Fluent in Spanish, French and English, Marin had served Kamehameha as both interpreter and manager of trade. Marin also had some basic medical knowledge, but neither modern medicine nor the religious and medical powers of the kahunas were able to improve the condition of Kamehameha, who had taken ill. On May 8, 1819, King Kamehameha I of the Unified Nation of Hawaii died.
Again, as written by Richard Wisniewksi in his book, "The Rise and Fall of the Hawaiian Kingdom:
"As word of the king's death reached the people, a great grief fell upon them. As evidence of sorrow, those who lived in close association with the king augmented their sorrow by self-mutilation, such as knocking out one or more front teeth.
But some of the more extreme examples of sorrow such as suicide, had gradually faded away as a result of the influence of the foreigner's culture. With the exception of human sacrifice, which Kamehameha had forbidden on his deathbed, the old customs were observed for the departed king. At the appropriate time, the bones were carefully hidden and their location has never been revealed."
Statues of King Kamehameha I
See photos of the four statues of Kamehameha in Honolulu, Kapaau, Washington D.C. and Hilo.
Resources
The Rise and Fall of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Compiled Written and Edited by Richard Wisniewski
Pacific Basin Enterprises, Honolulu, Hawaii 1979
Shoal of Time - A History of the Hawaiian Islands
written by Gavan Daws
University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu Hawaii 1968
