North Hawaii News – March 16, 2000-- by Arlene Stephl
It is a walk through history—with a man who has been a part of that history, looking at artifacts pleasing to young and old.
The Kamuela Museum on Kawaihae Road, catercornered from Hawaii Preparatory Academy, is reportedly the largest privately-owned museum in the state. It has been open since 1968, the year Albert and Harriet Solomon finished the building and opened the doors to share their collection with the public. The building, on less than an acre of property, has almost 7,000 square feet under the roof.
The collection ranges from rare Asian carvings to parts from a Ford Model T to one-of-a-kind artifacts used by Kamehameha the Great, passed down through generations by Albert Solomon’s family, descendants of the king.
A singed rope from Apollo 11 and photos and mementos from that expedition, the gun from the kamikaze pilot’s plane that crashed on the U.S.S. West Virginia in World War II, a flag from the Civil War, elegant furniture, china, and personal items that belonged to Hawaiian royalty are all part of the museum’s extensive collection. There are thousands of interesting things to see, each one labeled.
“I’ve been collecting since I was eight years old,” said 94-year-old Albert Keliikehaualani Solomon, Sr., who was born in North Kohala. “When I was a child my grandmother and great-grandmother, both strong kahunas from Kohala, predicted I would do this.”
His part-Hawaiian mother was a descendent of King Kamehameha I, and his father was Arabic, Turkish and Jewish. He said his trading and selling abilities, also his trade as a jeweler come from his father. He takes great pride in his heritage.
Harriet Meyers Solomon, 87, is also related to Kamehameha I, and is Albert’s fifth cousin, he said. She is the great-great granddaughter of John Palmer Parker, who started Parker Ranch, and is the granddaughter of Robert Parker Waipa, who was captain of King Kalakaua’s royal guards. On display is a gun given to him by Queen Liliuokalani after the overthrow of the monarchy.
Many of the artifacts on display are one of a kind, according to the Solomons, and they include a stone canoe buster owned by Kamehameha I and an ancient hand-woven Hawaiian fish net made from coconut.
“The Bishop Museum would like to get its hands on these,” Albert said. “There are several things here they would like to add to their collection,” he said, referring to the curators.
The Solomons’ most treasured items are those from Hawaii, particularly their acquisition of items belonging to royalty, with whom they feel a strong bond. Albert’s memory is incredible. He rattles off the history of each item as if it were newly acquired. He is as sharp as a tack.
The value of their museum pieces is hard to establish. How does one value an item that is part of Hawaiian history and cannot be replaced, such as the ornate hand-carved 5-piece cherry wood furniture with Mt. Fuji depicted on the settee, given to King Kalakaua by Emperor Mutsuhito when the king and his cabinet stopped in Japan in March 1881 on a round-the-world trip. It sat in Iolani Palace for many years.
“This is the only one ever to leave Japan,” Albert said, “and the Japanese would like to have it back. I’ve been approached by them.”
Albert left the Big Island for Oahu when he was a teen, eventually becoming a Honolulu motorcycle policeman in the days--the 1920s--when motorcycles were relatively new. He has a star-shaped badge and others on display from his days on the force.
His career ended when he hit a deep hole in the pavement and lost control of the bike, breaking his back. From then on his energies were directed toward working with ivory jewelry and adding to his collection of artifacts.
Harriet, from Oahu, was a county clerk when the met, and a collector, too. In the 1950s they decided to move to the Big Island. At that time they had a small antique shop in Honolulu.
When they visited the Big Island, “We would sit in one spot in Waimea, near where we are now, sit up on higher ground on the bridge and look at this land,” Harriet said. “Waimea was a one-horse town then with only about 200 people, all ranch people and a few houses. We knew we wanted this property with its big cactuses and stream, and wished we could buy it, but it wasn’t for sale.”
Then one day Harriet, for the first time, bought a newspaper in Waimea and brought it home. Albert was reading it when he spotted an advertisement for a piece of property for sale that matched the description of the one they wanted.
The kahunas had predicted Albert would settle on land that had three mountains in sight, and both said the timing of the purchase of the newspaper and the ad made them feel “It was meant to be.”
She was still working for the County of Honolulu so Albert had to start the project on his own, building the first portion of their museum, the living quarters, in 1958.
“We couldn’t have a business on the property for 10 years after the purchase because it was a land grant,” she said, “so we had to wait to build the museum.”
It took 69 days to build the residence, and the weather was perfect.
“As soon as we finished the fireplace and the building was completed, it started to rain,” he said. “Someone was watching over us.”
The museum opened in 1968 and people from around the island, including school children coming in groups, flocked to see it.
Albert has built glass-enclosed cases with interior lighting to display most of the items, shelves and stands for others, and Harriet carefully printed cards describing the ages and origins of the items.
There is no budget for maintenance. Albert, at 94, rises early, often before 6 a.m. and cleans a specific area each day, beginning with the front entry and yard. Harriet greets visitors at the door and fields questions.
The museum doesn’t have ramps for wheelchairs, but the few steps to the entry are so shallow people in wheelchairs have been able to easily maneuver them, said their daughter, Hazel Chillingworth, who lives with them.
Although most of their visitors were from the islands in the beginning, many now are tourists from around the world. But the economy and the visitor count in local hotels has an effect on their business.
He is enthused about the children who have come through in groups. “And they like everything, not just certain things,” he said.
It certainly must be a far more rewarding experience for a child to see a deep-sea diving mask first hand, even touch it, than to see it on television. Or to see the stone, with handle, that Kamehameha used to smash an enemy’s canoe in heated battle. Or the Pololu spear used by Kamehameha the Great to fell his enemy.
For the more sophisticated, the rare intricate Asian elephant ivory figurine carvings dating back to 600 A.D.---truly beautiful.
The museum, on the south side of Kawaihae Road, is bordered by a high rock wall on one side and a stream and ranch lands on the other—a beautiful setting.
But the Solomons have decided to retire. He will be 95 in September and she will be 88 this year, time to enjoy retirement.
It’s a walk through history, nostalgic when viewing familiar items seen in grandmother’s house, and an opportunity seldom offered—to go with the curator himself—Albert Solomon.