Kamehameha Statue
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Ali'iolani Hale is today the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court and the statue of Kamehameha the Great. |
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The original Kamehameha statue, at Kapaʻau, North Kohala. |
The
Kamehameha Statue stands prominently in front of
Aliʻiolani Hale in
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Commissioned by
King David Kalākaua it is a memorial to
Kamehameha the Great, the founder of the
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi who united the
Hawaiian Islands in
1810. It is a replica of the original statue, which now stands at the legendary king's birthplace in
Kohala on the
Big Island of Hawaiʻi. That particular statue was lost in a shipwreck off the coast of
South America. It was eventually salvaged and returned to Hawaiʻi in
1912. A third statue was commissioned when Hawaiʻi attained statehood and was unveiled in
1969. It now stands in the
United States Capitol alongside the
Father Damien Statue and is the heaviest statue, weighing 15, 000 pounds. Another replica of the Kohala statue now resides on the Big Island. It was recently placed near downtown Hilo at the north end of the Wailoa State Recreation area, where it enjoys a king's view of Hilo Bay.
The Kamehameha Statue does not conform to the likeness of the actual king. Kalākaua scouted various male models to find a physique befitting that of an almighty conqueror of nations. Kalākaua wanted his tribute to signify to the greatest extent of Kamehameha the Great's heroism. American artist Thomas R. Gould sculpted the statue in his studio in
Rome, Italy. In
1880, the initial sculpture was sent to
Paris, France to be cast in
bronze. After losing the first statue in a shipwreck, Gould rushed to complete a second which was unveiled by Kalākaua in
1883.
Every year on the
June 11 Kamehameha Day holiday, all four statues are ceremoniously draped in fresh leis fashioned in Hawaiʻi. The event is celebrated in the United States Capitol with traditional hula performances.
