Royal Order of Kamehameha I

Keepers of the Flame

Authorized by the constitution of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kalanikupuapaikalaninui Kalanimakua Ali‘iōlani) established the Royal Order of Kamehameha I (Order) by royal proclamation on April 11, 1865. The royal decree not only established the Order’s mandate to defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and uplift the Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (aboriginal peoples of Hawai‘i), but also empowered and authorized the Order to carry out this kuleana (responsibility).

Following the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani and the Kingdom in 1893, the Order was considered a threat to national security 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 I (Oahu) and publicly declared the restoration (return to public light) of the Order in 1903.

Today, the Order recognizes the continued existence of the Nation of Hawai‘i and asserts its continuing kuleana and authority to support and uplift the Nation and all Kanaka ‘Ōiwi. As such, the Order represents an unbroken link back to the Kingdom of Hawai‘i; it is the oldest Hawaiian organization in existence today; and is the only organization established by a Monarch of Hawai‘i that continues to be viable today.

Chapter name:	Year established:	Location:
Heiau O Hawai‘i	Established 1903	Honolulu, O‘ahu
Heiau O Māmalahoa	Established 1907	Hilo, Moku O Keawe
Heiau O Kaumuali‘i	Established 1918	Lihu‘e, Kaua‘i
Heiau O Kahekili	Established 1922	Wailuku, Maui
Heiau O Kalaniana‘ole	Established 1928	Moloka‘i
Heiau O Kūhiō	Established 1962	Kane‘ohe, O‘ahu
Heiau O Ahuena	Established 1994	Kona, Moku O Keawe
Heiau O Kapuāiwa	Established 2007	Wai‘anae, O‘ahu
Heiau O Kamehameha	Established 2011	Kohala, Moku O Keawe