Portuguese in Hawaii – Passages from Daniel Kapu Pu Jr.

In November of 2024, I was asked by the admin of an awesome Facebook group of 20,000 strong “PORTUGAL AZORES MADEIRA,” to partner with him as an admin as well! Within the group, there have been some amazing things in such a short time – one of which was the online connection with fellow group member Daniel Kapu Pu Jr. of Hawaii. What caught my attention was the comment about him being Portuguese in Hawaii and his (Portuguese) grandfather belonging to the Royal Order of King Kamehameha — WAIT WHAT!? SAY THAT AGAIN?! — Yes, you read that correctly! Right then, I knew I had to speak to Daniel, who is very proud of his Portuguese roots!

“I am half Portuguese, and I went to Portugal, in 2022. My Great grandparents left Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Azores around 1881 with 800 souls on board the Earl of Dalhousie ship heading for Hawaii. My Great grandpa, Manuel DeLima Carvalho has a plaque dedicated to him in the town where they came from, Villa de Franco do Campo, São Miguel Azores. My grandpa belongs to the royal order of Kamehameha .”

Daniel is very proud to be Portuguese and loves to share his family’s heritage and stories. In addition to sharing some awesome stories, he has also sent me some pictures that I will include in the article. 

“I have a cousin in Honolulu, who is also the grandson of Joseph S. Ferreria. He has our grandfather’s memorabilia; uniform, awards, metals and more from his time in the Royal Guard. My cousin was in a coma recently and we almost lost him! His wish is for me to take him to Portugal, so we might be going this October. I was born in Honolulu but I’ve lived on Maui for 45 years. My father is from Hana, Maui and my mom is from Oahu, Honolulu. When I left the army in 1976, I moved to Hana Maui to get out of the city. I made a decision to move back to Oahu, after the pandemic. When I met with my cousins today they were all ears when I told them about you! ‘What’s the chance of her having one of your last names; Silva?’ According to them, the name “Silva” comes from Azores.”

Us Silvas recognize another Silva, eh?! Hahaha! When we found out we were both Silvas, it was a magical moment for sure! I noticed he also has Carvalho in his name, of which I, too, have lots of Carvalho family! We could be long-lost cousins! Never know!

Along with the photos of the family, Daniel also included a couple pictures of The Queen, Liliuokalani, who was the last monarch of the Hawaiian kingdom. Daniel’s grandpa, Joseph S. Ferreira, was the only one allowed to guard over The Queen. Grandpa Joseph S. Ferreira’s parents were originally from Madeira, Funchal.

Daniel expressed his gratitude for my interest in writing about his family: “I am so grateful for you to do this. We are very proud of him (grandfather)! After his time as Royal Guard, he built the famous Pali Highway on Oahu.” Daniel and his family are proud Portuguese-Hawaiians, and I am so grateful for having connected with an amazing person!