Statues of King Kamehameha I
King David Kalakaua commissioned a statue of Kamehameha I in 1878. At the time a kahuna (priest) is said to have commented that the statue would only feel at home if it rested in the lands of Kamehameha's birth.
Thomas Gould, an American sculptor living in Italy was commissioned to do a sculpture. He used John Baker, a part Hawaiian and friend of Kalakaua, as his model. Gould was paid $10,000 and his sculpture was sent to Paris for bronzing. It was then put on a ship bound for Hawaii, but the ship sank off the Falkland Islands. It was thought that the statue was lost forever.
Photo by John Fischer
With money collected from insurance a new statue was commissioned and that statue arrived in Honolulu in 1883. It stands in front of the Judiciary Building. It is, perhaps, one of the most famous tourist attractions in Honolulu. Twice a year, on May Day and for Kamehameha Day on June 11, it is adorned with leis.
Photo by John Fischer
Within weeks of the arrival of the new statue, the original statue also arrived in Honolulu, having been salvaged and located in a junk yard in Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. The English captain that had found it sold it to King Kalakaua. Remembering the prophecy of the old kahuna, the original statue was send to the town of Kapaau, near Kamehameha's birthplace on the Big Island of Hawaii where it stands today.
courtesy of the Records of the Architect of the Capitol, U.S. Government
A third version of the statue was placed in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. in 1969 where it can be seen today. It retains the original design of Thomas Gould.
Photo by John Fischer
Finally, another 14-foot bronze and gold statue was originally supposed to reside in Kauai. It was donated by the Princeville Corporation. Native Hawaiians were not pleased with this location. Kauai was never conquered, but was peacefully turned over to Kamehameha. The statue was offered to Hilo. The statue of the greatest king in Hawaii’s history came to Hilo with the help of many individuals and organizations raising funds for the construction of the pedestal. The dedication ceremony represented many of these local groups through ancient ritual, hula, prayer, and offerings. This fourth statue was dedicated on June 10, 1997.
Mau ke aloha, no Hawai`i.
