Following the death of Kalaniopu’u, his son, Kiwala’o, succeeded him and retained most of his father’s chiefly advisors, including his Uncle Keawema’uhili of Hilo. Kamehameha was given the guardianship of the war god, Kukailimoku. This act showed the great love and respect Kalaniopu’u had for his nephew, as Kukailimoku was paramount in the success and victory sustained by all the chiefs that cared for the god up to that time. It was customary following the death of the ruling chief to redistribute the lands. Kiwala’o gave the honor to Keawema’uhili. This was not to be a wise choice for Keawema’uhili, who was actually sided with Kiwala’o.  Keawema’uhili took advantage of this opportunity by rewarding himself and his favorite’s huge tracks of lands and districts. Kamehameha and his uncles were offended, as well as Kiwala’o’s half-brother Keouakuahu’ula of Ka’u, feeling cheated out of the best lands. This led to bitter resentment between the factions.

 

After the funeral rituals were completed, a ceremony was held. At this ceremony, Kamehameha chewed and prepared awa for Kiwala’o to drink. This was done to show respect to his cousin as the new Ali’i Nui of Hawaii. Kiwala’o took the cup and passed it on to a companion, Kuikuipua. This infuriated Kamehameha’s uncle, Kekuhaupi’o, who jumped up from the mat, struck the cup from his hand, and voiced his anger at this breech of etiquette to his chief Kamehameha. He then called Kamehameha and all his followers to vacate the ceremony and that war was now inevitable.

 

The first trouble started in Ke’ei by Keouakuahu’ula, who cut down coconut trees and killed some men. This is Kekuhaupi’o’s home village and ancestral lands. Skirmishes continued to escalate till the morning of the fifth day, when a full battle takes place at Mokuohai, just north of Honaunau, Kona. The tide of battle was on the side of Kiwala’o, while Kamehameha’s side was losing men at an alarming rate. Kiwala’o took the bodies of those killed to his heiau for sacrifice. His Kahuna at the heiau advised him to stop the battle till the next day. They warned him that the morning was his, but when the sun starts to descend in the afternoon, the advantage would shift to Kamehameha’s side. They pleaded with him to postpone the fighting till tomorrow! Kiwala’o would not listen, believing that Kamehameha’s side would soon be defeated.

 

Kamehameha himself had not entered the battle yet. He was detained at Kealakekua by the great Kahuna Nui Holo’ae for divination ceremonies. An amazing prediction is made from Holo’ae when he tells Kamehameha, “It is a day of misfortune with defeat for both sides. One chief in his party would be killed, but when the god turns defeat to that side, then the ruling chief will be killed; but the tide is still rising; when the sun begins to decline, the other side will meet defeat.”

 

That afternoon the battle became centered on the rambunctious High Chief Ke’eaumokupapaiahiahi. Surrounded, he became entangled by his own pololu spear and fell. Kaha’i and Nuhi immediately pounced on him, stabbing him repeatedly with their pahoa’s (daggers). Kini came to retrieve his spear and stood at his back and shouted in his raspy voice, “My weapon has caught a yellow-backed crab!”

 

Kiwala’o was called to the scene. Almost dead, Ke’eaumoku heard Kiwala’o shout, “Guard the ivory whale tooth (niho palaoa), guard the ivory whale tooth, do not let it become soiled with blood!” When Ke’eaumoku heard these words, he knew his fate was sealed and he would be killed. His nephew would not spare his life. Kamanawa, seeing his half-brother’s plight, rushed with some men through the thick of the fight to try and rescue him. Fortunately for Ke’eaumoku, another relative, Keakuawahine, had also seen him fall. An expert with the sling (ma’a), he aimed and fired, hitting Kiwala’o on the side of the head, knocking him momentarily unconscious. His men paniced and fled as they saw their leader fall. Seeing Kiwala’o lying on the ground, Ke’eaumoku, badly wounded as he was, crawled over to the chief and sliced his throat with his “lei o mano” (shark tooth club), killing him instantly. With the death of Kiwala’o, his army was routed.

 

On the other end of the battlefield, Kamehameha entered the fray and, with his bare hands, killed his first victim by lifting his opponent high in the air and dashing his body against the ground with such force that his bones were shattered. The remaining allies fled; Keouakuahu’ula went back to Ka’u. Keawema’uhili was captured but was later allowed to escape back to Hilo. It seems the gods favored Kamehameha at this very first battle, even with a smaller force than those he faced, as the battle miraculously swung to his advantage and he emerged victorious, just as his wise Kahuna Holo’ae had prophesied.