Order of Kamehameha

Royal Order Seal

Royal Order of Kamehameha I
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I (Royal Order) was established by royal proclamation by King Kamehameha V on April 11, 1865 in memory of his grandfather Kamehameha. Consisting of descendents of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii and leaders of the Hawaiian community, the mission of the Royal Order was to honor the memory of Kamehameha, support the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, and uplift the Hawaiian people. Seven years later, King Kamehameha V established Kamehameha Day as a national holiday to remember and honor his grandfather Kamehameha, the first observance being June 11, 1872.

After the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani and the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1893, the Royal Order was declared a threat to national security and suppressed by the new government. As a result, the Royal Order was forced to exist as an underground society. During this dark period Kamehameha Day continued to be recognized as a holiday, but the celebratory aspect (understandably) fell to the wayside.

After Hawaiʻi became a territory of the United States in 1898, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, the last surviving heir to the kingdom of Hawaiʻi, restored the Royal Order (by public proclamation) in 1903. The mission, to perpetuate the memory of Kamehameha and uplift the Hawaiian people. The Royal Order subsequently reestablished the celebration of Kamehameha Day on June 11, 1904. The Kamehameha Day celebrations were conducted exclusively by the Royal Order from 1904 until 1912. Since 1912 island chapters of the Royal Order collaborate with private business, community organizations, and county and state governments to present Kamehameha Day celebrations to respective island communities.

Current chapters of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I include:

  • Moku O Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, Oahu
  • Moku O Māmala Hoa, Hilo, Moku O Keawe
  • Moku O Kaumualiʻi, Lihuʻe, Kauaʻi
  • Moku O Kahekili, Wailuku, Maui
  • Moku O Kūhiō, Kaneʻohe, Oʻahu
  • Moku O Kalanianaʻole, Molokaʻi
  • Moku O Kona, Kona, Moku O Keawe
  • Moku O Kapuaiwa, Leeward Oʻahu

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