The Kamehameha Dynasty

As a young man, Kamehameha was a proven warrior and political strategist who rose to power with the support of the chiefs of Kona and unified the island of Hawai'i under his leadership in the late 1700s. He embraced cannons and guns introduced by foreigners and led well-armed troops in fierce battles across Maui and O'ahu. After lengthy and debilitating civil wars, he emerged as the victorious conqueror, and by 1810 he became King Kamehameha I, Hawai'i's sole sovereign, when Kaua'i and Ni'ihau ceded to his rule. During his reign, he governed his kingdom, enacted laws, urged restorative agricultural endeavors, and increased foreign trade. The center of the Kingdom of Hawai'i shifted back to Keauhou when he returned about 1812. Five monarchs ruled the Kingdom of Hawai'i under the Kamehameha name, and the first three had close ties to Keauhou: Kamehameha I and his two sons, Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III. The head of Keauhou Bay was sacred to the Kamehameha family, and Kamehameha I and his royal family resided from time to time on the north side of the bay between Puco and Ha'kaua Coves. Keōpūolani, the highest ranking wife of Kamehameha I, traveled about 50 miles from Kohala to Keauhou by canoe to give birth to her second son, Kauikeaouli, later Kamehameha III. Her eldest son, Liholiho, later Kamehameha II, built the stone temple Kamohoali'i Heiau above the cliffs, where hala and ulu trees were planted nearby, and other heiau here included Kaleiopāpā and Kanikanika'ula on the south side of Keauhou Bay. The cliff above is named 'Ahu'ula, or royal cloak, because feather cloaks were aired there in the sun, and its face bears a layer of 'alaea, the red earth used for coloring salt, medicine, dye, and purification ceremonies. Keauhou was also associated with notable residents including Lonoikamakahiki, a ruling chief who unified the entire island under his control and had residences within Kahalu'u and near Puco Cove; Chief Kaneohe, son of Hoapili, who lived at Keauhou Bay; and David Malo, born on the northern side of Keauhou Bay about 1793, who recorded the Kingdom of Hawai'i's history, traditions, hula, and genealogies before moving to Maui in 1823, converting to Christianity, and becoming a minister. To the north at He'eia Bay, the monumental Kāneaka hōlua slide, a stone ramp nearly one mile long, once ended at the shoreline, where competitors raced narrow sleds, crowds watched contests between hōlua riders and surfers, and roughly shaped canoe hulls were brought down from the forest to the sea for finishing.

Kahaluu-Keauhou, Hawaii · United States