June 11th is King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. Who was this honored Hawaiian king? His biggest claim to fame was uniting the Hawaiian islands under one rule in 1795. On Kamehameha Day, his statues will be visited and adorned with many leis.
There are four statues of King Kamehameha in the US. We took the photo above in the small town of Kapaau in the North Kohala region of the Big Island where King Kamehameha was born. (The statue is located on the mauka (mountain) side in front of the police department.) The community there puts on a big celebration each year. Here’s where you can find the three other statues:
- In Hilo on the Big Island in Wailoa State Park. Hilo was Kamehameha’s first seat of government and this statue, is the tallest of the four statues at fourteen feet. Hilo is also home to the Naha Stone, which a young Kamehameha was said to have overturned in a feat of incredible strength. Legend had it that whoever had the strength to move the Naha Stone would rule the Hawaiian Islands. Today, the Naha Stone is located in front of the Hilo Public Library. Source
- On Oahu in downtown Honolulu, Oahu. The statue is located in front of Aliiolani Hale (the judiciary building) and across from Iolani Palace.
- National Statuary Hall, Washington D.C. In 1969, the third Kamehameha statue was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall where statues of historic figures from all 50 states are on display. A statue of Molokai’s Father Damien joins the Kamehameha I statue in this collection of art.
With King Kamehameha Day being one of Hawaii’s state holidays, some public and private services and businesses may be closed in observance of the day.
Happy King Kamehameha Day!
Sheila Beal
6 comments
The one in Hilo is kind of eerie at night because it’s all lit up and there isn’t much else around it, we didn’t know who the statue was of at first until someone we were with explained it was Kamehameha.
What’s interesting is hearing residents of each island explain the story of Kamehameha. On the Big Island, they talk of him unifying the islands… on Kauai they talk of him conquering the islands. Perspective is everything. 🙂
Hi Jim – that’s interesting that Kauai folks talk about King Kam in a different light. Kauai agreed to go under his rule to prevent bloodshed. So, it’s interesting that even over 200 years later, there’s still a different perspective on Kauai. Thanks for sharing that tid bit.
Hi, my wife started this website for people living in the Wilmington, NC area. I found you through http://twitterlocal.net . Anyways, I’m following your twitter feed now. We live in the Hampstead area.
If you are in the Wilmington, NC area as well, perhaps she could add a link to your site here as well. 🙂
Timothy McDoniel
http://timandheike.com
Hi Timothy – Welcome to Go Visit Hawaii! It’s nice to know there’s more Hawaii lovers here in NC. I live in Raleigh, but was actually in your neck of the woods today at Wrightsville Beach. I’ll check out your wife’s site. Mahalo!
Jim – I ran across this article…Kauai canceled celebrations. http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2008/06/11/news/news02.txt
Interesting… not THAT surprising though 🙂