Royal Order Elevates Kawānanakoa, Waihe‘e, Knights
ROYAL ORDER OF KAMEHAMEHA I TO COMMEMORATE FOUNDER’S BIRTHDAY
BY ELEVATING TWO PROMINENT HAWAIIANS TO KNIGHTHOOD
WHO
Participants will include:
- Royal Order of Kamehameha I
- By Command of Ali’i Nui Sir William F. Roback, Jr.
- Ali‘i ‘Aimoku Sir Arthur Aiu, presiding
- Members of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I and the other Hawai‘i Royal Societies
WHAT
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I will elevate two long-time members in grand ceremonies
- Ali‘i Sir John Waihe‘e III will be elevated from Ali‘i 6th Degree to Ali‘i 7th Degree, Knight
- Ali‘i Sir Quentin Kawānanakoa will be elevated from Ali‘i 7th Degree, to Ali‘i 8th Degree, Knight
WHEN
Sunday, December 9, 2012, 12:00 p.m.
WHERE
Mauna‘ala Royal Mausoleum, Nu‘uanu Avenue
WHY
To honor our founder, King Kamehameha V.
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I was founded in 1865 by King Kamehameha V, Lot Kapuāiwa in honor of his grandfather, King Kamehameha I, Pai‘ea. The Order flourished for many decades until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, at which time the Order, deemed a threat to the new provisional government, went underground.
On Kamehameha Day in 1902, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole brought the Royal Order of Kamehameha I out of hiding by holding his famous Torchlight Ceremony in full Royal Order regalia at the Kamehameha I statue fronting the courthouse in downtown Honolulu. The Royal Order has repeated this Torchlight Ceremony, annually, to commemorate the birthday of Kamehameha I.
The Order also commemorates, annually, the birthday of founder Kamehameha V, who was born on December 11, 1830. It is with this commemoration in mind that the Royal Order, a normally-secretive benevolent society, is holding these rare public elevations.
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For more information on the Royal Order of Kamehameha I and these ceremonies, contact:
Lani Ali‘i Sir William Souza, K.G.C.K.
Protocol Officer
(808) 282-3943 | bill.souza@hawaii.rr.com
Other media inquiries, please contact:
Mamo Hawai‘i Blaine Fergerstrom
Kū‘auhau, Moku ‘o Hawai’i, Helu ‘Ekahi
(808) 497-9463 | kuauhau1@gmail.com