King Kamehameha the Great of Hawaii - A Short Biography (Pt. 2)

King Kamehameha is perhaps the best known and most revered figure in Hawaiian history. This is the second part of my short biography on this revered Hawaiian monarch. The first part of my short steemit biography on Kamehameha is here.

Statue of King Kamehameha the Great. (Source: Flickr)

The Death of Captain James Cook

Captain Cook's HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery (Source: expeterra.com)

Kamehameha actually accompanied his uncle King Kalani'opu'u aboard the HMS Discovery, and was also present at the skirmish in which Cook was killed.

Kamehameha is said to have conducted himself valor during this battle, and for his part in achieved a good amount of notoriety.

A Hawaiian Power Struggle and Civil War

Very soon after Cook's death, an elderly Kalani'opu'u called together his retainers to divide his domain. He passed political power to his son, Kiwala'o while entrusting his nephew Kamehameha with the protectorate of the war god Kuk'ilimoku (Ku).

This decision by the king to essentially divide power between his son and nephew set the stage for a power struggle and civil war. While Kiwalo'o was senior in rank, Kamehameha began to challenge his authority.

When Kalani'opu'u died in 1782, it is unclear whether he had divided the lands between Kiwala'o and and Kamehameha or if the division occurred after his death as a result of hasty alliances. Kiwalo'o was set to receive the districts of Ka'u Puna and Hilo while Kamehameha was to inherit the districts of Hamakua, Kona and Kohala.

Pololu Valley in the North Kohala District of Hawaii (Source: Flickr)

Regardless, it appeared that Kamehameha and his allies believed that they had not received their fair share and thus, the battle for power and lands began.

The next four years saw numerous battles between Kamehameha and Kiwalo'o and an eventual stalemate with neither able to gain a decisive advantage.

Kamehemeha would eventually take Kiwala'o's daughter captive and make her one of his wives. He also took the child Ka'ahumanu (who would later become a famous queen) and betrothed her to himself.

Eventually Kiwala'o was killed, but the land remained divided.

Kamehameha invades Maui

Meanwhile the King of Maui, Kahekili had become the most powerful in the islands. He ruled over the islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Lanai and also controlling Kauai and Niihau.

In 1790, Kamehameha invaded Maui aided by two British advisors Isaac Davis and John Young. The timing was opportune as Kahekili was on the island of Oahu trying to a stem a revolt there. Utilizing cannon salvaged from a western ship, Kamehameha's warriors routed the Maui army at the Battle of Kepaniwai, killing so many that their bodies were said to have dammed up the stream and have made the water run red.

Commemorative Table at the site of the Battle of Kepaniwai. (Source: AlohaValley.com)

Keoua Takes Advantage of Kamehameha's Absence

Kamehameha could not savor his victory as back on Hawaii island one of his enemies was taking advantage of his absence. While he was on Maui with his warriors, his cousin Keoua pillaged and destroyed some of Kamehameha's villages. Kamehameha would return and fight two fierce battles with Keoua, after which Kamehameha's group would retreat to the western side of the island while Keoua and his army moved south. An interesting historical (and geological) episode occurred at this time when a portion of Keoua's army was lost to a volcanic steam blast.

This civil war which ended in 1790 was the last to be fought with traditional weapons. In future battles, Kamehameha adopted Western weapons, a factor that greatly contributed to his coming success....

---

Follow me for more on the life and times of Kamehameha. Next week, I will conclude my short biography of Kamehameha with the story of how Kamehameha would unite the Hawaiian islands and establish the Hawaiian monarchy. Mahalo for reading and if you enoyed this, please upvote, comment and share!