Kamehameha I, also called Kamehameha the Great, founded the Kamehameha Dynasty. By 1810 he ruled all eight major Hawaiian islands. He did it with war, foreign weapons, religious ritual and diplomacy. This article answers the questions people ask most: where he was born, how tall he was, how he died, where he lies and who his descendants are.
Who was Kamehameha I of Hawaii?
His recorded long name is Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea. Most people use the short form.
The British Museum describes him as a Hawaiian ruler. It ties his ancestry to native chiefly families through his mother, Kekuʻiapoiwa, and through Kalanikupuapāikalaninui Keōua, whom it records as his father.
He did not inherit a united kingdom. The islands were split among rival chiefs. He spent decades fighting and negotiating before one ruler held them all.
How do you pronounce Kamehameha?
The Hawaiian pronunciation is written [kəmehəˈmɛhə] in the International Phonetic Alphabet. If you read that string aloud, you will be close.
Where was Kamehameha I born?
The Architect of the Capitol names Kokoiki, in the Kohala region of Hawaiʻi Island, as his birthplace. Kohala is at the northern end of the island.
If you visit, the Kohala Historical Sites State Monument holds both the Kamehameha birthplace memorial and Moʻokini Heiau.
The year of his birth is less certain. The common dating is about 1758. The historian Samuel Kamakau argued for about 1736. Ralph Simpson Kuykendall proposed a range of 1748 to 1761. Nobody can fix the date more tightly.
Family tree: parents, uncle and the paternity rumor
His mother was Kekuʻiapoiwa. The usual genealogies name Keōua as his father. One account claims that Kahekili II was his biological father. King Kalākaua rejected that rumor.
His uncle was Kalaniʻōpuʻu, and Kamehameha grew up under his protection. The British Museum says the warrior Kekūhaupiʻo trained him in war and leadership.
Danger shaped his earliest years. The National Park Service says he was hidden at Waipiʻo in early childhood to keep him safe from rival chiefs. He returned to Kailua at about five years old.
From Captain Cook to the succession crisis
The history published by Kamehameha Schools says the young Kamehameha met James Cook in 1778, during Cook’s second arrival in Hawaii.
The next turning point came in 1782. Kalaniʻōpuʻu died. His son Kīwalaʻō received the political inheritance. Kamehameha received guardianship of the war god Kūkāʻilimoku. That split of power set up the struggle that followed.
How did Kamehameha unify the islands?
He used four tools.
Foreign weapons and advisers. In his 1790 campaign on Maui, Kamehameha had help from John Young and Isaac Davis. He also used cannons taken from the ship Fair American.
Religion. He had the Puʻukoholā Heiau built at Kawaihae in 1790–1791 to win the war god’s support. In 1791 his rival and cousin Keōua Kūʻahuʻula was killed during the temple’s dedication. His body was offered to the war god.
Battle. In 1795 Kamehameha won the Battle of Nuʻuanu on Oʻahu. Modern weapons and foreign advisers helped him win.
Diplomacy. The union was completed in 1810 when Kaumualiʻi, ruler of Kauaʻi, accepted Kamehameha’s supremacy.
One setback came in between. In 1804 an epidemic broke out on Oʻahu. Its cause cannot be named with certainty. It hit his army hard, and Kamehameha himself nearly died.
The Broken Paddle Law
Kamehameha is also remembered for Kānāwai Māmalahoe, the Broken Paddle Law. It protected civilians during war. A ruler who spent his life fighting also wrote a rule meant to keep ordinary people out of the fighting.
Timeline
- About 1758: The common dating places his birth here. Earlier dates have also been proposed.
- 1778: He meets James Cook.
- 1782: Kalaniʻōpuʻu dies and the succession struggle begins.
- 1790: He campaigns on Maui with the help of John Young and Isaac Davis.
- 1790–1791: He builds Puʻukoholā Heiau.
- 1791: His rival Keōua Kūʻahuʻula is killed and offered at the temple.
- 1795: He defeats the Oʻahu forces at Nuʻuanu.
- 1804: An epidemic on Oʻahu hits his army hard.
- 1810: Kaumualiʻi accepts his supremacy and the union is complete.
- 8 May 1819: He dies in Kailua, and Liholiho succeeds him.
- 1883: The Honolulu statue is unveiled.
How tall was Kamehameha I?
No one measured him, so claims differ. The National Park Service estimates about 2.13 metres (about 7 feet) from the size of his feather cloak. A 2011 tribute in the U.S. Congressional Record gives about 2.03 metres (6 feet 8 inches).
Treat both numbers as estimates.
When and where did Kamehameha I die?
The Architect of the Capitol records his death on 8 May 1819 in Kailua, in the Kona region of Hawaiʻi Island. His son Liholiho took the throne as Kamehameha II.
Where is the Kamehameha I burial site?
Nobody knows. His body was hidden in secret, and the exact grave is not known today.
If you look for a tomb on a Hawaii trip, you will not find a confirmed one. What you can visit are places tied to his life, such as the Kohala birthplace monument and Puʻukoholā Heiau.
Descendants and children
The Hawaiʻi State Archives lists Liholiho, Kauikeaouli and Nāhiʻenaʻena among the children of Kamehameha and Keōpūolani. Liholiho became Kamehameha II.
The size of his family is disputed. Sources give 21, 26 or 30 for the number of wives. The authors of Kamehameha’s Children Today record 35 children, 17 boys and 18 girls.
One famous descendant is Bernice Pauahi Bishop (1831–1884). She was his great-granddaughter, a third-generation descendant. Her legacy led to the founding of Kamehameha Schools.
Kamehameha statues
The sculptor Thomas R. Gould’s first Kamehameha statue was cast in Paris in 1880. It was lost in a shipwreck on the way to Hawaii. A second statue, cast from the same model, was unveiled in Honolulu in 1883.
The Architect of the Capitol also presents a Kamehameha statue in the United States Capitol collection.
Every 11 June, Hawaii celebrates Kamehameha Day. People drape the king’s statues in long lei garlands made of flowers. If you have ever worn a flower garland at a celebration, this is the same custom used to honor him.
Details you won’t find in guidebooks
- A temple built without mortar. Puʻukoholā Heiau, where Kamehameha worked on the construction himself, was finished without mortar. Its walls measure about 68 × 30 metres and stand about 5–6 metres high.
- A cloak of 450,000 feathers. The outer surface of the Kamehameha cloak in the Bishop Museum holds about 450,000 separate feathers. Most are yellow mamo feathers. A portion are red ʻiʻiwi feathers.
- A ban on killing birds. David Malo’s account, published on 3 November 1858, says Kamehameha forbade bird catchers from killing the birds. He wanted future generations to see how beautiful they were.
- A statue with the wrong shoes. The Architect of the Capitol says the sandals on Gould’s statue are not historically accurate.
- A lost first statue. The 1880 Paris cast never reached Honolulu. The statue people photograph today is the replacement.
FAQ
Where was Kamehameha I born?
The Architect of the Capitol gives his birthplace as Kokoiki in the Kohala region of Hawaiʻi Island. A birthplace monument stands in Kohala Historical Sites State Monument.
How tall was Kamehameha I?
Nobody knows exactly. The National Park Service estimates about 2.13 metres (7 feet) from his feather cloak. A 2011 Congressional Record tribute says about 2.03 metres (6 feet 8 inches).
When and where did Kamehameha I die?
The Architect of the Capitol records his death on 8 May 1819 in Kailua, in the Kona region of Hawaiʻi Island. His son Liholiho succeeded him as Kamehameha II.
Where is Kamehameha I buried?
No one today knows the exact spot. His body was hidden in secret after his death, and the grave has never been confirmed.
How do you pronounce Kamehameha?
The Hawaiian pronunciation is written [kəmehəˈmɛhə] in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Sources
- Kamehameha Schools — History ksbe.edu
- Türkçe Vikipedi — I. Kamehameha tr.wikipedia.org
- English Wikipedia — Kamehameha I en.wikipedia.org
- Architect of the Capitol — Kamehameha I Statue aoc.gov
- British Museum — Kamehameha I britishmuseum.org
- National Park Service — Kamehameha the Great nps.gov
- National Park Service — Hawaiʻi Island: Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site home.nps.gov
- Punahou School — Kamehameha I bulletin.punahou.edu
- Australian National University Press — Transforming Hawaiʻi, chapter 6 press-files.anu.edu.au
- Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority — King Kamehameha I gohawaii.com
- Hawaiʻi State Archives — King Kamehameha I ags.hawaii.gov
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library — Historical Events libweb.hawaii.edu
- Kamehameha Schools Archives — Founders ksbe.edu
- National Park Service — Frequently Asked Questions nps.gov
- Congressional Record — House, 31 May 2011 congress.gov
- Bishop Museum — History Activities bishopmuseum.org
- Bishop Museum, Hawaiʻi Alive — ʻAhuʻula of King Kamehameha I hawaiialive.org
- Hawaiʻi Division of State Parks — Kohala Historical Sites State Monument dlnr.hawaii.gov
Image: Kamehameha I Statue.jpg — Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0
