Kamehameha I: Native Hawaiian, Not Native American or African American

Kamehameha I (c. 1758–1819), known as Kamehameha the Great, was the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. He was Native Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli)—Polynesian people who settled Hawaiʻi ~1000–1200 CE.

He unified the islands by 1810 through conquest and diplomacy, establishing a dynasty that ruled until 1893. His legacy includes the Law of the Splintered Paddle (Kānāwai Māmalahoe) protecting civilians in war, and the Kamehameha Schools endowment for Native Hawaiian education.