Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Hawaiian Food

When the American Protestant missionaries arrived in the Islands in 1820, they had to adapt to a new diet; for the most part, the missionaries had a very Hawaiian diet. Fish (i‘a), taro (kalo), poi, pigs (pua‘a), chickens (moa), bananas (mai‘a), sweet potatoes (‘uala) were regular parts of the missionary diet. (HMCS) Much of the food came in the form of gifts from the ali‘i. According to the account books, these gifts of food from the ali‘i occurred virtually daily for over 10 years.

In addition, the missionary diet included: melons, squashes, cabbages, cucumbers, green corn, beans, fresh pork, goat, goat’s milk, bread, rice, mountain apples, bananas, pineapples, butter, wine, plus spices such as cinnamon and allspice, beef, and fish. The missionaries also ate New England foods shipped to them: dried apple rings, sea biscuits, salted beef and pork, and things made from wheat flour. The aliʻi also provided the missionaries land so they could grow their own food.

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Ali‘i Letters – Nahienaena to Stewart (1828)

Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives (Mission Houses) collaborated with Awaiaulu Foundation to digitize, transcribe, translate and annotate over 200-letters written by 33-Chiefs. In this letter, Harriet Nahi‘ena‘ena, who briefly describes her devotion to the word of God and updates Stewart about the passing of Henrietta Haletii and Kekauōnohi’s marriage to Keali‘iahonui.

In part, it notes, “I have a thought to communicate to you – In former times when you dwelt in the midst of us, the word of God had not taken deep root in this land. “But now the reality of the wonderful power of God here, is distinctly to be seen. I greatly exalt in the witness of the blessings received by my own soul. On this point I cannot write more fully at present.”

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Aliʻi Letters – La‘anui to Ruggles (1827)

Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives (Mission Houses) collaborated with Awaiaulu Foundation to digitize, transcribe, translate and annotate over 200-letters written by 33-Chiefs. In this letter, Gideon Laʻanui writes to Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles regarding cloth, expressing his affection to people there, and promoting faith in God.

In part, it notes, “Great affection to you all; may we all be saved through Jesus. Here is my little message to you, Ruggles. Deliver my cloth. If it is with Maalo, then Kamahiainui should go get it, and once you see it, send it on one of your people’s ships, then document that and give it to Mr. Chamberlain. … Relay my affectionate thoughts to the faithful men there and the faithful women there.”

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Hale Pa‘i

“Perhaps never since the invention of printing was a printing press employed so extensively as that has been at the Sandwich islands, with so little expense, and so great a certainty that every page of its productions would be read with attention and profit. The language of the islands has been reduced to writing, and in a form so precise, that five vowels and seven consonants, or twelve letters in the whole, represent all the sounds which have yet been discovered in the native tongue. And as each of these letters has a fixed and certain sound, the art of reading, spelling, and writing the language is made far easier than it is with us.”

“On the 7th of January, 1822, a year and eight months from the time of our receiving the governmental permission to enter the field and teach the people, we commenced printing the language in order to give them letters, libraries, and the living oracles in their own tongue, that the nation might read and understand the wonderful works of God.” “Liho-liho was glad to have the chiefs instructed and took 100 copies of the first primer for his friends and attendants. Ka-ahu-manu took 40 for her friends.” Mission Press also printed newspaper, hymnals, schoolbooks, broadsides, fliers, laws, and proclamations. The Mission Presses printed over 113,000,000-sheets of paper in 20-years.

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Pele and the Missionaries

“Is she (Pele) dead? Does she sleep? or has she only closed her adamantine doors, and with Pluto and Vulcan descended to the fiery bowels of the earth to prepare with deeper secrecy her magazines of wrath which shall one day burst forth with more desolating terror? To us it is a lonely idea that the volcano should become extinct; for we confess that her mutterings, her thunderings, her flashings, the smoke of her nostrils and the shaking of her rocky ribs are music, beauty, sublimity and grandeur to us. They seem so like the voice of Almighty God, so like the footsteps of Deity.” (Lydia Bingham Coan)

“A mighty current instantly overflowed, and they ran for their lives before the molten flood, and ascended from the surface of the abyss to the lofty rim with heartfelt thanksgiving to their great Deliverer. This proves the real danger of meddling with Pele’s palace and trifling with her power. Had this occurred in the days of unbroken superstition, it would doubtless have been ascribed to the anger of that false deity, and multiplied her worshippers. But now such a deliverance was justly ascribed to the care and power of Jehovah, the knowledge of whose attributes displayed in the works of creation, providence, and grace, has introduced the Hawaiian race into a new life.” (Hiram Bingham)