Kamehameha Statue
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The Kamehameha Statue stands prominently in front of Ali‘iolani Hale in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Commissioned by King David Kalākaua it is a memorial to Kamehameha the Great, the founder of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. It is a replica of an original statue that now stands at the legendary king's birthplace in Kohala on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. That particular statue was lost in a shipwreck off the coast of South America. It was eventually salvaged and returned to Hawai‘i in 1912. A third statue was commissioned when Hawai‘i attained statehood and was unveiled in 1969. It now stands in the United States Capitol alongside the Father Damien Statue and is one of the heaviest of the statues there. Another replica of the Kohala statue now resides on the Big Island. It was recently placed near downtown Hilo at the north end of the Wailoa State Recreation area, where it enjoys a king's view of Hilo Bay.
Thomas R. Gould
The Kamehameha Statue does not conform to the likeness of the actual king. Kalākaua scouted various male models to find a physique befitting that of an almighty conqueror of nations. Kalākaua wanted his tribute to signify to the greatest extent of Kamehameha the Great's heroism. American artist Thomas R. Gould sculpted the statue in his studio in Rome, Italy. In 1880, the initial sculpture was sent to Paris, France to be cast in bronze. After losing the first statue in a shipwreck, Gould rushed to complete a second which was unveiled by Kalākaua in 1883.
Kamehameha Day
Every year on the June 11 Kamehameha Day holiday, all four statues are ceremoniously draped in fresh leis fashioned in Hawai‘i. The event is celebrated in the United States Capitol with traditional hula performances.