Qualla: Battle of Nu'uanu https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:09 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Nu'uanu https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu Battle of Nu'uanu: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu/ Photo credit Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Hawaiians called it Kalelekaanae: the leaping mullet. The name referred not to fish but to warriors, over 700 of them, who went over a 1,000-foot cliff at the head of Nu'uanu Valley in May 1795. They were the defenders of Oahu, driven there by the army of Kamehameha I, and their fall marked the moment the Hawaiian Islands ceased to be a collection of rival chiefdoms and became, for the first time, something close to a unified kingdom. A century later, construction workers building a road along the Pali discovered 800 skulls at the base of the cliff, the physical remains of a political transformation.

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Image: Holly Cheng | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/87zc-battle-of-nuuanu-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Nu'uanu: A Kingdom in Pieces https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu/ Photo credit Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0. Before the battle, the Hawaiian Islands were divided among competing chiefs who formed and broke alliances with the same fluidity as the ocean currents between their islands. Kamehameha I controlled the Big Island of Hawaii. Kahekili II held Oahu, while his half-brother Kaeokulan...

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Image: Holly Cheng | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/87zc-battle-of-nuuanu-a-kingdom-in-pieces.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Nu'uanu: Civil War on Oahu https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu/ Photo credit Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0. Kahekili II died in mid-1794, and the alliance holding his territory together died with him. His son Kalanikupule inherited Oahu. His half-brother Kaeokulani wanted to pass through Oahu to reach Kauai. What began as a passage became a war called Kukiiahu, lasting from November 16...

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]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/87zc-battle-of-nuuanu-civil-war-on-oahu.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Nu'uanu: Twelve Thousand Men and 1,200 Canoes https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu/ Photo credit Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0. Kamehameha had been preparing for years. Under the direction of British sailor John Young, his warriors trained with muskets and cannons. By February 1795, he had assembled the largest military force the Hawaiian Islands had ever seen: approximately 12,000 men and 1,200 war canoe...

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]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/87zc-battle-of-nuuanu-twelve-thousand-men-and-1-200-canoes.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Nu'uanu: Up the Valley, Over the Edge https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu/ Photo credit Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0. Kamehameha's forces landed on Oahu's southeastern shore near Waialae and Waikiki. After days of scouting, the army advanced westward and hit Kalanikupule's first defensive line near Punchbowl Crater. Kamehameha split his forces, sending one half in a flanking maneuver around the ...

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]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/87zc-battle-of-nuuanu-up-the-valley-over-the-edge.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Nu'uanu: The Kingdom That Followed https://qualla.com/battle-of-nu-uanu/ Photo credit User:Jiang, Public domain. Kalanikupule escaped the battle but was eventually captured. Kamehameha's victory at Nu'uanu was the decisive moment of his campaign, and afterward his domain was called the Kingdom of Hawaii for the first time. Still, the islands were not yet fully unified. Kauai and Niihau rema...

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]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/8/7/z/c/battle-of-nu-uanu-wp/87zc-battle-of-nuuanu-the-kingdom-that-followed.mp3 0:06 6 full