June 11 2006 Postage Stamps issued by Hawai'i Post

Three stamps were issued on June 11th 2006 to celebrate the 135th Anniversary of "Kamehameha Day".

King Tamehameha of Hawai'i was named "Pai'ea" at his birth in the year 1758 at Koko‘ike, Kohala on the Big Island (the exact date is not known). The Missionaries in the early 1800's changed the letter T to a K, so he then became known as Kamehameha. He is also known as "Kamehameha the Great". He unified the Hawaiian Islands after many battles with other Island Chiefs (scroll down to the postmark below, to read more about one of his battles). He established the Kingdom of Hawai'i in 1810. He met with Captain James Cook on his second voyage of discovery in 1778. He had several European advisors who gave him military advice and helped him win his many battles.

King Kamehameha was a successful warrior but also a diplomat and developed friendships with the major colonial powers, thus preserving Hawai'i's independence. He was a strong defender of Hawaiian traditions including the kapu system of law and religion. On May 8, 1819 he died at Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. The Kamehameha dynasty ruled over the Kingdom of Hawai'i until 1872 when King Kamehameha V died without naming an heir.

In 1871, King Kamehameha V decreed June 11th a holiday to be known as "Kamehameha Day" in honor of King Kamehameha the Great. This holiday is still celebrated annually on June 11th of each year in Hawai'i. A statue was erected in his honor in front of the Ali'iolani Hale (the Hawai'i State Judiciary Building) in downtown Honolulu. Two similar statues also exist in Kohala on the Big Island (depicted on the $5 stamp) and inside the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

The $2 stamp (above left) prepays extra charges, such as additional weight. It is based on the U.S. 3c stamp first issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1937. It depicts the statue of King Kamehameha in front of the Ali'iolani Hale (the Hawai'i State Judiciary Building) in downtown Honolulu.

The $5 stamp (above middle) prepays the Overnight rate. It shows the statue of King Kamehameha located in Kohala on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

The $8 stamp (above right) prepays the Same Day rate. It shows a painting of King Kamehameha wearing western costume of the time by James Gay Sawkins (1806-1878) a British geologist in the colonial service and also an artist who visited Hawai'i. Another of his paintings (image at the top of this page) shows a similar portrait of Kamehameha but wearing a golden cloak. However, the cloak is not the Kiwalao cloak (see postmark below) because there are no red feathers in the design. The portrait with the plain golden cloak hangs in 'Iolani Palace.

A Booklet consisting of 3 panes containing 2 x $2, 2 x $5 and 2 x $8 stamps was also issued. Each pane consists of 2 stamps and has a white margin all around. "© 2006 Hawai'i Post" is printed vertically on the lower right side margin & Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i. is printed on the bottom margin of each pane.

The booklet is stapled twice at the left side. The back cover has a list of the postage rates of Hawai'i Post.

The special postmark for this issue depicts the historical Kiwalao cloak worn by King Kamehameha. It is made from thousands of yellow feathers of the 'O'o (now extinct) and the Mamo birds. The red feathers were from the 'I'iwi bird. After Chief Kiwalao of the Big Island was slain in battle by Kamehameha's men, the cloak was placed on the shoulders of the victor - Kamehameha. The cloak survived and can be viewed today at the Bishop Museum, Honolulu. Black ink was used.

Technical details of the stamps:
Colors: Multicolored
Size: Stamps - 48mm x 32mm.
Stamp sheet size: 30 (6 across, 5 down)
Perforation: Perf 12.
Stamps design: Enelani.
Layout & Pre-press: Enelani.
Printer: Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Printing Method: 4-color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) printing process.
Sheet margin markings: HAWAI'I POST (top middle), "Traffic Light" showing 4 colors used in printing (lower left side), © 2006 Hawai'i Post (lower right side) & Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i. (bottom middle)
Paper: GPA coated white stock with water-activated gum on the back.