He would noho (cohabitate) with Kamakaʻīmoku of the ʻI family of the Kaʻū district, the partner of his half brother Kalaninuiamamao and have a son named Keōua who would father Kamehameha I.
Only his son Kanekoa's descendants survive from his second marriage; most notable of these are the House of Kawānanakoa, through her granddaughter Poʻomaikelani, the wife of Elelule Laʻakeaelelulu of Hilo, and mother of Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole.
In addition to Kona, Keawe also gave him dominion over parts of the Kohala District, which was mostly controlled by the powerful and somewhat independent Mahi family.
After his father's death in 1725, he and his older brother, Kalaninuiamamao, engaged in warfare for the throne of the Island of Hawaiʻi.
Because of the conflict between Keʻeaumoku and Kalaninuiamamao, the island remained divided into three to six separate territories until the unification by Aliʻi Nui Kamehameha I.