Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [199]
Kamehameha emerged as Kalaniopu′u’S fiercest, most ambitious general. As King David Kalakaua later described him (in Legends and Myths of Hawaii), ‘his features were rugged and irregular, and he held in contempt the courtly graces.’ After Kalaniopu′u’S death in 1782, Kamehameha led his warriors against Kalaniopu′u’S son, Kiwalao, who had taken the throne. Kiwalao was killed, and Kamehameha emerged as ruler of the Kohala region and one of the ruling chiefs of the Big Island.
In 1784 the prophet Keaulumoku predicted that Kamehameha, whom he dubbed ‘the lonely one,’ would conquer Hawaii. Keaulumoku also prophesied Hawaii’S eventual domination by the white race, the destruction of the temples, and the decline of the Hawaiian people.
Emboldened by his apparent destiny, Kamehameha continued to wage war. In 1790, with the aid of a captured foreign schooner and two shipwrecked sailors, Isaac Davis and John Young, whom he used as gunners, Kamehameha attacked and conquered the island of Maui.
Kamehameha was on Moloka′i preparing for an invasion of O′ahu when he learned that Keoua Kuahu′ula, his cousin and chief of the Ka′u region, was attacking the Hamakua Coast. An angry Kamehameha set sail for home, and Keoua’S soldiers beat a quick retreat back to Ka′u. But when the withdrawing troops passed beneath the slopes of Kilauea, the volcano suddenly erupted, engulfing and killing many of the warriors with toxic fumes and ash. Still, Keoua remained undefeated, and Kamehameha sought advice from the prophet Kapoukahi, who told him he would finally prevail if he built a heiau (stone temple) to honor his war god, Kuka′ilimoku.
Kamehameha immediately began constructing Pu′ukohola Heiau (Click here) in Kawaihae. When it was finished in 1791, Kamehameha sent word to Keoua, asking him to meet at the heiau for reconciliation. It’S believed that Keoua understood and accepted his fate, for he prepared for death and willingly sailed to Kawaihae. Upon landing with his party, Keoua was killed, becoming the luakini heiau’S first sacrifice. With this, Kamehameha became sole ruler of the Big Island.
By 1795, Kamehameha conquered all the islands except Kaua′i, which peacefully joined the others in 1810. Kamehameha named the entire kingdom after his home island, Hawai′i.
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KAPA′AU
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Kapa′au is another former sugar town refashioned into an attractive tourist destination, though it’S not as adorably quaint as Hawi. Kapa′au is North Kohala’S civic center, with a courthouse, police station, library and bank (with ATM). North Kohala was Kamehameha’S childhood home, so the June King Kamehameha Day festivities have extra significance here.
Sights & Activities
Kamehameha Park is an ideal place to let the kids run loose: there are large fields, tennis courts, a play structure and a small, but nice, swimming pool.
KAMEHAMEHA THE GREAT STATUE
This statue on the front lawn of the North Kohala Civic Center may look familiar. Its lei-draped and much-photographed twin stands opposite Honolulu’S ′Iolani Palace (Click here).
The statue was made in 1880 in Florence by American sculptor Thomas Gould. When the ship delivering it sank off the Falkland Islands, a second statue was then cast from the original mold. The duplicate statue arrived at the islands in 1883 and took its place in downtown Honolulu. Later the sunken statue was recovered from the ocean floor and completed its trip to Hawaii. It was then sent here, to Kamehameha’S childhood home. A notice board tells the full story.
KENJI’S HOUSE
Not famous, Kapa′au native Kenji Yokoyama (1931–2004) was an avid free diver and obsessive collector of rocks, driftwood and shells, which he fashioned into little sculptures and naive artworks. Set in Kenji’S home, this very personal, intimate exhibit honors this humble, thoughtful man, who made art out of his North Kohala life. Upstairs is the equally interesting North Kohala Artists Cooperative Gallery (884-5556; www.kohalaartists.com; Akoni Pule