King Kamehameha Statue — Attraction in Honolulu

Every time I see this statue, it reminds me of Hawaii Five-0 during the opening presentation.  We have seen three of the statues but have yet to travel to the island of Hilo to see the fourth.

I've always enjoyed coming to the islands and felt that, at least for me, I should at least know the "abridged version" of some of the key figures who developed Hawaii as it is today.

So for us non-islanders, here is a little education into this "King" of the Hawaiian Islands...

As monarchs go, Kamehameha was Hawaii's greatest King (1756-1819) and is perhaps Hawaii's greatest historical figure.

He was born in the Kohala district of the Big Island and unified the Hawaiian Islands under one rule and set the stage for the kingdom's proud-but-turbulent monarchy period.

In 1758, King Kamehameha was born in the Kohala district of the Island of Hawaii.  He grew into a courageous warrior and was said to have overturned the huge Naha Stone in Hilo.

According to native belief, such a feat indicated superhuman strength and foreshadowed the inevitable conquest of all of Hawaii.  Upon the death of his uncle, Chief Kalaniopu'u, Kamehameha received custody of the war gods and the temples, while the late chief's son, Kiwala'o, inherited the island.

However, district chiefs became dissatisfied with Kiwala'o's methods of redistricting the lands.  A struggle ensued between Kiwala'o's forces and the various chiefs under the leadership of Kamehameha.

His cousin was killed, and Kamehameha attained control of half the Island of Hawai'i.  During the struggle, Kamehameha's "divine right" was exemplified by a rare explosive eruption of Kilauea Volcano, which wiped out parts of the opposing army.

In 1785, Kamehameha married Ka'ahumanu, the daughter of one of his most trusted advisors.

In 1790, after attaining control of the remainder of Hawaii Island, he successfully invaded the Islands of Maui, Lana'i, and Moloka'i.

By 1810, he had unified all the inhabited islands of Hawai'i under his rule.

On May 8, 1819, King Kamehameha I, died at Kailua in the district of Kona on his home Island of Hawai'i. His remains were hidden with such secrecy, according to ancient custom, that "only the stars know his final resting place."

In 1878, the Hawaiian legislature appropriated $10,000 for a monument to be built to Kamehameha the Great.

In 1879, An American sculptor by the name of Thomas R. Gould, a well-known Boston sculptor, was commissioned by the kingdom of Hawaii to create the statue.  After the statue was cast in bronze in Florence, Italy, it was placed on board a Hawaii-bound German vessel in Bremen.

In 1880, the statue went down off the Falkland Islands when all the cargo was lost.

In 1882, a British ship arrived in Honolulu with the "original statue" when the captain saw it and recovered it from the water off the Falklands.  He purchased the statue then brought it to Hawai'i.

In 1883, a second statue was cast from the original mold and sent to Honolulu, where King Kalakaua dedicated it.  With an honor guard and a great ceremony, it was carried by horse team to Ali'iolani Hale, on King Street, where King Kalakaua unveiled it while the Royal Hawaiian Band played "Hawaii Pono'i."

Standing eight and a half feet tall, the statue depicts Kamehameha in his royal garb, including a helmet of rare feathers and a gilded cloak.

The gilded cloak is based on one that Kamehameha's subjects made for the king by weaving yellow feathers of native birds into a fine mesh net.

The sandals, although not historically accurate, suggest the type of footwear that Kamehameha would have worn.

The spear in his left hand symbolizes the ability to defend oneself and one's nation; it is also a reminder that Kamehameha ended the wars among the Hawaiian people.

His right hand is extended in a gesture of aloha, the traditional spirit of friendly greeting.

Every June 11 is Kamehameha Day and a...

La estatua que se destaca frente a Aliʻiolani Hale tuvo su origen en 1878 en conmemoración a los 100 años de la llegada del Capitán Cook a las islas. Fue encargada a Thomas R. Gould, un escultor de Boston, que vivía en Florencia, Italia. Pese a que le habían enviado fotografías de polinesios para que Gould pudiera hacer un parecido apropiado, pareció ignorarlas. El rostro presenta una nariz romana y características más europeas, quizás debido a que Gould se encontraba estudiando escultura romana en Italia. Historiadores han notado que a partir de las fotografías que se enviaron a Gould, ciertos rasgos de las estatuas fueron influenciados por los hermanos hawaianos John Tamatoa Baker y Robert Hoapili Baker. Sobreviven dos fotografías del primero, una en su forma original y otra en forma compuesta con las piernas desnudas de un pescador hawaiano. La postura de un general romano con mano, lanza y capa gesticulando también son apropiaciones romanas. El cinturón o fajín en la cintura de la estatua es una representación simbólica de la Faja Sagrada de Liloa. En 1880, la escultura inicial fue enviada a París, Francia, para ser fundida en bronce. En 1883, y ya fuera del plazo para arribar a tiempo para el aniversario, la estatua se colocó a bordo de un barco y se dirigió a Hawai. Cerca de las Islas Malvinas, el barco naufragó y se pensó que la estatua se había perdido. El estado de Hawaii había asegurado la estatua, y rápidamente se hizo una segunda estatua. Antes de que esta se pudiera enviar, la primera fue recuperada en el Atlántico sur. Ya con dos estatuas en su haber, se decidió ubicar a la original en proximidades del lugar de nacimiento del legendario rey en Kapaʻau en Kohala, en la isla de Hawaiʻi; y a la segunda en el centro histórico de Honolulu frente a...

We came to Kohala for 2 reasons. Check out where my dad grew up and to see the statue. The statue is ok but the story behind it is very interesting. Especially if your from Hawaii. Also my daughter learned about Hawaiian History in class. On the side of the building is some old immigrant family pictures which I found interesting too. Had a Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Puerto Rican and Filipino Family dating back to about 1900. That's what makes Hawaii. That's why when we move to the mainland we miss the food back home. Check this place out if you interested in...