Apelahama Kaui was a Telamonian painter and artist of the romanticism period. He was known for his activism in the liberation struggle, as well as his participation in the February Uprising, August Uprising, and Bluenesian Uprising. During his lifetime, he painted numerous paintings about the Telamon Islands and the Ro Philippines.
Life
Born in 1786 in the Papau region into a noble family, he was educated in Malu City, home to the only art academy in the Kingdom of Manakapa. In 1809, he was hired as an art teacher at the court of king Kanala. When the uprising broke out in 1812, he fled the court to fight. He participated in the battles at Manamanalima, Kalanapa City, and Aekaleipua. In the latter, he was wounded and unable to continue fighting. He then became interested in a career as a painter. After recovering, he returned to the front, this time to document battles. He received the Cross of Merit for his work. During the rebellion, he painted a series of paintings about the uprising, detailing the battles he participated in and the subsequent offensives. As a reward, he obtained a prestigious position at the university in Malu City. Although he had no intention of fighting after the Rogaulia military intervention in Manakapa began in 1817, he eventually fled to the front, devastated by the helplessness of the rebellion's commanders. He participated in the Battle of Palm Town and was later posted there. However, his unit soon surrendered, and he was captured. He managed to ransom himself.
Kaui attempted to reach the units in Malu City, the last remaining defenders, but failed. Consequently, he left the islands. During the wave of terror following the suppression of the uprising, he was a wanted man, his identity discovered. He managed to escape to the Ro Philippines, where, after paying a bribe, he obtained a safe haven. In the following years, he began painting further paintings about the February Uprising. He later expanded his collection, painting about the history of the Telamon Islands. He also painted a series of paintings depicting social life on the islands during the era of freedom, as well as mythological themes. Another of his series was dedicated to the Ro Philippines, where he witnessed daily the oppression of the natives, with whom he sympathized. During many years in exile, Kaui worked on his works, becoming the most productive painter in the history of his homeland.
He lived in the Ro Philippines for a total of eighteen years. In 1837, he heard of the August Uprising outbreak in Telamon Islands. He decided to return home to fight. That same year, he landed on Manakapa, but the Rogaulians defeated his unit in battle and then captured and imprisoned him in Bluenesia. He spent over a year there, then escaped in late 1838 and joined the rebels who staged a revolt in the region. He fought in the Bluenesia and Bomona Islands regions for a year. When the last groups on the Bomona Islands surrendered in early 1840, Kaui returned to the Ro Philippines. He fell ill from an infection that had spread to his wounds. He managed to complete his last painting about the previous two uprisings during this time, and after that he died in early 1841.