Battle of Mokuohai

The Battle of Mokuōhai, fought in 1782 on the island of Hawaii, was a key battle in the early days of Kamehameha I's wars to conquer the Hawaiian Islands. It was his first major victory, solidifying his leadership over much of the island.

Background
After King Kalaniopuu died in the summer of 1781, his family took his remains to the royal mausoleum known as Hale o Keawe at the important religious temple Puuhonua o Hōnaunau. While Kalaniopuu's son Kiwalao had inherited the kingdom, his nephew Kamehameha was given a prominent religious position, as well as the district of Waipio valley. When a group of chiefs from the Kona district, including his brothers and uncles, Keawe-a-Heulu, twins Kamanawa and Kameeiamoku, and Keeaumoku Pāpaiaheahe, offered to back Kamehameha instead of Kiwalao, he accepted eagerly, traveling back from his residence in Kohala.

Kiwalao's half-brother Keōua Kuahuula had been left with no territory from his late father. He went into a rage, cutting down sacred coconut trees (considered a great insult) and killing some of Kamehameha's men. Their bodies were offered as a sacrifice to Kiwalao, who accepted them, and Kamehameha felt he had to respond to the challenge to his honor.

The battle
The battleground was just to the south of Kealakekua Bay, near the present-day community called Keei. Coordinates are 19.45528°N, -155.92278°W, on the bay now called Mokuakae (which could be a misspelling of Mokuōhai), South of Palemano point. The name means "grove of ōhai trees". The tree, Sesbania tomentosa, is now endangered, and no longer grows in the area, so the site is only known from oral history.

As tensions were building, women and children from both sides flooded into the "place of refuge", Puuhonua o Hōnaunau. Kameeiamoku was the first leader injured, but when Kiwalao approached, Kamanawa came to his aid. Then Kiwalao was knocked down by a sling stone, and the injured Kameeiamoku was able to slit his throat with a shark-tooth dagger. It was during this battle that the renowned red feather cloak of Kiwalao (now in the Bishop Museum) was captured by Kamehameha the Great.

Aftermath
Keawemauhili (uncle of Kiwalao) was captured but escaped to Hilo, and Keōua Kuahuula fled to Kaū where he had relatives. After the battle, Kamehameha controlled the Northern and Western parts of the Big Island, including Kona, Kohala, and Hamakua while Keawemauhili controlled Hilo and Kiwalao's half-brother Keōua Kuahuula controlled Kaū. Kamehameha fought several more battles over many years to consolidate his control. In 1790, Keōua's party was to have their footprints frozen into volcanic ash, and in 1791 Kamehameha's forces finally killed Keōua at Puukoholā Heiau.