King Kamehameha Statue, Hilo

This is one of the four statues of King Kamehameha the First, the chief who unified the Hawaiian Islands by eighteen ten. The fourteen foot bronze, sculpted by the Italian artist Romeo Sandrin and cast near Vicenza, has a curious history of rejection and welcome.

When the statue was slated for the island of Kauai, many residents objected. Unlike the other islands, Kauai was never conquered in battle. Its own king, Kaumualii, had chosen a peaceful surrender in eighteen ten to spare his people from bloodshed, so honoring the conqueror sat uneasily there. Rather than display it, its owner donated the statue to the Big Island through the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, whose East Hawaii chapter gladly accepted. It was dedicated here in the Wailoa River park fronting Hilo Bay in June, nineteen ninety-seven, just in time for the Kamehameha Day celebration.