This is a book for attorneys, real estate brokers, students, government agencies, and anyone interested in Hawaiian history. Summarizing succinctly the events that led to the end of the feudal system of land tenure in the Islands, the author presents the reader with a clear and informative account of this important reform. Every landowner in Hawaii should be knowledgeable about the Great Mahele, an understanding of which is needed to avoid confusion about land titles and property divisions.

This volume is the most detailed case study of land tenure in Hawai‘i. Focusing on kuleana (homestead land) in Kahana, O‘ahu, from 1846 to 1920, the author challenges commonly held views concerning the Great Māhele (Division) of 1846–1855 and its aftermath. There can be no argument that in the fifty years prior to the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, ninety percent of all land in the Islands passed into the control or ownership of non-Hawaiians. This land grab is often thought to have begun with the Great Māhele and to have been quickly accomplished because of Hawaiians’ ignorance of Western law and the sharp practices of Haole (white) capitalists. What the Great Māhele did create were separate land titles for two types of land (kuleana and ahupua‘a) that were traditionally thought of as indivisible and interconnected, thus undermining an entire social system. With the introduction of land titles and ownership, Hawaiian land could now be bought, sold, mortgaged, and foreclosed. Using land-tenure documents recently made available in the Hawai‘i State Archives’ Foster Collection, the author presents the most complete picture of land transfer to date. The Kahana database reveals that after the 1846 division, large-scale losses did not occur until a hitherto forgotten mortgage and foreclosure law was passed in 1874. Hawaiians fought to keep their land and livelihoods, using legal and other, more innovative, means, including the creation of hui shares. Contrary to popular belief, many of the investors and speculators who benefited from the sale of absentee-owned lands awarded to ali‘i (rulers) were not Haole but Pākē (Chinese). Kahana: How the Land Was Lost explains how Hawaiians of a century ago were divested of their land—and how the past continues to shape the Island’s present as Hawaiians today debate the structure of land-claim settlements.

Examines the work of many surveyors, including a few professionals, and presents the stories of the more notable.

This is a book for attorneys, real estate brokers, students, government agencies, and anyone interested in Hawaiian history. Summarizing succinctly the events that led to the end of the feudal system of land tenure in the Islands, the author presents the reader with a clear and informative account of this important reform. Every landowner in Hawaii should be knowledgeable about the Great Mahele, an understanding of which is needed to avoid confusion about land titles and property divisions.

- Chapters covering unification of the kingdom, contact with westerners, the Mahele, the influence of the sugar industry, and the overthrow of the monarchy, rewritten for easier readability - New color illustrations, including paintings by Herb Kawainui K ne, never-before-published portraits of the monarchs, vintage postcards, and then and now photographs - Photographs, drawings, and primary source documents from local archives and collections - Challenging vocabulary defined in the text margins - Appendixes covering the formation of the islands, Hawai'i's geography, and Polynesian migration - A timeline and a bibliography