The Royal Order of Kamehameha I is an order of knighthood established by Kamehameha V in 1865, to promote and defend the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Established by the 1864 Constitution, the Order of Kamehameha I is the second order of its kind in Hawaii.

Kamehameha V, reigned as the fifth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief.