June 11, 2016
celebrates the 100th Annual
King Kamehameha Day
FLORAL PARADE
The parade begins at 9:00 a.m. at the historic ʻIolani Palace in downtown Honolulu and proceeds to Queen Kapi‘olani Park in Waikiki.
Hawai‘i celebrates the many accomplishments of Kamehameha the Great on June 11th, officially known as Kamehameha Day with parades and events state wide.
Artist Hon Chu Hee's epic enamled mural entitled "The Conquest of the Hawaiian Islands By Kamehameha I", this small portion of the mural records the birth of Kamehameha I. Because of the Hawaiian legend that foretold his birth, the future king was hidden away from those who would seek his death and his youth was spent in isolation.
Hawaiian prophecy proclaimed that a powerful king would one day unite the Hawaiian islands into one kingdom, and that the sign of his birth would be foretold in the skies. He would be known as a “Killer of Chiefs” and his rule would bring great change to the island nation which would eventually be known to the world as Hawai‘i. Halley's comet was visible from Hawai‘i in 1758 and legend has it that Kamehameha was born shortly after its appearance, in the month of February, however, there are others who place his birth in November of 1737. Born into royalty, Pai‘ea as he was known would grow into a formidable warrior, statesman, diplomat and cultural scion and would lead the Hawaiian people into the modern world.
Engaging in a series of military campaigns starting on the Big Island and moving to Moloka‘i, Mau‘i, and then O‘ahu. Kamehameha took strategic advantage of the modern technology made available to him through western contact. Using muskets and cannons to vanquish his enemies, Kamehameha conquered all of the islands save Kaua‘i whose King Kaumuali'i agreed to serve as vassal under Kamehameha who was declared King of all Hawai‘i after a considerable amount of diplomacy.
One of the time honored traditions of Kamehameha Day in Honolulu and Hilo is the lei drapping of the Kamehameha Statue.
Kamehameha took several steps to propagate the independence of the islands even after his death. He codified the legal system and he used the resources of the islands to promote trade with Europe and the United States. Kamehameha did not allow non-Hawaiians to own land; they would not be able to until the Great Mahele of 1848 many years after his passing. No foreign ownership of land protected Hawai‘i's sovereignty from foreign encroachment even as other Polynesian nations succumbed to western colonization.
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I recite oli(chants) in honor of Ka Mo‘i Nui Kamehameha in front of Ali‘iolani Hale on June 10th 2016.
The Kingdom of Hawai‘i retained its independence, except for a five-month British occupation in 1843, until the illegal overthrow of the Monarchy by an opportunistic cabal of American and European plantation owners. The conspirators were aided and abetted by the United States Navy under the direction of US Minister to the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, John Stevens on January 16th, 1889.
Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea
1736? c. - 1819
King Kamehameha I by Ludwig (or Louis) Choris 1816
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