- Time Period: Pre-WW1 Period
- Year of Institution: 1864
- Country: Hawaii
The Order of Kamehameha I is an order of knighthood established by Kamehameha V in 1865 to promote and defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.
After Lot Kapuāiwa took the throne as King Kamehameha V, he established the Order of Kamehameha I by special decree on April 11, 1865. The name is in recognition of his grandfather Kamehameha I, who was the founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the House of Kamehameha. The Order was awarded 57 times by King Kamehameha V, and 82 times by King Kalākaua.
Both native Hawaiians and foreigners could be appointed to the Order. Its purpose ise to promote and defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
The grades of the Order were determined by the number of living members in each of them. At any given time there could only be:
Knight Grand Cross with Collar (CGCOK) – Only for heads of state.- Knight Grand Cross (KGCOK) – 10 individuals.
Knights Commander (KCOK) – 30 individuals.- Knights Companion (KOK) – 50 individuals.
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I Design
The badge/medal is a Maltese cross in gold or silver with white enamel, surmounted by the Hawaiian crown. Rays of gold or silver are placed between the arms of the cross.
A white-enamelled disc imposed upon the cross bears an elaborate golden “K” at its centre; the blue-enamelled band surrounding the disc is inscribed “KAMEHAMEHA I” in golden letters, together with two golden laurel branches. A comparable disc on the reverse of the badge is inscribed “E HOOKANAKA” (“Order of Fraternity”, in Hawaiian).
Members of this grade wore the badge of the Order attached to a golden collar, the decorative links of which alternated the monogram “K”, surrounded by a green-enamelled laurel crown, with the royal crown and a small enamelled badge of the Order. The breast star was identical to that worn by Knights Grands Cross, suspended from a broad red sash edged by a narrow white stripe on each side.
The sash is worn over the bearer’s right shoulder, its bow (from which the badge, sometimes decorated with brilliants, depended) resting on his left hip. The breast star was an octagonal silver star bearing the uncrowned badge of Order in gold and enamels.
Knights Commander wore the badge of the Order dependent from a red neck ribbon, which was edged in white and bore three white stripes. Knights of the Order wore the badge on the left breast, suspended from a ribbon of red and white stripes.
