Kamehameha I’s right hand is outstretched, pointing to the sea. His left hand is chest-high, fingers curling around — air, at least for the past 3 1/2 months.
The tip of the bronze spear once attached to the iconic statue in Wailoa River State Recreation Area was broken off and stolen during Labor Day weekend. It was later found discarded in nearby overgrowth, but needed significant repairs in order to be returned to its proper place.
The ‘ihe is now back after a Saturday ceremony organized by the Kamehameha Schools East Hawaii Alumni Association, which maintains the statue and first brought it to Hilo from Kauai in 1997. The ceremony coincided with the school’s Founders Day celebration commemorating the Dec. 19 birthday of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Kamehameha’s great-granddaughter.
More than 30 Kamehameha Schools alumni and members of the Royal Order of Kamehameha, along with a handful of curious passers-by, turned out for the event in spite of the intermittent rain.
Kumu Moses Kahookele Crabbe urged those gathered to look forward “to what we can do for the next generation of ohana,” and to forgive the man who took the ‘ihe.
“I leave it at that, because I’m sure Pauahi would do the same thing, too,” Crabbe said.
William Roy Carroll III, a 31-year-old homeless man, was charged in September with second-degree theft, third-degree theft and second-degree criminal property damage. He pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this month, Carroll was found fit to stand trial after being examined by three mental health professionals. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 25.
“We pray that this will never happen again,” Crabbe told the group. “Malama the things that belong to you, that is your kuleana.”
Robert Yamada II, treasurer of the alumni association, told the Tribune-Herald the spear took three weeks to repair. Work was done by Wes Hammond.
“It broke right on the screw,” Yamada said, explaining that the spear was made of two segments so it could be shipped. “He put the screw (back), but with pins on either side to make it one piece.”
The spear weighs about 100 pounds. A Hawaii Fire Department ladder truck arrived to help with the final installation.
On the grass at the statue’s base, Kimo Pihana, Aka Hoke, George Torres and Kimo Laau stood around the tall spear, supporting its weight. Two Fire Department members picked their way up the ladder, which bounced a little as the men moved closer to the end.
The group on the ground lifted the ‘ihe, passing it upward to the fire crew.
Pihana and Hoke steadied the spear in its place near Kamehameha’s feet, so that it leaned once more into his curled fingers. High above, the crew placed a maile lei in Kamehameha’s right hand.
It all looked choreographed, as if the group had rehearsed the motions before the final ceremony.
“No, this is the first time,” Laau, a member of the Royal Order of Kamehameha, said afterward as Kamehameha School alumni placed hookupu at the statue’s base.
The prayers before served to help unify the group, Laau said, as when heiau were built.
“So that it’s like one mind,” he continued, while Crabbe led the group in a rendition of “Hawai‘i Pono‘i.”
“We’re always glad to come out and support the community,” said airport fire chief Nawai Chartrand, who participated in the ceremony.
“As an alum, it brings satisfaction to everyone’s heart now that it’s whole again,” Yamada said.
He said the alumni association is still raising funds to fix the rock wall, install more lighting at the base of the statue and repair damage to the statue itself.
They also are searching for a curator who will be able to properly clean the statue’s bronze and gold leaf components.
About $8,000 of a $50,000 goal has been raised so far. Macro Com Dish Network donated $5,000 to the effort.
Yamada said the goal is for repairs to be finished by June 10 of next year, the day before Kamehameha Day, when the alumni association holds its traditional lei-draping day.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
