1. Kamehameha I's father was Keoua Kalanikupuapa'ikalaninui; however, Native Hawaiian historian Samuel Kamakau says that Maui monarch Kahekili II had hanai adopted Kamehameha at birth, as was the custom of the time.
16 Facts About Kamehameha I
1. 2.
Accounts of Kamehameha I's birth vary, but sources place his birth between 1736 and 1761, with historian Ralph Simpson Kuykendall believing it to be between 1748 and 1761.
3.
Kamehameha I wrote, "It was during the time of the warfare among the chiefs of [the island of] Hawaii which followed the death of Keawe, chief over the whole island that Kamehameha I was born".
4.
Kamehameha I accepted the allegiance of a group of chiefs from the Kona district.
5.
When Kamehameha I was able to lift the Naha Stone, he was considered the fulfiller of the prophecy.
6.
Kamehameha I guaranteed Kamehameha unlimited gunpowder from China and gave him the formula for gunpowder: sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal, all of which are abundant in the islands.
7.
Kamehameha I canoed out to the ship with his men, where he killed Metcalfe's son and all but one of the five crewmen.
8.
Kamehameha I took Davis into protection and took possession of the ship.
9.
When Kamehameha I returned, Keoua escaped to the Kilauea volcano, which erupted.
10.
Kamehameha I assigned two divisions of his best warriors to climb to the Pali to attack the cannons from behind; they surprised Kalanikupule's gunners and took control.
11.
At Hilo, Kamehameha I commissioned the building a large fleet of 800 double-hulled war canoes called peleleu along with Western schooners, and he stockpile large number of guns, canons and ammunition.
12.
Kamehameha I used the products collected in taxes to promote trade with Europe and the United States.
13.
In 1782 during a raid, Kamehameha I caught his foot in a rock.
14.
Kamehameha I was stunned and left for dead, allowing the fisherman and his companion to escape.
15.
Young and Davis became advisors to Kamehameha I and provided him with advanced weapons that helped in combat.
16.
Missionaries were not sent from Great Britain because Kamehameha I told Vancouver that the gods he worshiped were his gods with mana, and that through these gods, Kamehameha I had become supreme ruler over all of the islands.