The National Museum of the American Indian is streaming a short film featuring Aletha Kaohi of Waimea, Kaua‘i. Aletha passed in April 2024, but her wonderful native Hawaiian spirit lives on in this high-quality profile filmed in and around Waimea, Kaua‘i.

Aletha invited me to attend the unveiling of the bronze Kaumuali‘i statue at Pā‘ula‘ula (formerly Russian Fort) on the east bank of the Waimea River. I described the opening ceremony in a newsletter post sent to Honolulu and attached a photo of myself with Aletha taken that day.

I attended the unveiling and dedication of Ho‘ola‘a O King Kaumuali‘i, a life-size bronze statue of the last ruler of Kaua‘i.

The event took place at Paula‘ula, the traditional homesite of Kaumuali‘i on the grounds of the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Park in Waimea Kauai on Saturday, March 20, 2021.

Kaumuali‘i rejoiced at the return of his long-lost son Humehume (George Kaumuali‘i) who was returned to Kaua‘i from New England accompanying the Pioneer Company, in spring 1820. The Kaua‘i king provided land and support for a missionary station at Waimea. He enjoyed reading a Bible with his name inscribed on its cover brought to him by the “Samuels,“ pioneer company missionaries Samuel Whitney and Samuel Ruggles.

Chris joined Aletha Kawelukawahinehololio‘olimaloa Goodwin Kaohi, a lifetime resident of Waimea and a direct descendant of Kaumuali‘i. Aletha worked with the Friends of King Kaumuali‘i organization for years to complete the project. The Legislature provided over $200,000 in funding to allow completion of the statue created by Kauai-based sculptor Siam Caglayan. 

Chris has assisted Aletha with writing and photographs for Kaua‘i history and Kalewina (the Native Hawaiian Congregational churches of Hawai‘i) projects over the years.

Professor Peter Mills, head of the Anthropology Department at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, flew in for the event. Peter is the author of Hawaii’s Russian Adventure: A New Look at Old History from the UH Press, a book that provides a definitive account of how Kaumuali‘i and the people of Kaua‘i actually built the fort at Waimea, not a party from the Russian-American Company.

Peter told Chris that accessing the digitized archives of the Hawaiian Mission Houses greatly helped him during the Covid-19 lock down in continuing research and writing of a new Hawai‘i maritime history-focused book.