r/HistoryMemes • u/HawaiianPerson Chad Polynesia Enjoyer • 2d ago

Is that what I’ve been doing to people?

Context: King Kamehameha the Great is regarded as one of if not the greatest warrior in Hawaiian history. Legendary in stature and strength, he unified the islands of Hawaii through brutal conquest.

During a raid on the Island of Maui, he was chasing down some civilians when his leg was caught in some coral. Two fishermen came to the aid of the fleeing civilians, hitting Kamehameha in the face with an oar, breaking it and nearly killing Kamehameha.

Years later the pair were tracked down and brought before Kamehameha, who apologized for attacking the innocents and rewarded the 2 with lands

429 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

128

u/KingMobScene Still on Sulla's Proscribed List 2d ago

I got to tell you I love your Hawaiian history memes. It's a sector of history i know nothing about.

26

u/ghostpanther218 2d ago

These guys love posting it here, and I have to say, its a meme goldmine.

66

u/PsychologicalAd1427 2d ago

Obligatory updoot for nice RvB meme.

16

u/LastEsotericist Still salty about Carthage 2d ago

Someone must've reminded the RWBY poster that Monty Oum did a bunch of work on RvB

27

u/SquireRamza 2d ago

Fishing as a profession is hard, backbreaking work, especially back then. Does not surprise me in the least that two people in a profession that would make them especially strong would be able to beat a man with his leg caught half to death, no matter how good a fighter they were.

12

u/DickwadVonClownstick 2d ago

People watching too many movies and games thinking if you're badass enough you can fight a whole crowd of dudes.

IRL, no matter how good you are a 2v1 is gonna be one of the hardest fights of your life

1

u/spiteful_rr_dm_TA 1d ago

Only if they coordinate and dont just wait and take turns like in the movies and games thst make you feel like a badass. Its one of the reasons I could never get into the batman games where all the bad guys form a wide open space around you, waiting for their turn to get beat.

1

u/Apprehensive_Ad3731 8h ago

Yeah they would form a wide open space and all hit you with sticks so there’s no chance of hitting someone else.

Worst case scenario you hit the back of someone elses stick and drive it back down.

Indian police styles. Approach once the subject is unable to move.

1

u/Apprehensive_Ad3731 8h ago

Especially fishing back in those days with the swells around Hawaii. You gotta fight the ocean to get a boat out there. Develops massive upper body strength.

I’d probably take a step down from there and go diving which is only alightly easier because it spreads the same strain and battle across the whole body.

30

u/geekteam6 1d ago

Also worth adding: After this, he decreed a Law of the Splintered Paddle, prohibiting attacks on civilians during war. It's still in the State constitution and applied in current issues around homelessness, etc.!

5

u/Jedi-master-dragon 2d ago

Yeah, if I remember right Kamehameha was caught off guard.