Book excerpt: First published in 1999. The kaukau a li‘i were lower ranked chiefs who served the AIVi Nui (high chiefs). This work describes how that service role changed overtime. Equally important is this study's attempt to understand the NativeHawaiian past in the context of how the kaukau ali 7 lived. The formalrelationship between a kaukau alVi and an AIVi Nui was based on theroutine performance of hana laxvelawe or "service tasks."