Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Lopaka

In 1790, two Western ships, Simon Metcalf (captaining the Eleanora) and his son Thomas Metcalf (captaining the Fair American) were trading in Hawaiian waters. John Young (aboard the Eleanora) and Isaac Davis (aboard the Fair American) eventually stayed in the Islands, befriended Kamehameha and helped him with fighting with Western war armaments.

A number of muskets, swords, axes, powder and clothing, as well as a brass cannon were recovered from the Fair American, which Kamehameha kept as part of his fleet and arsenal. Kamehameha bestowed the named Lopaka upon the powerful pū kuniahi (cannon.) Reportedly, Lopaka was lashed to a sled and pulled by ropes; in more difficult terrain, it was removed from its carriage and slung from long poles.

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Foreigners and Fire Power

Combat in ancient Hawaiʻi was essentially hand to hand fighting, with various held or thrown weapons (included spears, daggers, clubs, slings, strangling ropes, shark tooth weapons and more.) The cannon and other fire arms – and people who knew how to effectively use them – were pivotal factors in the outcomes of future battles after […]

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Simon Metcalfe – American Fur Trader

Simon Metcalfe (sometimes spelled Metcalf) (1735-1794) was an American fur trader.  He traded furs from the Pacific Northwest for goods from China. Reportedly, Simon Metcalfe was the first American captain to take sea otters on the Northwest Coast and the first American to trade those skins in China. Traders used Hawai‘i as a trading and […]