Battle of Kuamo‘o Featured at Free Lecture

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, musician Keola Beamer, whose family has a personal tie to Kuamo‘o, and Palamanui Humanities Professor Richard Stevens, Ph.D., will present “MalamaKo Aloha: Keep Your Love – The Battle of Kuamoʻo and the End of the Kapu System,” a lecture about the history of the Kuamoʻo Burial Grounds.

More than 300 warriors died and were laid to rest following the battle over Hawaiian religion that took place there in 1819.

Monika Frazier, program director for Aloha KuamoʻoʻĀina, rounds out a trio of presenters for this event.

Hanohano O Kona

In the 1819 Battle of Kuamo‘o, Hawaiian forces clashed over the traditional kapu religious system.

The dispute pitted the forces of Kekuaokalani, nephew of Kamehameha I, who sought to preserve the traditional system, against his cousin, Liholiho (Kamehameha II), who had abandoned the kapu system.

Beamer is a world-renowned Native Hawaiian musician, Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Multiple Grammy Award nominee, multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner (Hawaiian Grammys) and Native Arts and Culture Foundation fellow.

He is an award-winning author and artistic director of The MohalaHou Foundation.

In January 2016, Keola was appointed president and executive director of Aloha KuamoʻoʻĀina, a 501c3 nonprofit formed for the protection and preservation of the Kuamoʻo Battlefield and Burial Grounds in Kona, Hawai‘i.

Beamerʻs well of talent springs from five generations of Hawaiʻi’s most illustrious and beloved musical families. Keola’s mother was revered Hawaiian cultural treasure, Aunty Nona Beamer. His great-grandmother was one of Hawaiʻi’s most illustrious composers, Helen Desha Beamer. The Beamers trace their roots to royal families of the 14th century and have been cultural practitioners through generations.

This presentation is part of KHS’ community lecture series held at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Kailua-Kona, every last Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This series features local and state speakers sharing knowledge of a wide variety of cultural and historical subjects.

Presented by Kona Historical Society, in cooperation with the County of Hawai‘i, this lecture series is a gift from the society to the community that has supported it for so long.

Free of charge, it is open to all, residents and visitors alike.