KAMEHAMEHA the GREAT
HAWAI‘I’S BIG KAHUNA
REIGN: circa 1782–1819
FATHER: Keoua Nui (Keoua the Great) / MOTHER: Kekuiapoiwa
SUCCESSOR: Liholiho
OTHER NAMES: Pai’ea (birth name, which means “hard shell crab”), the Napoleon of the Pacific
WHAT WAS SO GREAT ABOUT KAMEHAMEHA?
Before Kamehameha, each of the islands of Hawai‘i had its own ruler, and there was a lot of fighting among them. Kamehameha united the islands and led them through a difficult time in their history. He restored peace and helped Hawaiians to see themselves as one people—as part of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i.
GREAT BEGINNINGS
Before Kamehameha was born, there was a prophecy on the island of Hawai‘i that a great leader would soon be born (see here). So when a baby boy was born to the ruling family, he was hidden away in a valley to keep him from harm. (This might have been why he was given the name Kamehameha, which means “the Lonely One” or “the One Set Apart.”) During his early years, Kamehameha learned war arts, sports, storytelling, seafaring, and navigation skills. It was said that he was an especially strong swimmer. He also grew very, very tall—some say he was seven feet by the time he reached adulthood!
ROCK AND RULE
Many cultures around the world seem to have a story that involves a rock with the magical power used to determine who should be the next leader of the kingdom (King Arthur and the sword in the stone is one example). In Hawaiian culture, the Naha stone was such a rock. When a boy of the Naha royal line was born, he was placed upon the stone with all the high priests in attendance. If the baby cried while on the stone, he would become a commoner. If he didn’t, he was eligible to become king. Legend said that the man who could move the stone (estimated to weigh about 5,000 pounds) would unite the various islands and become king over all of Hawai‘i.
According to one story, high priests and royals assembled to watch fourteen-year-old Kamehameha move the stone. It was said that his effort was so strong that the earth trembled and some thought there had been an earthquake. And he was successful. Everyone celebrated, and he became king. The story of Kamehameha’s feat of strength spread throughout the islands, and some say that it helped secure his reputation as a fierce warrior as he went into battle.
Today, the Naha stone is located in front of the public library in Hilo, Hawai‘i, so you can try moving it yourself!
A UNITED KINGDOM
The islands of Hawai‘i were in a time of great conflict. As a young adult, Kamehameha fought in many battles. His reputation for fierceness and bravery spread throughout the islands.
Kamehameha’s birth is shrouded in legend and mystery. It’s said that there was a prophecy that when a light appeared in the sky with feathers like a bird, a great leader would be born. Kamehameha is thought to have been born in 1758, the year Halley’s Comet was visible from Hawai‘i.
(Kamehameha isn’t the only legendary leader whose birth is said to have been predicted by the stars. The births of Jesus as well as the Roman emperor Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great were also said to have been foretold by great, bright-shining stars.)
Not only was he a skilled warrior, but Kamehameha was good at strategy. By using his trading skills, he developed a big supply of weapons from the British and Americans. They not only sold weapons to him, but they showed him how to use them. Kamehameha even commissioned some English carpenters to build a big war ship for him. Two British soldiers became Kamehameha’s close advisors.
One by one, Kamehameha conquered the Hawaiian Islands, starting with his own island of Hawai‘i and moving on to other islands, gaining power through a combination of battles and peaceful agreements with local rulers. His success as a warrior didn’t happen overnight, though. It took more than a decade for Kamehameha to become the sole ruler of the islands of Hawai‘i. Being persistent was one of Kamehameha’s strengths.
Kamehameha was a good businessman, too. During his life, big trading ships were crossing the Pacific from the Americas to China. The fur trade had decreased by this time, and traders were looking for a popular new product. They hit upon sandalwood (from a kind of tree that grows in Hawai‘i). It was good for building and making incense and perfume. Kamehameha developed a sandalwood monopoly and got a big percentage of the profit from every shipment that left his shores. He also taxed ships that docked in his harbor. He made a fortune and used it to help develop the islands.
AMERICA’S REAL ROYAL FAMILY
People refer to celebrity families as “America’s royal family.” But there has really been only one royal family on American soil: Kamehameha’s family, the Royal House of Kawānanakoa.
Because Hawai‘i didn’t have a single, central government before Kamehameha took power, he became the first true king of Hawai‘i. The next four leaders after him also used the name Kamehameha. Kamehameha V has been described as the last great traditional ruler of Hawai‘i. Although he followed a traditional style of leadership, he was very modern for his time. He traveled all over the Americas in his youth. He hosted foreign dignitaries, including monarchs and well-known people, such as Mark Twain. When he died, his cousin Lunalilo became king. He was called “the People’s King” because he had been elected by popular vote. He made a lot of democratic reforms in Hawai‘i. His wife, Queen Emma, was a powerful figure, too, and became the lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, who she visited in England.
King David Kalakaua (known as the Merry Monarch) took over next. During his reign, Hawai‘i became a constitutional monarchy like the United Kingdom. King David was known for playing the ukulele and songwriting, surfing, and reviving hula dancing. He built Iolani Palace, inspired by royal palaces he had seen in his travels throughout Europe. When he died, his sister Lili’uokalani became queen. She was a famous songwriter, who was later placed under house arrest when powerful foreigners took over Hawai‘i. She was the last queen of Hawai‘i.
Lili’uokalani’s niece, Princess Kaiulani, worked to try to get the royal family restored to the throne. While she became known internationally—both for her intelligence and her beauty—she was not successful in her efforts.
Today, Hawai‘i’s “last princess”—Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa—is in her nineties. She is Lili’uokalani’s great-grandniece and the last true royal on American ground.
Kamehameha’s main accomplishment, though, was keeping his people free from the rule of the British, Americans, and Russians. Although Hawai‘i later became a US state, the independence it established under Kamehameha’s rule helped preserve Hawaiian culture so that it wasn’t lost even after Hawai‘i became part of the United States.
Kamehameha’s Legacy 
In Hawai‘i, June 11 is celebrated as Kamehameha Day. There is a floral parade in Honolulu that ends at Iolani Palace. Kamehameha’s statue located there is adorned with a lei (flower wreath). He is still considered the father of Hawai‘i.
WHEN KAMEHAMEHA WAS KING…
steam transportation was developed
Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” was written
the slave trade was outlawed in Britain
the empire-waist dress came into fashion