According to the Hawaiian Legacy Foundation, Kamae received nearly 50 awards, honor and tributes, including Master of Traditional Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Hawaii for "a lifetime of achievements in preserving Hawaiian language and culture through music and film." He was also recognized in 1979 as a Living Treasure of Hawaii by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, and in 2007 he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.