King Kamehameha

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it was handed down generation to generation to give good luck to its owner.

“When blown, it was a call to the gods for help. If the owner of the shell were

at sea without food, the sounding of the conch shell would bring many fish; if

water were needed, it would bring rain” (Rayson 2). With the shell, Kamehameha

hoped it would bring him success. A little rivalry developed between the two

chiefs, Kiwala’ō and Kamehameha, but one event happened and it upset Kiwala’ō.

“A rebel chief was captured and brought to a heiau (ancient temple) in the Ka’u

district to be sacrificed to the war god. He was [either] clubbed or stabbed to

death, and his body was laid upon the altar. Kiwala’ō, representing the king,

was supposed to offer the sacrifice, but suddenly Kamehameha stepped forward

and offered the sacrifice himself” (Potter 1). Kalani’ōpu’u told him to leave

and he left, taking a group of supporters and the war god. In the early 1782

Kalani’ōpu’u died, Kamehameha received an unusual inheritance. His uncle left

him the island’s between Kamehameha and Kiwala’ō, while giving his own son

Kiwala’ō control over the island and Kamehameha the island. “Under the law, the

new ruler of the district could divide some of the land he inherited if he

thought the lesser chiefs had earned it” (Rayson 2). Five of the chiefs felt

like they did not get their part of the share from the inheritance. “They

banded together, chose Kamehameha as their leader, and asked him to get the

land for the” (Rayson 2). It did not take long before Kiwala’ō and Kamehameha

started battling to see who would take the lands. Before Kamehameha could get

the land for the other chiefs, Kiwala’ō was killed in a war over which of the

two were more important.

One day on the

Puna coast near Hilo, Kamehameha was extremely upset from a defeat in battle,

he tried to take the Hilo area away from another ali’i (chief) and had failed.

His pride wounded set out in his canoe with his men to get even. “Steering for

the Puna coast, he ran in upon the reef at a place called Papai in Keau”

(Potter 2). His target was a peaceful village on the coast where there was

hardened lava near the water’s edge. Kamehameha spotted “a number of fishermen

with their wives and children were out fishing on the reef, and, as they were

about returning ashore, Kamehameha rushed upon them with the object of slaying

or capturing as many as he could,” (Potter 2) while his men waited in the

canoe. A lot of the people ran away scared with their lives, while the chief

closed in on two fishermen. Waving his spear, “during the scuffle Kamehameha’s

foot slipped into a crevice of the coral reef” (Potter 2). Seeing a chance to

protect them, one of the “fishermen took his canoe paddle and tried to kill

him. The paddle splintered and fell in pieces,” (Rayson 2) and knocked

Kamehameha unconscious. The fishermen had taken off before finishing the fight.

The ali’i (chief) was rescued by his own men, Kamehameha said no as the men

asked to take down the fishermen. Kamehameha survived the hit on the head and

the humiliation, but he also learned that he was lucky to be alive. Two maka’āinanas

(commoners) had spared him, not knowing that their attacker was the supreme

chief Kamehameha, yet they spared him. He also learned that he was wrong to

misuse his power by attacking innocent people, even maka’āinana (commoners). A

wise ruler learns from his experiences, even at the hands of common fishermen.

Kamehameha was destined to be a great ruler, and that one act of mercy by a man

with a paddle helped him become such a leader for the Hawaiian Islands. He

understood that as a chief, he had great power. If he wanted peace in his aupuni

(nation), he had to listen and protect within it. After he achieved a unified

island nation, Kamehameha the Great had the chance to tell the fishermen he was

sorry. “When the fishermen were brought to Kamehameha for punishment, he

forgave the man and declared a new law, “The Law of the Splintered Paddle.” It

said that, from that time on, the aged men, women, and children might walk the

roads in peace, free from danger” (Rayson 2). He had pledge from that

moment on that his people must move freely everywhere that was under his

control. People of the island should feel safe on the roads like they would

with their ‘ohanas (families). Those who attacked, murdered, or robbed his

people should be put to death. During that time of King Kamehameha the Great,

everyone paid close attention to their people’s safety. Far and wide everyone

must know when they misuse their powers wrong.

“On May 8, 1819, in the glow of fame, glory and great achievement, Kamehameha died in his grass palace beside the sea at Kailua, Kona,