Keepers of the Flame
Authorized by the 35th Article of the 1864 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i (08/12/1864), and endorsed by the Privy Council of State, King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa) established the Order of Kamehameha I (Order) by Royal Decree on April 11, 1865 at the ‘Iolani Palace (original coral structure). The Royal Decree established the Order’s purpose and authorized the Order to carry out its kuleana, in perpetuity, as an institution of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i.
Under the Royal Decree, the purpose of the Order is “To cultivate and develop among Our People the feelings of Honour and Loyalty to Our Kingdom, and it’s institutions. To confer honourary distinctions upon such of Our People and foreigners as have rendered or may hereafter render to Our Kingdom and People important services.”
Following the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani and the Kingdom in 1893, the Order was considered a threat and suppressed by the Provisional Government and subsequent Republic of Hawai‘i. As a result, the Order was forced to exist as a secret underground society. After Hawai‘i became a territory of the United States in 1898, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole, lead a torchlight ceremony around the statue of Kamehameha (‘Oahu) and publicly declared the restoration (return to public light) of the Order in 1902 (05/13/1902). As the last surviving designated heir to the throne, had it not been for the overthrow, Prince Kūhiō would have succeeded Queen Lili‘uokalani as King of Hawai‘i and Grand Master of the Order. As such, Prince Kūhiō not only possessed the mana (authority and power) to restore the Order, but to reorganize and perpetuate the Order as it exists today.
Today, the Order proclaims the continued existence of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and awaits the restoration of its governing body. In the interim, the Order promotes sustaining the laws of the land to prevent anarchy and asserts its continuing kuleana to support the Kingdom and uplift the Lāhui.
There are currently ten chapters of the Order.
| Chapter: | Established: | Moku/Island: |
|---|---|---|
| Hawai‘i | Established May 13, 1902 | ‘Ewa, O‘ahu |
| Māmalahoa | Established July 03, 1907 | Hilo, Hamakua, and Ka‘ū; Moku o Keawe |
| Kaumuali‘i | Established December 05, 1918 | Kaua‘i |
| Kahekili | Established December 09, 1922 | Maui |
| Kalaniana‘ole | Established 1928 | Moloka‘i (currently inactive) |
| Kūhiō | Established 1962 | Ko‘olaupoko, O‘ahu |
| Ahu‘ena | Established 1994 | Kona, Moku o Keawe |
| Kapuāiwa | Established April 11, 2007 | Wai‘anae, O‘ahu |
| Kohala | Established 2011 | Kohala, Moku o Keawe |
| ‘Umi a Līloa | Established 2017 | Puna, Moku o Keawe |