| Battle of Puwaha‘ula‘ula
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“This painting shows the Fair American,” Hannah explains, “with one of the mighty men of Kamehameha holding Kuka‘ilimoku in the form of feather ki‘i on the decks of the ship. The Fair American, by virtue of its size and its height above the skin of the sea—above the ‘ilikai—paints a unique image of Hawaiian sea battles that I don’t think was ever seen again: this one tall ship surrounded by a sea of peleleu or the Hawaiian war canoes, and every form of marshall implement is being employed, from sling stones and spears to muskets and cannons. And the muskets and cannons are what give rise to the name Puwaha‘ula‘ula: the pu—the explosion—from the waha (‘mouth’) of the cannon that is red (‘ula‘ula).”
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