King Kamehameha The Great

Kamehameha the Great was the first king who unified the islands of Hawaii. He was born somewhere between 1739 and 1758 in North Kohala on the island of Hawaii. Before his birth, Kahunas (Hawaiian priests) prophesied the child would grow up to be a mighty ruler.

Upon hearing this, Chief Alapanui ordered the child to be killed। In order to protect him from the jealous chief, his mother kept him in seclusion by allowing him to be raised by foster parents during his early childhood.

At age five, he was taken out of seclusion as Chief Alapanui was no longer fearful or jealous of the young boy. He was taught to be a great warrior and became skilled in sports and warfare. His first battle was on Maui in 1775, where he proved to be a great warrior by saving the life of his teacher, Kekuhaupio. In the presence of high-ranking chiefs, Kamehameha also proved that he was very strong by overturning the Naha stone. According to prophecy, whoever overturned the stone would conquer all of the islands of Hawaii.

In 1778, Kamehameha was present when his uncle Chief Kalaniopuu boarded explorer Captain James Cook's ship, the Resolution, when he arrived in Maui. Kamehameha made a lasting impression with these foreigners. Kamehameha's meeting with the foreigners taught him many things about war that were unknown to the warriors in Hawaii at that time. Kamehameha later added two Englishmen, John Young and Isaac Davis as his staff advisers and warriors who helped him with getting foreign weapons. Eventually, he used these foreign methods and skills to his advantage when fighting with rival chiefs.

In a series of battles and skirmishes, Kamehameha conquered the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, Hawaii, and Oahu. King Kaumualii ceded the islands of Kauai and Niihau to Kamehameha. In 1810, the Hawaiian Islands were unified and the Hawaiian Kingdom was established. Kamehameha introduced the Hawaiian flag. The eight horizontal red, white, and blue stripes represented the eight islands. The Union Jack testified to the early British influence.

With unification came peace and prosperity. Kamehameha reorganized his government by placing faithful, capable leaders in charge of large districts of land and their people. Besides being a great warrior, he was also a great statesman. Among his accomplishments were the establishment of trade with foreign countries and the development of the sandalwood industry. Being a just ruler, he introduced the Law of the Splintered Paddle. This law protected the weak or defenseless person from the strong. Attacks on these people would be punishable by death.

Kamehameha died on May 8, 1819 at Kamakahonu, his home in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii। Before he died, he instructed Hoapili to secretly bury his bones to protect the mana, or power, an ancient tradition. To this day, no one knows where he is buried.

June 11th is King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii। This official state holiday was established in 1871 by King Kamehameha V to honor his grandfather. Every year, the state celebrates with a floral parade in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. His statue stands in front of the Judiciary Building, Aliiolani Hale, and is draped with colorful leis on this special day. There are three other statues of Kamehameha I, two are on the Big Island, and one at the National Statuary Hall in Washington D.C.

King Kamehameha Statue
Across from Iolani Palace on King St.