What is Mahele Hawaiian?

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Aloha, the Hawaiian Word of the Day is Mahele. The word mahele can be a verb meaning to divide and it can also be a noun meaning a division, piece or portion.

How did the Mahele affect Hawaii?

Perhaps the most important of the reforms that the Hawaiian government undertook during the 1830s and 1840s was the Great Mahele, or division of lands. The Mahele provided a basis for modem land titles by changing the old feudal tenures to allodial (absolutely independent) modern land titles in the islands.

What is the significance of the Great Mahele?

The Great Mahele is the single most important event in the history of land title in Hawai`i. It essentially abolished the feudal system and gave rise to an allodial system of land tenure. Private ownership of most of the property in Hawai`i began with the Great Mahele.

Why did the Great Mahele fail?

According to the Overview of Hawaiian History by Diane Lee Rhodes, many of the kuleana lands were later lost. The list of reasons include: (1) Native tenants mostly received lands that lacked firewood or were too rocky and unsuitable for farming.

Why was the Mahele created?

Acts of 1850 It allowed foreigners to hold title to land. The Act was written by Chief Justice William Little Lee. The justification was the promise of prosperity resulting from an influx of much-needed capital and labor.

How was the land divided during the Mahele?

The Mahele allocated 23% of land in the Islands to the king (called crown lands); 40% comprised konohiki lands to be divided among 245 chiefs; and 37% was declared government lands, to be awarded to commoners who worked the land as active tenants.

When was the Great Mahele divided into Hawaii?

The Great Mahele: Hawaii’s land division of 1848 (University of Hawaii Press, 1958). Linnekin, Jogelyn. “Statistical analysis of the great Māhele: some preliminary findings∗.”

What is the Great Māhele?

The Great Māhele (“to divide or portion”) or just the Māhele was the Hawaiian land redistribution proposed by King Kamehameha III . The Great Māhele was one of the most important episodes of Hawaiian history, second only to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

How did the Great Mahele affect the Maka’ainana?

As a result of the Great Mahele and the Kuleana Act, the maka’ainana were virtually stripped of the lands they had owned for so long. Without land, many maka’ainana became part of an unpaid labor force used by chiefs and foreigners on large land holdings, worked on plantations, or became homeless.

What was the Great Māhele land ownership?

Land Ownership – The Great Māhele. The right to own land in Hawaii was the major demand made by foreigners. They wanted to buy land but land in Hawaii had never been sold. These foreigners did not understand the Hawaiian attitude towards land. In their western cultures owning the land one lived on was a right.