Did you know Kamehameha’s statue was once lost at sea?

Every June, Hawaiʻi honors Kamehameha I with celebrations dating back to 1871. Across the pae ʻāina, communities gather for parades, hoʻokupu and cultural demonstrations that pay tribute to the aliʻi who united the Hawaiian Islands.

One of the most iconic traditions is the draping of the Kamehameha statue in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale in Honolulu with beautiful strands of lei. What many people don’t realize is that there are actually four statues of the king and that story begins with a shipwreck.

The first statue was commissioned in 1878 and cast in bronze in Paris. While being shipped to Hawaiʻi in 1883, it was believed lost when the vessel carrying it wrecked near the Falkland Islands. A replacement was quickly ordered but an unexpected discovery followed: the original statue had survived.

It was recovered and eventually brought to Hawaiʻi, giving the kingdom two statues instead of just one.

Today, the original stands near Kamehameha Paiʻea’s birthplace in Kohala, while the replacement is the one fronting Aliʻiōlani Hale. Two additional replicas were later installed in Washington, D.C., and Hilo.

More than a century later, all four statues serve as reminders of Kamehameha’s enduring legacy, from forging a shared identity as Hawaiians to building a nation that would stand among the world’s sovereign kingdoms. That vision would be carried forward by generations of aliʻi, including his great-granddaughter, Ke Aliʻi Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Her gift to future generations of ʻŌiwi leaders lives on through Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha today.

To learn more about Kamehameha I: https://waihona.net/#/collections/Z6GWUrNQk6IT0yXXiIQP

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