The island of Oahu contains some of the most significant monuments in the Hawaiian Islands. Those include the Iolani Place and the Dole Plantation but Honolulu itself also features especially relevant landmarks like the statue of Duke Kahanamoku and the other monuments on Waikiki Beach. However, the city contains a variety of obscure and outstanding monuments.
While there are numerous statues of Kamehameha I across the Hawaiian Islands and beyond, the one that stands in front of Aliʻiolani Hale is the original and most prominent of them all. Depicting the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, a copy of this statue also resides in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C.
A statue of Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox honors the “Roaring Lion of the Pacific” who was extremely popular among the Hawaiian people as an educator and legislator. He led uprisings against both the government of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Republic of Hawaii. He would eventually serve as Hawaii’s first delegate to Congress from 1900 to 1902 and operate multiple newspapers which provided a voice to the Hawaiian people.
A statue of Mohandas K. Gandhi was presented to the city and county of Honolulu and the people of Hawaii by the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation in 1990. A marker commemorates his arrest in the 1930’s for picking up “A Fistful of Salt” that broke the law in an effort to enable Indian self-rule under the British.
The Elvis Aloha Statue resides outside of what was originally known as the Honolulu International Center. It commemorates one of the most significant concerts in the era. The 1973 concert, which was titled, Elvis—Aloha From Hawaii, was the firs to be broadcast worldwide via satellite. To commemorate the historic event, TV Land commissioned this bronze monument in 2007.
There are just a few of the obscure and outstanding monuments located across Honolulu and all of Oahu, showcasing what it can mean for such landmarks to cultivate engagement with residents and visitors across the eras.
