Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 7, 1 July 2012 — Honoring Hawaiʻi's first king [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Honoring Hawaiʻi's first king

celebrations in June honoring King Kamehameha I, who unified the islands in 1810. The king's dynasty would endure for more than six decades, until the death of Kamehameha V, Lot Kapuāiwa, in 1872. Kamehameha I is remembered both for his prowess in war and for his humanity. His Kānāwai Māmalahoe, or Law of the Splintered Paddle, lives on in the state Constitution, whieh calls the decree "a unique and living symbol of the state's eoneem for public safety."

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AB0VE: During the June 8 lei-draping ceremony fronting Ali'iōlani Hale, OHA C00 Aedward Los Banos, left, led j the agency's presentation of a lush lei haku lā'ī. The presentation was accompanied by the sounds of pū (eoneh ' shell) and oli (chant), and the 80-foot-long lei was folded in half before being placed on the statue - Photo: Joe Kūhiō Lewis ; LEFT: OHA's 80-foot-long lei, handmade by staff; RIGHT: The statue bedecked in long, fragrant lei of greens, yellow, pinks and reds. Lei-draping ceremonies were also held on Hawai'i lsland in Hilo and Kohala, birthplaee of the king, and in Washington, D.C. - Photos: Pwneine Murray

TOP: On the Garden lsland, O'ahu princess Noalani Oba, ai panied by escort Kahea White of Anahola, rode horseback in the June 1 6 Kamehameha Celebration Parade through Līhu'e town. "It was a wonderful experience," says Oba, who works in OHA's Kaua'i office. "On two sides of Rice Street, the whole community of Kaua'i was there." - Courtesy photo; FAR RIGHT: King Kamehameha is represented in 0'ahu's June 9 King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade, whieh passed the downtown statue of the king on its route to Kapi'olani Park. - Photo: Jerry Taniyama ; RIGHT: Before the parade, OHA executives Aedward Los Banos, left, and Kamana'opono Crabbe hold ho'okupu that they would later present at the Kamehameha statue. Both men joined OHA's marching and trolley unit, whieh greeted the crowds with warm shouts of "Aloha I " - Photo: Wendell Tengan