 Her father Keawemauhili joined forces with Kamehameha, but was then killed by his nephew Keōua Kuahuʻula.The young Kapiʻolani was thrown in the bushes by her caretakers as the army fled, but was saved and sent to live with her aunt Akahi in the village of Kealia in the Kona District near the religious centers on Kealakekua Bay.She was instructed in the Hawaiian religion and its strict social rules known as "kapu".