Images of Old Hawaiʻi

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kānāwai Māmalahoe – Law of the Splintered Paddle

In old Hawai‘i, people knew their place in life; some were born to be ali‘i (chiefs,) others were maka‘āinana (commoners.)
Each followed protocols, traditions and kapu.
The Ali‘i were descended from the gods and had strong mana (spiritual power.)
Maka‘āinana were workers (farmers, fishers, crafters and laborers.)
Even though kapu and traditions guided people on how to behave, sometimes innocent people got caught in the middle of feuding chiefs.
A story suggests that on one occasion, Kamehameha I was fighting in Puna.
While chasing two fishermen (presumably with the intention to kill them), his leg was caught in the reef and, in defense, one of the fisherman hit him on the head with a paddle, which broke into pieces.
Kamehameha was able to escape (because the fisherman fled, rather than finishing him off.)
The story continues that Kamehameha learned from this experience and saw that it was wrong to misuse power by attacking innocent people.
Years later, Kamehameha summoned the two fishermen.  When they came, he pardoned them and admitted his mistake by proclaiming a new law, Kānāwai Māmalahoe – Law of the Splintered Paddle.
The original 1797 law:
Kānāwai Māmalahoe (in Hawaiian:):
E nā kānaka,
E mālama ‘oukou i ke akua
A e mālama ho‘i ke kanaka nui a me kanaka iki;
E hele ka ‘elemakule, ka luahine, a me ke kama
A moe i ke ala
‘A‘ohe mea nāna e ho‘opilikia.
Hewa nō, make.
Law of the Splintered Paddle (English translation:)
Oh people,
Honor thy gods;
Respect alike [the rights of]
People both great and humble;
See to it that our aged,
Our women and our children
Lie down to sleep by the roadside
Without fear of harm.
Disobey, and die.
Kamehameha’s Law of the Splintered Paddle of 1797 is enshrined in the State constitution, Article 9, Section 10:
“Let every elderly person, woman and child lie by the roadside in safety”.
It has become a model for modern human rights law regarding the treatment of civilians and other non-combatants.
Kānāwai Māmalahoe appears as a symbol of crossed paddles in the center of the badge of the Honolulu Police Department.
A plaque, facing mauka on the Kamehameha Statue outside Ali‘iōlani Hale in Honolulu, notes the Law of the Splintered Paddle (it is the image noted here.)

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Lahainaluna Printing-Engraving

Lahainaluna Seminary (now Lahainaluna High School) was founded on September 5th 1831 by the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions “to instruct young men of piety and promising talents”.
Out of this training came many of Hawaii’s future leaders and scholars including David Malo (1835,) Samuel Kamakau (1837) and others (Keali‘i Reichel graduated in 1980.)
In  December,  1833,  a  printing  press  was  delivered  to  Lahainaluna  from  Honolulu.  It was  housed  in a temporary office building and in January,  1834,  the  first book  printed  off  the  press  was  Worcester’s  Scripture Geography.
On February 14, 1834 came  the  first newspaper, ‘Ka Lama Hawaii,’ ever  printed  in  the  Islands  in  any  language, also  the  first newspaper  published  west of the Rocky Mountains.
Besides the publication of the newspapers, pamphlets and books, another important facet of activity off the press was engraving.
A checklist made in 1927 records thirty-three maps and fifty-seven sketches of houses and landscapes, only one of which is of a non-Hawaiian subject.
That brings us to a newly printed book “Engraved at Lahainaluna,” offered through the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.
It’s here and being processed for sales, soon … and if you like things of Hawai‘i, this is something you will want to add to your collection. 
The Mission Houses store is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am through 4 pm – it’s located at the Historic site at 553 South King Street (Diamond Head side of Kawaiahaʻo Church.
Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives invites the public to celebrate the launching of Engraved at Lahainaluna, on Wednesday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m. at Hawaiian Mission Houses.
For more information on the book launch, or to purchase Engraved at Lahainaluna, please call 447-3923 or visit www.missionhouses.org.
The image shows a drawing of Lahainaluna (ca. 1838, drawn by Bailey and engraved by Kepohoni;) in addition, Missions Houses has given me permission to post some of the engravings and I added a few other Lahainaluna engravings in a folder of like name in the Photos section.  (I’ll add some more later.)
But don’t rely on these, get you own copy of the “Engraved at Lahainaluna” (I’ve already ordered mine.)

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Heiau

Hawaiians had many forms of worship and places where they practiced; invoking peace, war, health or successful fishing and farming, etc.
Families and individuals conducted daily worship services at home, typically at small family improvised altars or shrines.
Small, common places of worship were the ko‘a (fishing,) ‘aumakua (family god) and other shrines.
More formalized worship, offerings and/or sacrifice by chiefs took place in heiau (temples.)
There are many types and forms of heiau, which served as temples and ceremonial sites. Some were used for state worship -where only the paramount ruler of the island and priests were allowed to enter.
Other heiau were used by lower chiefs and priests who controlled smaller political land divisions, and still others were used by individual families who resided in a given area.
Whatever the purpose, heiau are considered sacred and are places where material offerings and prayers in the form of formal supplications were tendered to the gods.
These structures were typically stone-walled enclosures containing several structures and open-air terraces, stone platforms and carved idols in which chiefs paid homage to the major Hawaiian gods.
Some heiau were built for special purposes and were dedicated to spirits or gods: including, agricultural, economy-related, healing or the large sacrificial war temples (as well as others.)
The agricultural or economy-related heiau were dedicated to Lono, where it was believed that offerings would guarantee rain and agricultural fertility and plenty.  The ho‘oulu ‘ai heiau were devoted for a successful season for growing crops to increase the general food supply. 
The lapa‘au heiau dealt with healing.  Herbal remedies and spiritual healing treated illnesses by trained healers. The surroundings served as the natural pharmacy for plant remedies of all kinds. 
The large sacrificial government war temples, luakini heiau, contained altars where human lives were taken when assurance of success in combat was requested or when there was a very grave state emergency, such as pestilence or famine.
Reportedly, oral traditions trace the origin of Hawaiian luakini temple construction to the high priest Pāʻao, who arrived in the islands in the late-thirteenth century.
He introduced several changes to Hawaiian religious practices and social structure that affected temple construction, priestly ritual and worship practices.
Pā‘ao’s period are attributed a greater rigidity of the kapus, the introduction of human sacrifices, “the hardening and confirming of the divisions of society, the exaltation of the nobles and the increase of their prerogatives, the separation and immunity of the priestly order, and the systematic setting down, if not actual debasement, of the commoners “
Prior to the Pā‘ao’s arrival, the Hawaiians worshipped unseen deities.  Reportedly, Pāʻao provided the people with something tangible to worship, through the introduction of wooden temple images as representations of the gods.
These images were not worshipped as gods themselves, but it was thought that the mana or spirit of a god would occupy the carved statue and could be consulted in times of need.
Images used at heiau were manifestations of one of the four major Hawaiian deities Kū (god of war,) Kāne (god of life, a creator, associated with freshwater,) Lono (god of fertility, peace and harvest,) Kanaloa (god of the ocean and voyaging.)
Heiau were constructed under the direction of the ali‘i nui (high chiefs) and kahuna (priests) and were dedicated to different gods for various purposes.
Heiau could change over time with a new ali‘i.  It was not unusual for a heiau to be expanded and modified by a new ruling chief.
Though temple worship was primarily an activity of the royalty, the general population depended upon the effectiveness of these rituals.
Since the gods were looked upon as also being direct ancestors of the ali`i and creators of all Hawaiians, this reverence was a form of ancestor worship,
At the time of European contact, a multitude of heiau functioned in the islands, and early visitors noted many of these:
“They [the Hawaiians] have many temples, which are large enclosures, with piles of stones heaped up in pyramidal forms, like shot in an arsenal, and houses for the priests and others, who remain within them during their taboos. Great numbers of idols, of the most uncouth forms, are placed round within, in all directions: to these they offer sacrifices of hogs, cocoa nuts, bananas, and human victims: the latter are criminals only; formerly, prisoners of war were sometimes sacrificed.”
(William Shaler, “Journal of a Voyage between China and the North-Western Coast of America, Made in 1804”)
Hawaiians looked to the heiau and their kahuna for order, spiritual help, understanding and guidance.  This was for practical matters, such as, when to plant and harvest, fishing and fishing kapu, healing, giving thanks and going to war.
The image is Ahu‘ena Heiau at Kamakahonu in Kailua Kona (drawn by Choris in 1816.)

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast Scenic Byway

Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast Scenic Byway covers the entire length of Ali‘i Drive, seven miles of roadway and over seven centuries of Hawaiian Royalty archaeological, historic and cultural traditions that have shaped Hawai‘i into what it is today.
By whatever means (vehicle, transit, bicycle or on foot,) following the footsteps of ancient royalty and embracing the scenic beauty, natural and archaeological features, historic sites, associated cultural traditions and recreational opportunities will give the traveler a greater appreciation and understanding of Hawai‘i’s past and sense of place in the world.
Here are selected Points of Interest along the Scenic Byway:
1 – Kailua Seawall –  first built in 1900, the entry to Historic Kailua Village begins on Ali‘i Drive where its oceanfront promenade offers sweeping vistas of Kailua Bay, from Kamakahonu and Kailua Pier to Hulihe‘e Palace
2 – Pa o ‘Umi – marks the location of the landing and residence of the ruler ‘Umi-a-liloa (‘Umi) (ca. AD 1490-1525.)  Modern seawall and road construction has covered most of Pa o ‘Umi
3 – Hulihe‘e Palace – built in 1838, Kona’s only existing royal palace and one of three palaces in the United States
4 – Moku‘aikaua Church – built in 1837, it is the oldest Christian Church in Hawai‘i
5 – Hale Halawai – means “meeting house” and serves as a community meeting facility under the County Parks and Recreation program
6 – Ōneo Bay – scenic panoramic views of the shoreline and seasonal surfing -favorite place for residents and visitors to enjoy Kona’s famous sunsets
7 – Wai‘aha Beach Park – also known as Honl’s – “birth-beach and the birthplace” of modern bodyboarding (in 1971, Tom Morey created boogie board and first used it here)
8 – Kahului Bay – nicknamed Tiki’s after the adjacent small hotel (Kona Tiki Hotel,) lovely ocean vista
9 – Hale Halawai O Hōlualoa – stone church structure was built entirely by native Hawaiians under the direction of John D. Paris 1850-55
10 – Puapua‘a – popular local surf spot that once served as a canoe landing, now referred to as “Banyans”
11 – Hōlualoa Bay – oral traditions suggest King Kamehameha I learned to excel in board and canoe surfing in these very waters
12 – Hōlualoa Royal Center – Hōlualoa Royal Center includes Kamoa Point/Keolonahihi Complex, Keakealaniwahine Residential Complex and Kaluaokalani
13 – Jud Trail – constructed between 1849 and 1859 and intended to link the Kona area with Hilo – construction was abandoned when portions of the trail were covered by a lava flow in 1859
14 – Pāhoehoe Beach Park – County park with picnic and portable restroom facilities.  Ocean access is via coral rubble and rocky shore
15 – La‘aloa Beach Park – also known as White Sands, Magic Sands or Disappearing Sands
16 – La‘aloa Bay – small cove on the south side of the parking lot, entry point for snorkelers and divers
17 – Ku‘emanu Heiau – overlooks Kahalu‘u Bay and is associated with surfing – adjacent Waikui Pond was convenient for chiefs to bathe after an ocean outing
18 – St. Peter’s by the Sea Catholic Church – originally built in 1880, the church was dismantled and carried piece by piece to its present site at Kahalu’u in 1912
19 – Kahalu‘u Bay Beach Park – served as the Royal Center of Ali‘i, residence of Lonoikamakahiki ca. 1640-1660 and oral histories note its use by Alapa‘inui, Kalani‘ōpu‘u and Kamehameha — successive rulers from 1740-1760 on
20 – Helani Church –‘Ōhi‘amukumuku Heiau – old Helani Church (built in 1861 by Rev. John D. Paris) built atop the former ‘Ōhi‘amukumuku Heiau
21 – Hāpaiali‘i Heiau and Ke‘ekū Heiau – Hāpaiali‘i Heiau was built around 1411-1465; Ke‘ekū Heiau – after building it, Lonoikamakahiki attacked and defeated Kamalalawalu, king of Maui
22 – Mākole‘ā Heiau – also known as Ke‘ekūpua‘a, built (or consecrated) by Lonoikamakahiki and that it was used for prayers in general
23 – Heritage Corridor Overlook – pull out on Ali‘i Drive includes interpretive sign explaining the archaeological and historical significance of the lands of Kahalu‘u and Keauhou
24 – Royal Hōlua Slide – stone ramp nearly one mile in length that culminated at He‘eia Bay – this is the largest and best-preserved hōlua course, used in the extremely dangerous toboggan-like activity
25 – Lekeleke Burial Grounds – Following the death of Kamehameha I in 1819, Liholiho declared an end to the kapu system; Kekuaokalani (Liholiho’s cousin) and his wife Manono opposed the abolition and went to battle, here is the burial ground
S-1 – Kamakahonu Royal Center at Kailua Bay – residential compound of Kamehameha I from 1813 until his death in 1819; the center of political power in the Hawaiian kingdom during Kamehameha’s golden years
S-2 – Ahu‘ena Heiau – reconstructed by King Kamehameha the Great between 1812-1813; he dedicated it to Lono, god of healing and prosperity of the land
S-3 – Keauhou Royal Center at Keauhou Bay – ocean access at Keauhou Bay is superb and, just as boats use it today, canoe landings once dotted the shore.  The royal canoe landing of King Kamehameha I was located at Pueo Cove
S-4 – Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) Birthsite – son of Kamehameha I and high chiefess Keōpūolani, he was ruler of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i for thirty years from 1825-1854
We prepared the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast Scenic Byway, the first CMP to be accepted by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation.
We are proud and honored that American Planning Association-Hawai‘i Chapter selected Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast for the “Environment/Preservation Award”, Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation awarded the 2011 Historic Preservation Commendation and Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce awarded the 2011 Pualu Award for Culture & Heritage.
The image shows the Royal Footsteps map; in addition, images of each of the sites are added to a folder of like name in the Photos section of my Facebook page.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

All We Really Need To Know …

All we really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be we learned when we were young.
Think what a better world this would be if we:
  • Share everything
  • Play fair
  • Don’t hit people
  • Put things back where you found them
  • Clean up your own mess
  • Don’t take things that aren’t yours
  • Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody
  • Wash your hands before you eat
  • Flush
  • Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
  • Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some
  • Take a nap in the afternoon
  • When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together
  • Be aware of wonder
  • Things die; So do we

These words convert into “adult-like” references and they apply to our lives today – family, personal relationships, community, business, etc.  Everything we need to know is in there somewhere: The Golden Rule, love, basic sanitation, ecology, politics, equality and sane living.

We already know most of what’s necessary to live a meaningful life – it isn’t that complicated.  The challenge is living it.
Special thanks to Robert Fulghum, author of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” for keeping life in perspective.