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Kamehameha I
In 1810, Kamehameha unified all the inhabited islands of Hawai'i under his rule and became the first king of all Hawaii. He encouraged trade and peaceful activities and presided over the opening of Hawaii to the rest of the world. On 8 May 1819, King Kamehameha I died at Kailua in the district of Kona on his home Island of Hawaii.
Every year on Kamehameha Day (11 June, a state holiday in Hawaii), the National Statuary Hall is the scene of a ceremony in honor of the king. The statue is draped with leis of flowers from Hawaii and hula dancers per-form before portrayers of Kamehameha and Ka'ahu-manu.