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Kamehameha I
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:''This article is about the Hawaiian ruler. For other uses, see
Kamehameha (disambiguation).''
{{Infobox hawaiian monarch|
| name = King Kamehameha|
| image = kamehamehaportrait.jpg|
| caption = Kamehameha the Great established his dynasty in 1810 upon unifying the islands of Hawai{{okina}}i to become the Kingdom of Hawai{{okina}}i.|
| Birth name = Pai{{okina}}ea
| Reign =
1810-
1819
| Predecessor = ''Established monarchy''
| Successor =
Kamehameha II
| Born =
1758 circa 1758
| Died =
1819
}}
'''Kamehameha''', also known as '''Kamehameha I''' and '''Kamehameha the Great''' (
1758 circa 1758-
1819), unified the
Hawaiian Islands in battle and formally established the
Kingdom of Hawaii Kingdom of Hawai{{okina}}i in
1810. A skilled
diplomat, Kamehameha developed friendships with the major colonial powers in the
Pacific Rim Pacific resulting in the preservation of independence, as well as a guarantee of peace and prosperity of the kingdom, for future generations of
native Hawaiians. Kamehameha is most noted for his vehement defense of traditional Hawaiian values and the
kapu kapu system of law and religion. He is also remembered for ''mamalahoe'' or the
mamalahoe Law of the Splintered Paddle, used today throughout the world protecting the
human rights of
non-combatant non-combatants in times of battle.
In 1871, Kamehameha V decreed a holiday,
Kamehameha Day, in Kamehameha I's honor. This holiday is still celebrated annually today, on
June 11. In addition, a statue was erected in his honor at
Aliiolani Hale Ali{{okina}}iolani Hale, the center of Hawai{{okina}}i's judicial system. Two identical statues also exist in
Kohala and the
United States Capitol.
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.
Comet Halley Halley's comet was visible from Hawai{{okina}}i in
1758, and it is therefore assumed that Kamehameha was born shortly after its appearance.
Kamehameha's birth is shrouded in legend. He was born as Pai{{okina}}ea, to Keoua and Keku{{okina}}iapoiwa,
ali'i ali{{okina}}i of
Kohala on the island of Hawai{{okina}}i. Kamehameha's father,
Keoua, was the grandson of
Keaweikekahiali`iokamoku Keaweikekahiali{{okina}}iokamoku, who had once ruled a large portion of the island of Hawai{{okina}}i. When he died, war broke out over succession between his sons,
Ke`eaumoku Ke{{okina}}eaumoku and
Kalaninui`amamao Kalaninui{{okina}}amamao, and a rival chief,
Alapa`inuiakauaua Alapa{{okina}}inuiakauaua.
Alapa'i Alapa{{okina}}i emerged victorious over the two brothers, and their orphan sons were absorbed into his clan.
When Kamehameha was born, Alapa{{okina}}i ordered the child killed. One of his
Kahunas had warned him that a fiery light in the sky would signal the birth of a "killer of chiefs", or ''ali{{okina}}i''. Alapa{{okina}}i, nervous at the thought of his nephew usurping his rule, decided to take no chances.
Pai{{okina}}ea's parents, however, had anticipated this. As soon as he was born, he was given into the care of Nae{{okina}}ole, another ''ali{{okina}}i'', and disappeared from sight.
Nae{{okina}}ole raised Pai{{okina}}ea for the first few years of his life. Five years after his birth, Alapa{{okina}}i, perhaps remorseful of his actions, invited the child back to live with his family. There under the guidance of his kahu (teacher) Kekuhaupi{{okina}}o he learned the ways of court diplomacy and war. Kekuhaupi{{okina}}o remained a faithful and trusted adivsor to Kamehameha until the accidental death of the loyal kahu during a sham battle. He 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".
Image:kaahumanu.jpg thumb|275px|Ka{{okina}}ahumanu was the favored wife of Kamehameha. She influenced her husband, a mere high chief of the Big Island of Hawai{{okina}}i, to conquer the islands and establish a united kingdom.
Unification of the island of Hawai{{okina}}i
When Alapa{{okina}}i died, his position was succeeded by his son
Keawea'opala Keawea{{okina}}opala.
Kalani'opu'u Kalani{{okina}}opu{{okina}}u, Alapa{{okina}}i's great-nephew, challenged his rule, and was backed by his nephew Kamehameha. In fierce fighting at
Kealakekua Bay, Keawea{{okina}}opala was slain and Kalani{{okina}}opu{{okina}}u claimed victory. For his loyal service to his uncle, Kamehameha was made Kalani{{okina}}opu{{okina}}u's aide.
In
1779, Kamehameha again traveled with Kalani{{okina}}opu{{okina}}u to Kealakekua Bay. This time, he met with
Lono, the
Hawaiian god of fertility, who had arrived on a great canoe bearing
tapa banners. Lono was, in fact, Captain
James Cook, and his ship was the
H.M.S. Discovery. It was Kamehameha's first dealings with the white man. It would not be the last.
Raised in the royal court of his uncle, Kamehameha achieved prominence in
1782, upon Kalani{{okina}}opu{{okina}}u's death. While the kingship was inherited by Kalani{{okina}}opu{{okina}}u's son
Kiwala‘o Kiwala{{okina}}o, Kamehameha was given a prominent religious position, guardianship of the Hawaiian god of war,
Kuka‘ilimoku Kuka{{okina}}ilimoku, as well as the district of
Waipio Waipi{{okina}}o. Nevertheless, there was already bad blood between the two cousins, caused when Kamehameha presented a slain ali{{okina}}i's body to the gods instead of Kiwala{{okina}}o, and when a group of chiefs from the
Kona district offered Kamehameha the kingship instead of Kiwala{{okina}}o, he accepted eagerly. Kiwala{{okina}}o was soon defeated in the battle of
Moku'ohai Moku{{okina}}ohai, and Kamehameha took control of the districts of
Kohala,
Kona, and
Hamakua on Hawai{{okina}}i, but Kiwala{{okina}}o's brother Keouaku{{okina}}ahu{{okina}}ula.
Kamehameha then moved against the district of
Puna in
1790 deposing its chief
Keawema'uhili Keawema{{okina}}uhili. Keoua, exiled to his home of Ka{{okina}}Å«, 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
Kuka'ilimoku Kuka{{okina}}ilimoku, as well as lay an ''ali{{okina}}i's'' body on it.
When the temple was completed the following, Kamehameha invited Keoua to meet with him. Keoua was no fool, and brought the greater part of his remaining army with him. As he stepped on shore, one of Kamehameha's chief's 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 ''
ali'i nui ali{{okina}}i nui'' of all Hawai{{okina}}i.
Image:kamehamehawarcanoe.jpg thumb|400px|Kamehameha designed a fleet of war canoes called ''peleleu'' and were mounted with guns for his conquest of the Hawaiian Islands.
Kamehameha's ambition
Kamehameha's dreams included far more than the island of Hawai{{okina}}i; with the council of his favorite wife
Kaahumanu Ka{{okina}}ahumanu, who became one of Hawai{{okina}}i'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 Hawai{{okina}}i,
Isaac Davis and
John Young of Hawaii John Young, trained Kamehameha's troops in use of the firearms.
With his new weapons, Kamehameha felt confident enough to move on the neighboring islands of
Maui and
Oahu O{{okina}}ahu, already weakened by a war of succession that broke 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 Kamehameha when the ''ali{{okina}}i nui'' of Hawai{{okina}}i 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. Kamehameha quickly secured the lightly defended islands of Maui and Moloka{{okina}}i, and moved on the island of O{{okina}}ahu, landing his troops at
Waialae Wai{{okina}}alae and
Waikiki Waikīkī. What Kamehameha did not know was that one of his commanders, a high-ranking ''ali{{okina}}i'' named Ka{{okina}}iana, had defected to
Kalanikupule. Ka{{okina}}iana assisting the cutting of notches into the
Nu‘uanu Pali Nu{{okina}}uanu Pali mountain ridge; these notches, like those on a
castle turret, would serve as gunports for Kalanikupule's cannon.
When 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. Converging on the cannons from behind, they surprised Kalanikupule's gunners and took control of the cannons. With the loss of their guns, Kalanikupule's troops fell into disarray, and many were driven off the cliffs of the Pali. Ka{{okina}}iana was killed during the action; Kalanikupule was captured some time later and sacrificed to Kuka{{okina}}ilimoku.
Kamehameha was now ''ali{{okina}}i nui'' of all of Hawai{{okina}}i east of O{{okina}}ahu, but the islands of
Kaua'i Kaua{{okina}}i and
Ni'ihau Ni{{okina}}ihau continually eluded him. When he attempted to invade the islands in
1796, his governor on Hawai{{okina}}i,
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, and Kamehameha himself fell ill, though he later recovered. During this time, Kamehameha was amassing the largest armada Hawai{{okina}}i had ever seen - foreign-built schooners and massive war canoes, armed with cannon and carrying his vast army.
Kaumualii Kaumuali{{okina}}i, ''ali{{okina}}i nui'' of Kaua{{okina}}i, 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 very influenced by foreign merchants, who saw the continuing feud between Kamehameha and Kaumuali{{okina}}i as bad for the
sandalwood trade.
In
1810, Kaumuali{{okina}}i became a
vassal of Kamehameha, who therefore emerged as the sole sovereign of the island chain of Hawai{{okina}}i.
The first King of Hawai{{okina}}i
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 Ocean Pacific succumbed to the colonial powers.
In fact, the
Kingdom of Hawai'i Kingdom of Hawai{{okina}}i 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'', or "
Mamalahoe law of the splintered paddle". Its origins derived from before the unification of the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i, in
1782, when Kamehameha, during a raid, caught his foot in a rock. A local fisherman, fearful for his family, hit Kamehameha hard on the head with a paddle, which splintered. Kamehameha was stunned and left for dead, allowing the fisherman and his companion to escape. Chastened by this experience, Kamehameha declared, "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 Hawai{{okina}}i, 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, executing 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 ''kahuna''. To this day his final resting place remains a mystery.
A statue of Kamehameha represents Hawaii in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol.
Trivia
* The name for the
Kamehameha (Dragon Ball) Kamehameha attack in the manga
Dragon Ball was based on Kamehameha I. The move can also translate to Turtle Wave Blast, originating from the
Muten-Rôshi, known as Kame-Sennin (Turtle Hermit).
* In the manga
Kinnikuman, there is an elder wrestler named Prince Kamehame from Hawai{{okina}}i, who teaches Kinnikuman his 48 Finishing Techniques. He later appears in costume similar to Kinnikuman, under the name Kinnikuman Great.
External links
-
Kamehameha Schools Biography of Kamehameha
-
Kamehameha - The Young Warrior
-
American National Biography of Kamehameha
-
GoHawaii biography of Kamehameha
-
The Story of Kamehameha
-
Thematic Essay on the Law of the Splintered Paddle
{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=
Kingdom of Hawaii King of Hawai{{okina}}i|before=none||after=
Kamehameha II with regent
Queen Kaahumanu Ka{{okina}}ahumanu 1819-
1824|years=
1795 -
1819}}
{{end box}}
{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=Ruler of the Island of
Hawai‘i Hawai{{okina}}i|before=
Kiwala‘o Kiwala{{okina}}o||after=
Kamehameha I as
Kingdom of Hawaii King of Hawai{{okina}}i 1795-
1819|years=
1782 -
1795}}
{{end box}}
{{HI-monarch}}
Category:1758 births Kamehameha I of Hawaii
Category:1819 deaths Kamehameha I of Hawaii
Category:History of Hawaii
Category:Royal Family of Hawaii
de:Kamehameha I.
fr:Kamehameha I
ja:カメ�メ�1世 (�ワイ王)
pl:Kamehameha I
pt:Kamehameha I
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