Kamehameha I (c1758-1819)

Kamehameha I, also known as Kamehameha the Great, (c. 1758 – 1819), conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in Mamalahoe Kanawai, Law of the Splintered Paddle, which protects human rights of non-combatants in times of battle.

Legendary birth
Although there is some debate as to the precise year of his birth, Hawaiian legends claimed that a great king would one day unite the islands, and that the sign of his birth would be a comet. Halley's comet was visible from Hawaii in 1758, and it is therefore assumed that Kamehameha was born shortly after its appearance. Kamehameha's birth name was Paiea. He was born to Keoua and Kekuiapoiwa, alii of Kohala on the island of Hawaii. His father, Keoua, was the grandson of Keaweikekahialiiokamoku, who had once ruled a large portion of the island of Hawaii. When Keaweikekahialiiokamoku died, war broke out over succession between his sons, Keeaumoku and Kalaninuiamamao, and a rival chief, Alapainuiakauaua. Alapai emerged victorious over the two brothers, and their orphan sons (including Kamehameha's father) were absorbed into his clan. When Kamehameha (Paiea) was born, Alapai ordered the child killed. One of his kahuna had warned him that a fiery light in the sky would signal the birth of a "killer of chiefs", or alii. Alapai, nervous at the thought of this child eventually usurping his rule, decided to take no chances. Paiea's parents, however, had anticipated this. As soon as he was born, he was given into the care of Naeole, another alii, and disappeared from sight. Naeole raised Paiea for the first few years of his life. Five years after his birth, Alapai, perhaps remorseful of his actions, invited the child back to live with his family. There under the guidance of his kahu (teacher), Kekuhaupio, he learned the ways of court diplomacy and war. Kekuhaupio remained a faithful and trusted advisor to Paiea until the accidental death of the loyal kahu during a sham battle.

Paiea is said to have had a dour disposition, and acquired the name he is best known for today: Kamehameha, from the Hawaiian language term for "the lonely one".

Unification of Hawaii
When Alapai died, his position was succeeded by his son Keaweaopala. Kalaniopuu, Alapai's great-nephew, challenged his rule, and was backed by his nephew Kamehameha. In fierce fighting at Kealakekua Bay, Keaweaopala was slain and Kalaniopuu claimed victory. For his loyal service to his uncle, Kamehameha was made Kalaniopuu's aide.

In 1779, Kamehameha again traveled with Kalaniopuu to Kealakekua Bay. This time he, among other young chiefs accompanying their senior chief, met with Captain Cook. Cook was perhaps mistaken by some Native Hawaiians to be Lono, the Hawaiian god of fertility. Cook's ship was the HMS Discovery; Kamehameha may have stayed on board at least one night. It was Kamehameha's first dealings with white men.

Raised in the royal court of his uncle, Kamehameha achieved prominence in 1782, upon Kalaniopuu's death. While the kingship was inherited by Kalaniopuu's son Kiwalao, Kamehameha was given a prominent religious position, guardianship of the Hawaiian god of war, Kukailimoku, as well as the district of Waipio. Nevertheless, there was already bad blood between the two cousins, caused when Kamehameha presented a slain alii's body to the gods instead of Kiwalao. When a group of chiefs from the Kona district offered Kamehameha the kingship instead of Kiwalao, he accepted eagerly. Kiwalao was soon defeated in the battle of Mokuohai, and Kamehameha took control of the districts of Kohala, Kona, and Hamakua on Hawaii.

Kamehameha then moved against the district of Puna in 1790 deposing its chief Keawemauhili. Keoua, exiled to his home of Kaū, took advantage of Kamehameha's absence and led an uprising. When Kamehameha returned with his army to put down the rebellion, Keoua fled past the volcano, which erupted and killed nearly a third of his warriors from poisonous gas.

Questioning a kahuna on how best to go about securing the rest of the island, Kamehameha resolved to construct a heiau to Kukailimoku, as well as lay an alii's body on it.

When the temple was completed the following year, Kamehameha invited Keoua to meet with him. Keoua was no fool but may have been sorely dispirited by his recent losses. He may have mutilated himself before landing so as to make himself an imperfect sacrificial victim. As he stepped on shore, one of Kamehameha's chiefs threw a spear at him. By some accounts he dodged it, but was then cut down by musket fire. Caught by surprise, Keoua's bodyguards were killed. With Keoua dead, and his supporters captured or slain, Kamehameha became alii nui of all Hawaii.

Kamehameha's ambition
Kamehameha's dreams included far more than the island of Hawaii; with the council of his favorite wife Kaahumanu, who became one of Hawaii's most powerful figures, he set about planning to conquer the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. Help came from British and American traders, who sold guns and ammunition to Kamehameha. Two westerners who were resident on Hawaii, Isaac Davis and John Young, trained Kamehameha's troops in the use of firearms.

With his new weapons, Kamehameha felt confident enough to move on the neighboring islands of Maui and Oahu, already weakened by a war of succession that had broken out between King Kahekili's sons. Kamehameha may or may not have known that his rival, Kalanikupule, also possessed firearms, and was planning a move against him when the alii nui of Hawaii invaded the western islands.

In 1795, Kamehameha set sail with an armada of 1,200 war canoes and 10,000 soldiers - an incredible number for an island chain whose population had never exceeded 300,000. He quickly secured the lightly defended islands of Maui and Molokai, and moved on the island of Oahu, landing his troops at Waialae and Waikīkī. What Kamehameha did not know was that one of his commanders, a high-ranking alii named Kaiana, had defected to Kalanikupule. Kaiana assisted in the cutting of notches into the Nuuanu Pali mountain ridge; these notches, like those on a castle turret, would serve as gunports for Kalanikupule's cannon.

In a series of skirmishes, Kamehameha's forces were able to push back Kalanikupule's until he was cornered on the Pali Lookout. While Kamehameha moved on the Pali, his troops took heavy fire from the cannon. In desperation, he assigned two divisions of his best warriors to climb to the Pali to attack the cannons from behind; they surprised Kalanikupule's gunners and took control of the weapons. With the loss of their guns, Kalanikupule's troops fell into disarray and were cornered by Kamehameha's still organized troops. A fierce battle ensued, with Kamehameha's forces forming an enclosing wall and by using their traditional Hawaiian spears, muskets and cannon, were able to kill Kalanikupule's forces to the man. Over 400 men were forced off the Pali's cliff, a drop of 1,000 feet. Kaiana was killed during the action; Kalanikupule was captured some time later and sacrificed to Kukailimoku.

Kamehameha was now alii nui of all of Hawaii east of Oahu, but the islands of Kauai and Niihau| continued to elude him. When he attempted to invade the islands in 1796, his governor on Hawaii, Namakeha, led a rebellion against his rule, and Kamehameha was forced to return. In 1803 he tried again, but this time, disease broke out among his warriors; Kamehameha himself fell ill, though he later recovered. During this time, Kamehameha was amassing the largest armada Hawaii had ever seen - foreign-built schooners and massive war canoes, armed with cannon and carrying his vast army. Kaumualii, alii nui of Kauai, watched as Kamehameha built up his invading force and decided he would have a better chance in negotiation than battle. He may also have been influenced by foreign merchants, who saw the continuing feud between Kamehameha and Kaumualii as bad for the sandalwood trade.

In vassal of Kamehameha, who therefore emerged as the sole sovereign of the island chain of Hawaii.

First King of Hawaii
As king, Kamehameha took several steps to ensure that the islands remained a united realm even after his death. He unified the legal system and he used the products he collected in taxes to promote trade with Europe and the United States. Kamehameha did not allow non-Hawaiians to own land; they would not be able to until the Great Mahele of 1848. This edict ensured the islands' independence even while many of the other islands of the Pacific succumbed to the colonial powers.

In fact, the Kingdom of Hawaii that Kamehameha established retained its independence, except for a five-month British occupation in 1843, until it was annexed by the United States in 1898. It was this legacy that earned Kamehameha the epithet "Napoleon of the Pacific."

Kamehameha also instituted the Mamalahoe Kanawai, the Law of the Splintered Paddle. Its origins derived from before the unification of the Island of Hawaii, in 1782, when Kamehameha, during a raid, caught his foot in a rock. Two local fisherman, fearful of the great warrior, hit Kamehameha hard on the head with a large paddle, which actually broke the paddle. Kamehameha was stunned and left for dead, allowing the fisherman and his companion to escape. Twelve years later, the same fisherman was brought before Kamehameha for punishment. King Kamehameha instead blamed himself for attacking innocent people, gave the fisherman gifts of land and set them free. He declared the new law, "Let every elderly person, woman and child lie by the roadside in safety". This law, which provided for the safety of noncombatants in wartime, is estimated to have saved thousands of lives during Kamehameha's campaigns. It became the first written law of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and remains in the state constitution to this day.

Although he ended human sacrifice, Kamehameha was to the last a follower of the Hawaiian religion and Hawaiian traditions (such as Lua). He believed so strongly in his religion and culture that he would execute his subjects for breaches of the kapu. Although he entertained Christians, he did not appear to take them seriously.

When Kamehameha died in 1819, his body was hidden by his trusted friend, Hoapili. To this day his final resting place remains a mystery. A statue of Kamehameha represents Hawaii in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.

Honors

 * In 1871, Kamehameha V decreed a holiday, Kamehameha Day, in his honor. This holiday is still celebrated annually on June 11. In addition, a statue was erected in his honor at Aliiōlani Hale, the center of Hawaii's judicial system. Four nearly identical statues also exist in Honolulu, Kapaau, Hilo and the United States Capitol. The first of these (located in Kapaau) was the first cast. The ship on which it was being shipped from Europe sank off the Falkland Islands. Kamehameha V then ordered a second cast which is erected in Honolulu. Shortly thereafter the original was salvaged, repaired and erected in Kapaau. The statues vary slightly from each other in details such as having different weaponry, gilding or painting.

Hawaii will feature Kamehameha on the state quarter in 2008. A C-17 Globemaster III, P-153, is named the "Spirit of Kamehameha", while a Benjamin Franklin class submarine, launched in 1965 and decommissioned in 2002, was christened the USS Kamehameha.