Ke'elikōlani, also known as Princess Ruth or Ruth Ke'elikōlani (1826-1883), was a member of both the Kamehameha Dynasty and Kalākaua Dynasty, and Governor of the Island of Hawai'i. Ruth became the largest landholder in the Kingdom of Hawai'i, owner of lands that would later become part of the present-day Kamehameha Schools/Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate as well as the estate of Sam Parker. Princess Keelikolani was a staunch traditionalist.
Considered the least understood of the ali'i, or royal family of Hawai'i, Ruth was one of the more pivotal and influential characters in Hawaiian history. She was the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha the Great who created the united Kingdom of Hawai'i in 1810. She was the sister of Queen Victoria Kamamalu, wife of Liholiho who reigned as Kamehameha II. She was godmother to Princess Ka'iulani. After the death of Princess Likelike, Ruth made it a point to ensure Ka'iulani would be raised properly befitting her role as heir to the throne of Hawai'i after the reign of Queen Lili'uokalani. Unfortunately, events and Ka'iulani's untimely death prevented Ka'iulani from fully assuming that role. (See Republic of Hawaii).
Ruth was a staunch defender of ancient Hawaiian traditions and customs. While the kingdom became Christianized, Anglicized and urbanized, she continued living as an ali'i of antiquity. While her royal estates were filled with elegant palaces and mansions built for her family, she chose to live in a large stone-raised grass hut. While she understood English and knew how to speak it with ease and grace, she refused to do so. She used the Hawaiian language exclusively throughout her life. She also refused to accept Christianity and continued to worship the traditional gods and various aumakua, or ancestral spirits.
Ruth disliked modernization. When the ruling monarchs asked her to pose for official photographs, she often refused. Only a dozen photographs of Ruth are known to exist.