Kamehameha Leadership

Before Kamehameha was even born, he was feared by some of the great chiefs due to a disturbing prophecy and signs in nature. So when he was born, the alapa’i nui tried to kill him but, failed to do so and Kamehameha escaped to different lands. There he was raised until five years of age when Kalani’opu’u (Kamehameha’s uncle and the current alapa’i nui) invited him back. After that he was educated and trained and warfare by the great warrior Kekuhaupi’o. Kamehameha moved up in the ranks, became stronger and smarter, and when Kalani’op’u passed away, he appointed Kamehameha the keeper of the war god Kukailimoku or Ku. As the years wore on, he defeated chief after chief eventually conquering and uniting all eight islands. In this process he made many connections with foreign explorers and set up an organized trading system. Kamehameha had a strong military and was self motivated.

One reason why Kamehameha was an effective leader is because he had a strong military. He set up trades with foreigners granting him advisors, weapons, iron and steel which were rare resources to the Hawaiians. The foreign guns that he traded were more powerful than the traditional Hawaiian weapons giving an edge in simply brute force. His foreign advisors taught him complex, but efficient battle strategies that worked better than just rushing at

He demonstrated this quality, throughout the entire unification process. Nobody ever told Kamehameha to unify islands. He did that through his own mind. He kept this trait even after the unification, as he ruled with an iron fist. If he wanted something to happen, it happened. For example, how placed a kapu on young Sandalwood trees, which happened immediately. What made Kamehameha different from other self motivated people, is that he also let other high ranking people speak out and make decisions. So he was also not just self centered, which was a good