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Day 135 – March 5, 1820

March 5, 1820 – Lord’s Day. – Lat. S. 3 . Weather variable and rainy. Disappointed in not having privilege of preaching on deck. A meeting in the morning for prayer and exposition of the Scriptures, and in the afternoon a lecture below from Jonah 1:6. We acknowledge the necessity of increased zeal and activity in the cause of divine Master. This evening one of the mates expressed some concern for his salvation. May He who loves to see the wandering prodigal return, hear our prayer and graciously guide and receive him. O for the reviving and sanctifying Spirit of God to carry on his glorious work. (Thaddeus Journal)

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ni‘ihau Lakes

Ni‘ihau was formed from a single shield volcano approximately 4.89-million years ago, making it slightly younger in age than Kaua‘i.

It is approximately 70-square miles or 44,800-acres, and sea cliffs are a prominent feature of the eastern coast. Approximately 78-percent of the island is below 500-feet in elevation.

Ni‘ihau has no perennial streams. Among Ni‘ihau’s most unique natural features are several intermittent lakes.

Halulu Lake is a natural freshwater lake covering approximately 182 acres and Halāli‘i Lake is an intermittent lake covering approximately 841 acres (considered the largest lake in Hawai‘i.)

These lakes are sometimes called “playa” or “intermittent lakes.” This is because the water comes from rainfall, which only averages between 20 to 40 inches per year on Ni‘ihau. During dry years, the lakes are typically dry.

The lakes provide habitat for ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coot), ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt) and koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck).

The lakes and island fit into a story about the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks.

As early as 1924, it was reported that the military had predicted a possible attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor.

Back then, they even suggested that the remote and relatively vacant island of Niʻihau might be used as a staging area for the attack.

The obvious concern was that Japanese could land their attack planes on the open and level areas on the island.

Niʻihau owner, Alymer Robinson, took it upon himself to take precautions against the Japanese landing on Niʻihau by plowing trenches in the dry lake bed to preventing planes from landing and taking-off.

Plowing using mules began in 1933. In 1937, a small tractor was purchased to expedite the furrowing. Reportedly, they had crisscrossed the island with over 5000 miles of furrows.

The tractor continued to be used as a farm implement until around 1957.

On December 7, 1941 a Zero did crash land on Niʻihau, changing the lives of those who lived there and the lives of thousands of American citizens of Japanese descent.

(In 2004, I had the opportunity to visit Niʻihau (landing at a Navy facility at the top of the pali, as well as circling most of the island by helicopter.)

I saw the still-remaining furrow-work throughout the Niʻihau lakes. The image shows one of the lakes and you can see the patch-work furrows cut into the lake bottom.

The tractor used by the Robinsons is on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. (Some photos and portions of this text are from information from pacificaviationmuseum-org newsletter and on flickr-com (WallyGobetz.))

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Niihau_Lake_criss-cross_furrows
Niihau_Lake_criss-cross_furrows
Niihau_Lake_criss-cross_furrows
Niihau_Lake_criss-cross_furrows
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Niihau_lake-GoogleEarth
Niihau_lake-GoogleEarth

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Ahuʻena Heiau

After uniting the Hawaiian kingdom, King Kamehameha the Great returned from Oʻahu to Historic Kailua Village in 1812 to rule from his compound at Kamakahonu.

Here, he could see the vast upslope crops known as the Kona Field System as well as the strategic positioning of Kailua Bay.

Reconstructed by King Kamehameha the Great between 1812 – 1813, the Ahuʻena Heiau (“red-hot heap” “burning altar”) is on the register of National Historic Landmarks as one of the most important of Hawaii’s historic sites.

This was the center of political power in the Hawaiian kingdom during Kamehameha’s golden years and his highest advisors gathered at Ahuʻena Heiau nightly.

Many descriptions and illustrations of the impressive Ahuʻena Heiau, the religious temple that served Kamehameha, were done by early voyagers. The distinctive anuʻu (oracle tower) indicated a heiau of ruling chiefs.

As Kamehameha rose to power, Ahuʻena was deemed among the most powerful heiau of the island of Hawaiʻi.

Ahuʻena Heiau served his seat of government as he ruled the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

It was a luakini or a temple where human sacrifice was conducted. Upon this temple was the Lana Nuʻu Mamao (Oracle Tower) a feature not a part of every heiau of that period.

As the King returned to Kailua in 1812, Kona was suffering from famine. Kamehameha directed his attention towards food production and care of the land.

He dedicated Ahuʻena Heiau to Lono, god of healing and prosperity of the land.

Ahuʻena became a heiau māpele, a thatched temple for the worship of Lono and the increase of food, concerned with success of crops. It was also used for the training of Liholiho as a future heir and for many political purposes.

Three momentous events occurred here that established Ahuʻena Heiau as the most historically significant site in Hawaii:
• In the early morning hours of May 8, 1819 King Kamehameha I died here.
• A few months after the death of his father, in a time of political consternation and threat of civil war, Liholiho (Kamehameha II) broke the ancient kapu system, a highly defined regime of taboos that provided the framework of the traditional Hawaiian government.
• The first Christian missionaries from New England were granted permission to come ashore here on April 4, 1820.

In August of 1823 when the Reverend William Ellis visited the area he observed that Ahu`ena had been converted into a fort:
“Adjacent to the governor’s house stand the ruins of Ahuena, an ancient heiau, where the war-god was often kept, and human sacrifices offered.”

“Since the abolition of idolatry, the governor has converted it into a fort, has widened the stone wall next the sea, and placed upon it a number of cannon.”

“The idols are all destroyed, excepting three, which are planted on the wall, one at each end, and the other in the centre, where they stand like sentinels amidst the guns, as if designed, by their frightful appearance, to terrify an enemy.”

The present Ahuʻena was rebuilt in the 1970s as an accurate 2/3-scale model replica and continues to be restored and maintained.

The current restored Ahuʻena Heiau is more properly a restoration of Ahuʻena House, a personal/residential heiau built by Kamehameha sometime around 1813.

Today, beside the Heiau and the Hale Lua, the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel holds their nightly lūʻau and Polynesian entertainment. Ahuʻena Heiau Inc., formed in 1993 to permanently guide the restoration and maintenance of the property.

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Temple_on_the_Island_of_Hawaii_by_Louis_Choris_ink,ink_wash_and_watercolor_over_pencil_1816
Temple_on_the_Island_of_Hawaii_by_Louis_Choris_ink,ink_wash_and_watercolor_over_pencil_1816
Kamakahonu_Cove-1954 (Ahuena Heiau Inc)
Kamakahonu_Cove-1954 (Ahuena Heiau Inc)
The platform of the Ahu'ena Heiau was restored by Amfac in 1950 using visible alignments for the foundation-(Ahuena Heiau Inc)
The platform of the Ahu’ena Heiau was restored by Amfac in 1950 using visible alignments for the foundation-(Ahuena Heiau Inc)
Ahuena Heiau
Ahuena Heiau
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Ahuena Heiau-Her Kane
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Kamehameha_at_Kamakahonu-(HerbKane)
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King_Kamehameha_Hotel-(the_former_hotel)-1960s-1970s
Ahuena Heiau
Ahuena Heiau
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Kamakahonu-Kekahuna-Map
Ahuena_Heiau-Kekahuna_Map-(BishopMuseum)-SP 201857
Ahuena_Heiau-Kekahuna_Map-(BishopMuseum)-SP 201857

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Day 137 – March 7, 1820

March 7, 1820 – Last evening we were favored again with a precious season in observing the Monthly Concert. When we look back 4 weeks to our last concert on the 7th of Feb. and see the distance we have sailed and the very great and constant prosperity with which we have been favored we have reason to believe that the blessings of heaven have been showered down upon us every day in answer to the prayers of that concert. We have passed, in this short period, almost the whole distance from Cape Horn to the Equator, that is about 50° Northing and 30° Westing. It is the opinion of some of the officers that no vessel ever passed more rapidly or prosperously from the Cape to this place than the Thaddeus. We rejoice on our own account, but more on account of the cause we have espoused. No reproach can now fall upon the cause of Missions under the pretense that the business of commerce is shackled or hindered by it. We rejoice, too, in the hope that our next monthly concert will be attended on heathen ground. (Thaddeus Journal)

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