King Kamehameha I

King Kamehameha I. Thomas Ridgeway Gould. King Kamehameha I (c. 1758–1819) is generally recognized as the most important figure in Hawaiian history. He was a wise ruler who enacted laws to protect the defenseless and to bring order to the newly united kingdom. An astute statesman, he encouraged foreign trade and the use of foreign technology, while avoiding foreign rule. His greatest achievement, through warfare and diplomacy, was the unification of the Hawaiian Islands. , As befits a man of enormous historic and symbolic importance, this statue depicts King Kamehameha I wearing the regalia of an ali’i nui (paramount chief or king) which includes the mahiole (feathered helmet), the ‘ahu‘ula (a long feathered cloak signifying chiefly rank), and the ka ‘el kapu o Liole (the sacred sash of Liloa, a feathered sash, worn around the waist and over the shoulder, a symbol of supreme authority). He carries the ihe laumeki (barbed spear) in his left hand to symbolize his life as a brave warrior. He extends his right hand in a welcoming gesture of aloha to denote his life as a wise and just statesman and unifier of a people and a kingdom. , Law of the Splintered Paddle. Ke Kānāwai Māmalahoe, or Law of the Splintered Paddle, was established by King Kamehameha I and assured that every man, woman and child would be able to travel freely and in peace, with the right “to lie down to sleep by the roadside without fear of harm.” , Display of Courage. As a young boy, Kamehameha received training in the various Hawaiian martial arts while residing in Ka‘ū with his uncle, Kalani‘ōpu‘u. Here the warrior-chief displays his courage and his special gift at deflecting and seizing spears hurled all at once. , Aboard the H.M.S. Resolution. Offshore the island of Maui in 1778, the young chief Kamehameha is welcomed aboard the H.M.S. Resolution by British explorer Captain James Cook. Captain Cook commanded the first foreign fleet to visit the Hawaiian Islands. , Ka ‘Au Wa‘a Peleleu. King Kamehameha I here reviews his famous ‘au wa‘a peleleu, a fleet of war canoes. The fleet, which consisted of up to 800 double-hulled canoes carved from massive koa trees, was capable of transporting up to 8000 warriors between the islands.