Maritime Madams: Emma Kaʻilikapuolono Metcalf Beckley Nakuina

Emma Kaʻilikapuolono Metcalf Beckley Nakuina (1847-1929) was a highly regarded authority on Hawaiian water rights law and unofficially considered Hawaii’s first female judge. Descended from an American sugar planter and a Hawaiian high chiefess, she was born a kaukau ali’i and educated in cultural customs and water rights from a young age. She was a curator of the Hawaiian National Museum, a Commissioner of Private Ways and Water Rights, a supporter of women’s suffrage, and a prolific writer on Hawaiian culture during  the colonization of her homeland. 

For Further Reading: 

• Emma Ka’ilikapuolono Metcalf Beckley Nakuina – First Wave Feminisms
• Emma Nakuina - Hawai‘i Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemoration
• Video Replay available: Emma Nakuina & the Preservation of Hawaiian Culture – Historic Hawaii Foundation 

This month, we’re talking about Maritime Madams. Whether through scientific study, aquatic exploration, or legendary prowess, they harnessed the power of the bodies of waters that cover our earth. 

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this
is Womanica. This month, we're talking about maritime madams. Whether
through scientific study, aquatic exploration, or legendary prowess, these women
harness the power of the bodies of water that cover
our earth. It's Hawaii in the mid eighteen hundreds. The

(00:25):
archipelago is not yet a state, but instead a sovereign kingdom.
A young girl of noble status has been given a
duty to serve the nation and uphold its customs. What
she doesn't know yet is that someday soon these obligations
will be tested. Today's Womaniquin whether to America's colonization of
Hawaii and became a steward for cultural preservation and a

(00:45):
leading expert in native water rights. Please welcome Emma Kalika
Poolono Metcalf Nakuina. Emma was born on March fifth, eighteen
forty seven, and grew up in the Valley of Manoa
on Oahu, Hawaii. Her father was an American sugar cane
planter from New York. Her mother was a Native Hawaiian

(01:08):
chieftess from a long lineage of nobility. This ancestry gave
Emma the title of coco Aleie, a term that refers
to a status between royalty and commoner. This rank afforded
her a comfortable life with access to land, money, and
an extensive liberal education with private tutors to boot, but
being a coco Alee also came with responsibilities to the

(01:28):
land and its people. Emma grew up during the Kamehameha
dynasty and received direct orders from Kamehameh had the fourth
to learn traditional water rights and customs. During his reign,
Emma saw to everything the king asked of her, and
in doing so, befriended Queen Lily ou Koleni. She was
a member of the Queen's various women's clubs and even

(01:49):
traveled with her. By the time Kamehameh had died in
eighteen sixty three, he had appointed Emma the custodian of
the laws of the Kamehamehas. She was sixteen years old.
Emma went on to study at Oahu College throughout the
eighteen fifties and sixties. In eighteen sixty seven, she married
Frederick Beckley, a fellow Cocoalie. Together they had seven children.

(02:12):
Throughout their marriage, Emma prioritized raising her family, but When
Frederick died in eighteen eighty one, Emma was left in
need of income to support herself and the children, so
she got to work. Emma was appointed by the Minister
of Foreign Affairs as curator of the National Museum and Library,
or as she called the role curatrix. Informed by her

(02:34):
knowledge of ancient laws, she cataloged the museum's artifacts and
turned a once unkempt and overlooked collection into an impressive museum.
She also began to publish writings about traditional Hawaiian fishing methods.
For five years, Emma poured her heart and soul into
the museum, but in eighteen eighty seven it was shut
down as a consequence of the Bayonet Constitution. The infamous

(02:56):
agreement stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its power.
It also signified efforts by white power brokers to westernize
the Hawaiian kingdom. The museum and all of Emma's hard
work landed in the hands of American missionaries. After losing
this part of her livelihood, Emma remarried to Moses Nakuina
and went on a writing hiatus. It wasn't until eighteen

(03:19):
ninety two that she regained her stature, becoming a Commissioner
of Private Ways and Water Rights for the District of
Coonah Oahu, which is now modern day Honolulu. This appointment
made Emma the first female judge in Hawaiian history, though
the historical record does not officially give her that title.
Emma held the post for fifteen years, presiding over court
cases that concerned water use. Coonah boasted many natural water

(03:42):
sources and was one of the most arable areas on
the island, but it was also growing popular with foreign
settlers who wanted water rights. Emma settled disputes over the
resources and ensured that laws were respected. A few months
into her time as a judge, the Hawaiian monarch he
was overthrown by an illegal coup against the queen government.

(04:04):
Employees like Emma were forced to make a difficult choice
keep their jobs and swear allegiance to the American colonizers,
or be forced out of their positions as a coco elite.
Emma felt loyal to her fellow Hawaiians and she didn't
approve of the new American leadership, but she also felt
that keeping her job would at least ensure that someone
who respected the land, culture and people of Hawaii could

(04:26):
remain in a place of influence. Unsure of whether the
American power grab would be permanent, Emma decided to sign
the oath to the provisional government and keep her position.
Over the subsequent few decades, Emma watched colonization transform the
Hawaii she knew into a vastly different place as it
became first or republic and then a US territory. Hawaiian women,

(04:47):
who'd had access to positions of power before the coup
became disenfranchised. The Hawaiian language was banned in education, in
public communications, and many traditional cultural and spiritual practices were suppressed.
In response to these changes, Emma became an advocate for
women's suffrage, eventually co founding the National Women's Equal Suffrage

(05:08):
Association of Hawaii. She also doubled down on her mission
to protect her culture through writing. The new territorial government
aimed a shepherd tourism to Hawaii and asked Emma to
write guides to entice Western travelers to the island's beautiful shores. Instead,
she wrote pieces about Hawaiian legends and important mythical figures,
giving voice to their rich folklore culture. Emma didn't bend

(05:31):
to ideas of Western superiority or cultural fetishization in her writing.
In her nineteen oh four book Hawaii, Its People, Their Legends,
she wrote that influence from foreigners had played havoc with
the splendid physique that was the Hawaiian's inheritance. Though she
still spoke Hawaiian, Emma published her work exclusively in English,
perhaps to directly target and educate non Hawaiians about the

(05:53):
culture she aimed to protect. As she lived through different
monarchs in different governments, Emma never faltered in Hawaiian pride.
She died on April twenty seventh, nineteen twenty nine, when
she was eighty two years old. In her time, it
was said that few women had done as much for
the benefit of the Hawaiian people than Emma. She's recognized

(06:14):
as an important source and protector of Hawaiian ancestral knowledge.
All month, we're talking about Maritime Madams. For more information,
find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast special
thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co creator.
Talk to you tomorrow.