Ke Kānāwai Māmalahoe

The Law of the Splintered Paddle

 

As a young warrior chief, Kamehameha the Great came upon commoners fishing along the shoreline. He attacked the fishermen, but during the struggle caught his foot in a lava crevice. One of the fleeing fishermen turned and broke a canoe paddle over the young chief’s head. The fisherman’s act reminded Kamehameha that human life was precious and deserved respect, and that it is wrong for the powerful to mistreat those who may be weaker. 

Years later when Kamehameha became ruler of Hawai‘i, he declared one of his first laws, Ke Kānāwai Māmalahoe (the Law of the Splintered Paddle), which guaranteed the safety of the highways to all. This royal edict was law over the entire Hawaiian kingdom during the reign of Kamehameha the Great. Considered one of the most important kānāwai (royal edict), the law gave the Hawaiian people an era of freedom from violent assault.

Artwork by Sanford Mock and original concept by Ruby Hamili ‘82 and Michael Moore ‘82