“The Objects in Motion” Project developed by students in Dr. Mark Auslander’s class “Global Studies and Cross-Cultural Analysis” (ANTH 205) at the University of Southern California-Capital Campus. Fall 2025,
Presented by: Stella, Andrea, Ariel, Eshan, and Jacob
Framing the Canoe: Meaning, Power, and Cultural Memory
Queen Kapiʻolani’s canoe is more than an artifact; it carries the hau of Mauss’s gift, holding the relationships, obligations, and power embedded in Hawaiian chiefly life. Through Siikala, Sahlins, Mintz, Benedict, Winnicott, and Marx, the canoe emerges as a vessel shaped by cosmology, authority, memory, and the forces of commodification and colonial change. Together, these perspectives reveal the canoe as a living bridge between Hawaii’s past and the ongoing politics of identity and sovereignty.
Born: 1834, Honolulu, Hawaii
Married: King David Kalākaua, 1863
Role: Queen Consort of Hawaii (1874–1891)
Queen Kapi'olani was known for her philanthropy and commitment to the health and welfare of the Hawaiian people, especially women and children
Founded the Kapiʻolani Maternity Home in 1890, which later became the Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children.
Established the Kapiʻolani Home for Girls to care for the children of leprosy patients
