ʻAhuʻula St.

In the ahupuaʻa of Kalihi, which lies in the moku of Kona here on the island of Oʻahu, stands a residential street that is named after a garment worn by a king.

We are speaking of ʻAhuʻula St.

In Hawaiʻi, birds, and in turn their feathers, were held to a high esteem as they are the ones that fly closest to the heavens.

Items that were fashioned with feathers became symbols of the aliʻi, including helmets, standards, lei, and capes.

Literally translating as “royal cloak,” ʻahuʻula are cloaks and capes that were reflective of the rank and status of that who wore it.

As a traditional color of royalty across Polynesia, red was dominate in featherwork.

Yellow was used as well but more valuable due to its scarcity.

Arguably the most famous ʻahuʻula is an all-yellow cloak made with approximately 450,000 yellow feathers from a bird found only on Hawaiʻi Island.

That ʻahuʻula belonged to King Kamehameha I, the gentleman who founded the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1810.

There are 4 statues depicting the King wearing his famous cloak.

One stands here in Honolulu, one in Hilo, the original statue is in Kohala, and the last one is at the US Capitol in Washington DC.

King Kamehameha I is a testament of a prophecy that came to fruition.

Before he was born, it was said he would be the one who will conquer.

Throughout his childhood, training and practice for the battlefield was routine.

As he grew older, Kamehameha became unstoppable.

Following his victory over his home island of Hawaiʻi, Kamehameha began his conquest to defeat the ruling chiefs of the other islands.

With the help of haole or "foreign" allies and advisors, he defeated most of the islands through battle.

Kauaʻi and Niʻihau were the final islands he was victorious over but the only ones that were done so through diplomacy.

Did you know? Now you do!