Background
David Malo was born in Keauhou on the Island of Hawaiʻi around 1793. His father was named Aoʻao and mother was named Heone. He grew up during the period when Kamehameha I united the islands into a single kingdom.
David Malo was born in Keauhou on the Island of Hawaiʻi around 1793. His father was named Aoʻao and mother was named Heone. He grew up during the period when Kamehameha I united the islands into a single kingdom.
He became a Christian minister and founded a church. He spelled his name Davida, since syllables always end in vowels in the Hawaiian language. Malo was associated with the chief Kuakini, who was a brother of Queen Kaʻahumanu, during this time of great change, probably serving as oral historian and court genealogist.
In 1823 Malo moved to Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui and became a student of Reverend William Richards, learning how to read and write in both English and Hawaiian.
He was ordained into the Christian ministry and settled down in the seaside village of Kalepolepo on South/West Maui where he remained until his death on October 25, 1853.
He was a member of the first class at the Lahainaluna School when it was founded by Lorrin Andrews, later serving as school master.