07/29/2026
In 2001, the King Kamehameha I statue in Kohala, Hawaiʻi underwent professional restoration led by conservator Glenn Wharton. Since the early 20th century, the statue had been painted by local residents to protect it against deterioration and appear more human. During the restoration, there was a question of whether or not to restore the statue to its original brass and gold finish or continue the tradition of the painted statue. The community voted to continue painting the statue and each color was carefully chosen by a committee of local community leaders. The color red was matched with an ʻiʻiwi feather, yellow with a mamo feather, and the color of the skin was matched with a descendant of Kamehameha.
Video Description: Kūpuna Marie Solomon and Kealoha Sugiyama, former caretaker of the Kamehameha statue, compare ʻiʻiwi and mamo feathers with color samples to select a shade of red and yellow.
Collection: Mary Tuti Baker
Subcollection: King Kamehameha I: A Legacy Renewed production materials
Conservator Glenn Wharton and high school student, Daniel Otake, compare brown color samples with the skin of Nalani Cabrera, a descendant of Kamehameha, who was also assisting the conservation team with the statue restoration.
High school student, Daniel Otake, painting the Kamehameha statue.
Post curated by Roselani Summer Intern, Macilee MacKenzie.
