IT’S no exaggeration to say that without King David Kalakaua, the ukulele would not be as popular as it is today. 

Known as the ‘Merrie Monarch’, Kalakaua was elected to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii on February 12, 1874 and quickly became a patron of the arts. A staunch nationalist, he was devoted to restoring the islands’ cultural traditions, most notably the hula, which had been banned in 1830 by Queen Ka’ahumanu following her conversion to Christianity. 

As well as promoting surfing and an ancient martial art called Kapu Kuʻialua, Kalakaua encouraged more modern art forms and was instantly attracted to the newly developed ukulele. A talented musician, the King took up the uke and recommended that it be employed to accompany hula, effectively making it the national instrument of Hawaii. He also introduced it into performances at royal gatherings and used it to entertain famous acquaintances, such as Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. 

In 1881, Kalakaua became the first ruling monarch to travel around the world, but his days in power were numbered because the prominent Missionary Party had become frustrated with him and his big-spending ways. Before his opulent world tour, the King had paid the then-astronomical sum of more than US$300,000 to build the European-styled ‘Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu. The impressive two-storey residence featured electricity (thanks to Kalakaua’s friend Thomas Edison) and telephones even before the White House.  

Consequently, a hardline group called the Hawaiian League, which was in favour of annexing the islands to the United States, wrote a new constitution and forced Kalakaua to sign it at gunpoint in 1887.

By 1890, with his authority limited and his health failing, the King travelled to California on the advice of his personal physician. Sadly, the move didn’t help and he died on January 20, 1891 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. His last words were reportedly, “Tell my people I tried.” 

But the name Kalakaua lives on. The main avenue of Waikiki is named after him, the state song of Hawaii, Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī, was written by him, and his fun-loving nature is celebrated during the annual Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long cultural event that takes place in Hilo on the Big Island. 

King David Kalakaua was a big man with big ambitions, but he saw the value and the potential of the small ukulele, and for that we say, “Mahalo.” 

This article originally appeared in Issue 3 of KAMUKE Ukulele Magazine, which is available in the Store