‘I have chicken skin from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.”

That was Aletha Kaohi’s reaction in 2012 when she first saw the portrait of Kaumuali‘i, the last independent king of Kauai and Niihau (see accompanying story below), in the book “George Anton Schaeffer: Arm Wrestling Kamehameha” by Lee Croft, professor emeritus of Russian language and culture at Arizona State University.

Schaeffer was a German physician who was employed by the Russian-­American Trading Company to make provisioning and diplomatic arrangements with Kauai. In 1816, he devised a plan (ultimately unsuccessful) to acquire land, establish new settlements and convince Kaumuali‘i to co-rule Kauai under the Russian flag.

Croft, a part-time resident of Kauai, had brought his then-newly released 2012 book to the West Kauai Technology and Visitor Center for its manager, Kaohi, to peruse. It’s not surprising that she felt a connection with the striking portrait by Hawaiian artist Brook Kapu­kuniahi Parker: She is the great-great-granddaughter of Kaumuali‘i and a respected keeper of the culture.

Kaohi had helped launch the Friends of King Kaumuali‘i in 2004 to create a life-size bronze statue of the king that would raise awareness of his important role in Hawaiian history. Because no suitable likeness was found to accomplish that, the group disbanded a few years later.

Parker’s painting inspired Kaohi and former Friends board member Barbara Bennett to reactivate the organization in 2012. Today, the revived Friends, with Kaohi as its president, is leading the drive to secure funds for the statue and its eventual placement at Paulaula, on the east side of Waimea River, where Kaumuali‘i lived and reigned for many years.

About $125,000 is needed to complete the project, to which Kauai resident Saim Caglayan, a world-renowned sculptor and plein air painter, has already devoted countless hours. His three-foot bronze maquette of Kaumuali‘i was unveiled in 2015 and has since been displayed at schools and community events around the island.

Caglayan is now working on the eight-foot statue in phases, as money becomes available through grants, donations and fundraisers such as the inaugural He Inoa No Kaumuali‘i Ho‘olaule‘a — Na Makana Poina‘ole (We Celebrate the Great Kaumuali‘i and his Unforgettable Gifts).

Highlights of the festival, which is planned to be a biennial event, include Na Mele O Kaumuali‘i, performances of new songs and chants about the king; Na Hana Noeau, opportunities to make lauhala bracelets, feather hair adornments and other traditional crafts under the guidance of kupuna; and a student art contest that will showcase children’s interpretations of the theme “Young Kaumuali‘i: Exemplary Learner and Athlete.”

Parker will judge the entries and present awards at the hoolaulea, which will also offer hula performances; ono food; a silent auction; Hawaiian games; demonstrations of woodcarving, poi pounding and Niihau-shell jewelry making; and exhibits chronicling Kaumuali‘i’s life and the progress of work on the statue.

According to Kaohi, the event will be “simple, authentic, down-home, backyard luau kind of fun.”

“Everyone is welcome to gather as ohana to sing, dance, share stories, make and take home a beautiful craft and just have a good time,” Kaohi said. “History books often downplay Kaumuali‘i and what he did for his people. The hoolaulea is a chance to remember him, learn about him and help create a fitting and lasting tribute to him.”

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ABOUT KING KAUMUALI‘I

Some historians say Kaumuali‘i was born in 1778; others say 1780. His parents were Ka‘eokulani (brother of Kahekili, king of Maui) and Kamakahelei (high chiefess of Kauai and Niihau), who delivered him, their only child together, at Holoholoku Heiau in Wailua. That sacred site was the exclusive birthplace for royalty of the highest lineage.

After both of his parents died in 1794, Kaumuali‘i, then just a teen, assumed the role of king. Chief Inamo‘o served as regent until the boy came of age to rule. By all accounts, Kaumuali‘i was an intelligent, genial and capable leader who was beloved by his people.

In 1796 and 1803, Kamehameha, who had already conquered the other islands, attempted to invade Kauai. He was thwarted both times: first by a storm that destroyed many of his war canoes as they approached the island and seven years later by an epidemic that sickened most of his army.

Around 1805, finally acknowledging the long-standing prophesy that Kauai would not be conquered, Kamehameha considered ways he could obtain Kauai by peaceful means rather than battle. In 1810, to spare his people from a bloody confrontation, Kaumuali‘i agreed to cede Kauai and Niihau to Kamehameha with the understanding that he would continue to govern them.

Kaumuali‘i died on May 26, 1824, and was laid to rest in Waine‘e Cemetery in Lahaina, Maui. Because they had shared a close friendship, he had requested that he be buried next to Queen Keopuolani, who had the highest royal bloodline of Kamehameha’s wives.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.