appointed (not elected) to the House of Nobles. This stands in marked contrast to the suffrage women of 1893-New Zealand enjoyed, which allowed for women to be voted into a representative body through a democratic process.
Image: Excerpt from “KA MOOLELO HAWAII. NA S. M. KAMAKAU.” Ke Au Okoa, April 29, 1869, p. 1.
Women of Hawaiʻi would eventually win their suffrage in 1920 through a process that mirrors and intersects with the women’s suffragist movement in the US, but through a distinct process nonetheless.
Image: English translation excerpt of the 1840 Hawaiian Kingdom Constitution. Bishop Museum Archives, DU 627.3 H38 1842-1843 l.c., p. 15
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org.
Image: Excerpt of the 1840 Hawaiian Kingdom Constitution. Bishop Museum Archives, DU 627.3 H38 1840 l.c., p. 8
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org.
This post is part of He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers, a partnership between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu with assistance from Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority for their support. Learn more about this project here.
