Introduction

It is worth noting that the kingdom of Hawaii had been an independent chiefdom for long. The independent chiefdoms included; O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Kaua’i and Ni’ihau until the great unification spearheaded by King Kamehameha I or “Kamehameha the Great”. Before this unification in 1810, the Hawaii had its culture and political systems that existed for over 2000 years.  Kamehameha’s unification of Hawaii remains a significant historical aspect since it brought about unity among the Hawaiians and hence protecting their interests. This paper will have an in-depth analysis of the unification process and how the House of Kamehameha, who ruled from 1810-1872, adopted foreign technologies and concepts.

Discussion

As aforementioned, King Kamehameha remains one of the striking figures in the Hawaiian history. He is greatly recognized for his role in creating the modern Hawaii through forming an empire from a chain of scattered islands ruled by petty kings and chiefs into a great kingship. Before his death, the king was able to unite Maui, O’ahu, Kauaʻi, Niʻihau, Moloka’i, Lana’i, and Kaho’olawe islands under one leadership. It is, however, imperative to note that this was realized after a series of dreadful battles under the guidance of King Kamehameha. King Kamehameha was brought up by his uncle and was introduced to war at an early age.  He was well trained in the javelin, war club, dagger, short and long spears as well as hand-to-hand combat and this played a significant role in the unification process (Hopkins & Lewis, 2009). Just like other young men of his age, the young Kamehameha was involved in various fights on request of his ali’i nui chief. This culminated in the killing of James Crook and set the pace for subsequent battles.  The young man noticed the importance of technology and unity in wars and hence this would be paramount in uniting Hawaii.

The journey to unification began after the death of King Kalani’opu’u in April 1782 and at this time, he claimed to be the king of Hawaii against that of Kīwalaʻō.  He fought and defeated both chief Kiwalaʻo and chief Keōua after they resisted his desire of conquering the big islands. This was followed by successive wars against the neighboring districts of Hilo and Kaʻū. The chief registered resounding victories in some battles with an exception of a few (Tate & Tregaskis, 1974).  The most notable battle under chief Kamehameha was against King Kahekili II, who had a big control over most of the islands of Hawaii including the Big Island.

However, as years progressed, the Kamehameha’s men utilized modern weaponry and technology that helped them conquer their enemies. The army also used weaponry purchased from American and European traders.  For instance, the men used muskets sporadically and also made substantial use of cannons on their war canoes for sea battles. The use of foreign concepts by the army was evident as they received training from Britain sailors John Young and Isaac Davis. The involvement of these British sailors brought about western tactics and technology that was essential to winning these battles. It is prudent to note that the contribution of these two sailors to the army was instrumental, but Hawaiian ways of warfare remained critical to winning the unification war aimed at unifying the Hawaiian Islands.

The unification process culminated in the great battle known as Nuʻuanu or the Battle of Nuʻuanu Pali. This was considered as the most decisive moment and possibly the deadliest and fiercest battle in Kamehameha’s campaign to conquer all of Hawaii (Hopkins & Lewis, 2009). The victories in this battle lead to King Kamehameha being referred to as the “master of Hawaii” as by now he had control of all the islands of Hawaii with the exception of Kaua’i and its sister islands. However, chief Kaumualii relinquished these islands to the king of Hawaii in 1810, and this marked the beginning of a unified state after a series of battles. Kaumualii’s decision to peacefully surrender the islands was to ensure that there was no further bloodshed after hundreds of Oahu’s warriors were killed.

Conclusion

Kamehameha’s unification of Hawaii remains an important aspect to the Hawaiians since under separate rule the islands may have been torn apart by competing for Western interests. Besides promoting the unity of purpose, the unification process brought about the introduction of significant foreign technologies and concepts. After the unification, King Kamehameha enjoyed a peaceful reign that adopted foreign legal systems and used taxes that promoted trade with American and Europe.  These foreign concepts were advanced by King Kamehameha II and King Kamehameha III who took the leadership after the death of Kamehameha I (King & Penman, 2009).  For instance, the Kamehameha’s introduced foreign forms of governance with recognized institutions.  They also promoted the development of a country with industry and commerce. It is prudent to note that Kamehameha’s initiated the concept of sovereignty that never existed before unification. 

 References

Hopkins, D., & Lewis, M. (2009). Another world is possible. London: Equinox Pub.

King, N., & Penman, D. (2009). A Step Toward Unification. Science, 325(5945), 1205-1206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.325_1205

Tate, M., & Tregaskis, R. (1974). The Warrior King: Hawaii’s Kamehameha the Great. The American Historical Review, 79(5), 1627. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1851908

 
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