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Most people who visit Hawaii have heard of King Kamehameha. Many visitors see the name used everywhere. This is because of all the rulers of ancient Hawaii he was the most successful at conquering his rival island chiefs and then bringing together the people of all the islands under his rule.
From his conquests on the Big Island and the Hana side of Maui to his battles in Wailuku and Oahu, his life was often brutal and violent. In the end Kamehameha The Great was able to do what no other Hawaiian Ali’i (rulers or chiefs) could do, unite all the islands under one ruling institution – The Hawaiian Kingdom. He brought peace to the islands and ended what many believe was 100 years of war. The arrival of European ships brought continuous change to the ancient Hawaiian lifestyle after Kamehameha’s death in 1819.
Kamehameha Life Events Sign
This complicated caste society made up of family blood lines saw the ruling Ali’i as sacred Gods who ruled the people through a justly and sometimes brutal ancient Kapu system of governess.
What many people don’t realize is the struggle Kamehameha endured to achieve what other Ali’i at the time could not. His story is a fascinating glimpse into ancient Hawai’i and the transitions that followed the arrival of European and American influences.
THE FUTURE KING IS BORN
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY
RISE OF A WARRIOR
ISLAND CONQUEST
WESTERN INFLUENCES
HAWAI’IAN KINGDOM
WARRIOR KING
KAPU SYSTEM
ROYAL WOMEN
DYNASTY
KAMEHAMEHA DAY
Share His Incredible Story - King Kamehameha of Hawaii
The Future King Is Born
Starting from the day of his birth Kamehameha’s life was filled with danger and stories of survival. Kamehameha’s birth name was Paiea (meaning “Hard Shelled Crab). His mother Kekuiapoiwa was the daughter of Alapai, ruling chief of the Kona district and high chief Keoua who ruled the Kohala district on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
The date of his birth is debated among historians but Hawaiian legend tells of a bright star, Kokoiki, appearing just before his birth. The date of the legend may coincide with the appearance of Halley’s Comet in December of 1758.
When the star Kokoiki was viewed by the Kahuna (Hawaiian mystic priests) it was prophesied that a great leader was about to be born who would defeat all his rivals and come to rule all the islands. It was also said that the child was po’olua, meaning “child of two fathers”, due to a liaison his mother had with Kahekili who was the chief Ali’i and King of Maui. It was considered a great honor by the chiefs of that period.
The ruling chief Alapai became fearful of the prophesy and ordered the infant put to death. While Alapai’s chiefs waited outside the birthing hale (house) his mother’s attendants cut a hole in the structure and whisked away the infant within minutes of his birth. It is said he was taken into the mountains where the cold and rain caused the newborn royal infant to stop breathing. Attendants revived him and he stayed hidden for years from the warring clans who saw him as a potential threat. At this time he was given the name Kamehameha which means “The Very Lonely One” or “The One Set Apart”.
European Discovery
Maui History Engraving American Boat Hawaiians in Canoe
He eventually returned to his family and began training with his uncle Kalani’opu’u, then ruler of the Big Island of Hawai’i. As a young warrior he had tremendous size and strength. At close to 7 feet tall he proved himself as a great warrior and fulfilled another prophecy which stated that whoever could move the Naha Stone (said to have weighed over 2 tons) would unite the Hawaiian Islands. Kamehameha was able to roll it completely over.
By the time famed English explorer James Cook arrived Kamehameha was a trusted general in the Big Island’s ruler Kalani’opu’u armies. While colonists were battling the British during the American Revolutionary War the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four ruling kingdoms: the Big Island was under the rule of Kalani’opu’u who also had possession of the Hana district of Maui, the islands of Maui (except the Hana district), Lana’i, Moloka’i and Kaho’olawe were under the rule of Kahekili. The island of O’ahu was under the rule of Kahahana and the island of Kaua’i and Ni’ihau was under the rule of Kamakahelei. Kahekili also came very close to uniting the islands under his rule…but more about that later.
Kamehameha Statue Hilo
Kamehameha first met Captain James Cook when he and Kalani’opu’u boarded Cook’s ship the HMS Resolution offshore of Hana. Captain Cook had just left what is now Kahului and was headed down the northeastern shores of Maui. Cook’s expedition had two ships, the HMS Discovery captained by Charles Clerke and his flagship HMS Resolution. A few days before Cook met Kamehameha (November of 1778) the ships were trading with the kanaka maoli (what native Hawaiians call themselves) off shore of Wailuku.Hawaiian Double Hull Canoe Etching
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