The path to greatness wasn’t just war and politics for Kamehameha. There were moments of inspiration and deep reflection to the meaning of life. Not only did others expect Kamehameha to reach high heights, but he most likely expected it of himself as the ruler of his nation.

One of Kamehameha’s greatest achievements was establishing the Law of the Splintered Paddle. It’s an interesting name for a piece of legislation, but the story behind it and the lesson Kamehameha learned from a literal splintered paddle taught him humility and the preciousness of life for all.

There are many versions of how the Law of the Splintered Paddle came to be, but a popular reiteration begins with a young and bitterly disappointed Kamehameha returning home from a recent loss in Hilo. Driven by revenge and anger, he decided to target a small village on the Puna coast made up of simple fishermen and their families. Unfortunately, this was a common practice in ancient Hawaiian times, where chiefs and Hawaiian royalty could easily abuse their power over the common people.

Eager to release his frustration, Kamehameha charged ashore by himself with the intent to kill; however, his foot suddenly became stuck in the twisted lava rock. Immobilized and without his men to protect him, he became a sitting duck and was at the mercy of two fishermen.

How infuriated Kamehameha must have been! To have been told all your life that you would be a great king of Hawaii only to meet your end not as a fearsome warrior, but because of a misstep and brought down by a fisherman.

However, the two fishermen only feared for their lives and families. Instead of taking the opportunity to kill Kamehameha, one fisherman hit him over the head with a paddle so hard, it splintered and knocked him unconscious. By the time he came to, the fishermen and their families had escaped and Kamehameha called off his warriors from pursuing them.

What Kamehameha had learned that day was that the power the Hawaiian chiefs had over the common people was unfair and disrespectful to life. He, with the great backing of the War God Ku, a royal lineage, and a prophecy that proclaimed he would be a great king, was spared by these commoners who could have easily killed him to save themselves. Truthfully, he would have not done the same for them.

Many years later, after Kamehameha had united the islands, the two fishermen were tracked down and brought to him. Instead of punishment, he granted them the gift of land and apologized, and admitted that he had been wrong for attacking them. He established the Law of the Splintered Paddle, which eventually became his most famous edict.

The Law of the Splintered Paddle reads:

“O my people,

Honor thy gods;

Respect alike (the rights of)

Men great and humble;

See to it that our aged,

Our women, and our children

Lie down to sleep by the roadside

Without fear or harm.

Disobey, and die.”

Kānāwai Māmalahoe

E nā kānaka,

E mālama ʻoukou i ke akua

A e mālama hoʻi i kānaka nui

a me kānaka iki;

E hele ka ʻelemakule,

ka luahine, a me ke kama

A moe i ke ala

ʻaʻohe mea nāna e hoʻopilikia.

Hewa nō, make.

Source: University of Hawaii

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