Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 8 Comments

The end of … “You’ve got mail!”

These Posts will continue (at least for a while) … the excerpts and full posts are and will continue to be at: www.ImagesOfOldHawaii.com.

However, the subscriptions and email notifications through MailChimp will end, soon.  This will not necessarily be a weaning process, more like cold turkey.

In the past, I have been charged varying amounts from MailChimp to send the email notification of the daily posts.  Prior to when I stopped (after 8 ½-years of posting), I paid between $20 and $40 per month.  That was fine.

When I recently restarted, the fee from MailChimp was a little over $50 per month.  Again, doable.

However, the challenge with my present subscription with MailChimp is that it covers 30,000 emails per month.  If I exceed that, it is an additional $10 per every additional 300 emails.

I have almost email 1,500 subscribers (and its growing daily); for a 30-day month, that is 45,000 emails per month.

For the past few weeks I have been reaching out to MailChimp trying to get something like my prior subscription rate – based on the number of subscribers, not the total number of emails.

To allow for more emails per month, the next level of service from MailChimp costs almost $300 per month. 

I do not have a reasonable resolution.

At one time, I considered monetizing these posts.  However, over the years it became clear to me that the goal was never about making money, it was about learning about the place that I live and sharing what I learn.

So, I am not going to charge – that is counter-productive and flies in the face of the whole intent.  I am also not going to ask for ‘donations’ – that is the same thing (so don’t send any money).

I concluded that I need to cancel the email subscription component of this process and cancel my relationship with MailChimp.

Nothing else really changes.

The excerpts and full posts are at: www.ImagesOfOldHawaii.com.  New posts are programed for publication at 12:01 am (HST) each day.

If you want to keep seeing daily historical posts from me, you will need to change your habit and go to that website (and not rely on the email reminder).

In addition, excerpts and links to the full posts are on:

The auto-posting to these other sites is not fail-safe.  Just this morning, both Facebook and LinkedIn did not get the message.  So, I manually posted there.

Again, if you really want to see these, the most assured way to get the latest is going to www.ImagesOfOldHawaii.com.

If you are not used to going directly to www.ImagesOfOldHawaii.com, it is really simple:

  • Once you click the link, you will get to the home page.  The three most recent posts are there – on the left is today’s post, the middle is yesterday’s and the right has the post from day before.
  • Every day, the new post will fill the left position and the others will shift to the right.
  • The site has the ability to look at prior posts – go to “Archive” – and from there you see older posts and/or you can do a word search, depending on what you want to look for.

Over the years, I have seen that the Facebook algorithms support those that engage in the posts.

If you occasionally Like, Comment or otherwise engage, you are more likely to see future posts.  Those that simply read and move on have been known to have future posts not show up in their feed.

I am sorry about dropping this email service; I hope you understand.

Thanks,

Peter.

PS.  Again, if you want to continue to read the daily posts, I encourage you to go directly to www.ImagesOfOldHawaii.com (after 12:01 am (HST) each day for the latest post).

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Sinking of the Two Carthaginians

The Wandia was built in Denmark in 1921 as a three-masted schooner.  Captain Peterson used her to haul general cargo in the Baltic for some 30 years.  She then had a few years of service as a commercial fishing boat in Iceland, and later hauled cargo in Central America.

In 1964, Robert Tucker Thompson (‘Tucker’) flew to Costa Rica to deliver a yacht back to Newport Beach. Sailing up the coast of Central America, there were stories of a Baltic trading schooner that was just ahead.

“Wandia” was anchored in Acapulco; when Tucker arrived, he was interested in the boat and the owner was considering selling. … Several months later, the ship arrived in San Diego and the deal was done. (Tucker’s father worked as a film processor in the movie industry.)

Then the ship needed to go to work. Tucker sent letters and photos to all the film studios. A film of James Michener’s 1959 book “Hawaii” was about to be made by Mirisch. The studio had one ship, but also needed a whaling ship.  Tucker and the production entered into a purchase/re-purchase agreement.

Re-rigging took place in San Pedro harbor (LA) in a rushed ‘Hollywood‘ manner – dismantling and building taking place almost simultaneously. The “Wandia” was then named the “Carthaginian” (the name James Michener gave the whaling boat in his novel).  (Tucker)

“In addition to changed rigging, the Carthaginian also had the special equipment necessary to a whaling career installed. Such things as the small boats used to harpoon whales …”

“… as well as lookout hoops for sighting their quarry, equipment for removing blubber, and many other items, were added. At the same time, the entire hull was completely checked and repairs or replacements effected.”  (McConkey)

The original script eliminated the arrival of the New England missionaries in Hawaii, a key element of the original story, but include Rev. Abner Hale and his wife, Jerusha (Max Von Sydow and Julie Andrews), a missionary couple.

An October 24, 1964 news conference in Honolulu announced the production would be filmed in Hawaii.  Filming for the movie began February 22, 1965, about as far from the islands as one can be: 150 miles above the Arctic Circle, off Bodo, Norway.  In the spring, filming moved to New England.  (McWhorter, Star Advertiser)

On June 9, 1965, filming began on Oahu at an Army facility at Makua.  Most of the production crew stayed at the brand-new Ilikai Hotel; the lead actors rented homes on Diamond Head Road and Kahala Avenue.

The Mirisch Corp. brought 168 people from Hollywood to Hawaii for filming and hired 200 local technicians and 700 local residents as extras. Ten locals were cast to portray missionaries, among them Bette Midler, a 1963 Radford High School graduate.

The theme song of “Hawaii” eventually was altered to become the longtime KGMB jingle, “One of the good things about Hawaii … is wonderful … KGMB.”

A combination of wind, rain, sun, sand, dirt and military helicopters buzzing above delayed production an extra month at Makua.

Filming concluded on Oahu on November 10, 1965. (McWhorter, Star Advertiser)

When filming finished and the movie company no longer needed the ship, the re-purchase option was executed. Tucker and family moved aboard and took on crew for a trip around the Islands and to California, with plans for a South Pacific cruise.

While anchored off Lahaina, Larry Windley, director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, urged the members to consider purchasing the ship for a museum; by the time the ship reached Hilo, representatives had arrived there with a proposal ready for signing, to take effect when the South Pacific cruise had finished.

“Carthaginian” continued on to the west coast.  Then, arrangements were made for the voyage of the “Carthaginian” to the Marquesas, Society Islands and Hawaii.  (Tucker)

“The first Carthaginian owned and operated by the restoration foundation as a floating museum since 1966 when it was purchased for $75,000, had been rigged out to represent a three-masted bark, similar to the type that brought the early missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands.”

A few years later, tragedy struck; the Carthaginian “sank in April 1972 after it was caught on a reef in the Lahaina channel while being sailed to Honolulu for an annual dry-dock checkup.” (Star Bulletin, April 9, 1977)

“Efforts to save her were given up when it was discovered that the ship had a 12-foot hole in its hull and a broken keel. … the 51-year-old- ship will be towed out to sea where it will be sunk.”  Star Bulletin, April 4, 1972)

“Efforts to find a replacement for the vessel were begun immediately.  The search lasted several months and involved a hunt in shipyards around the world until the discovery of what was considered the perfect replacement.”

“The new Carthaginian, a 52-year old cargo ship named the Komet was found in Trollhatten, Sweden and purchased by the foundation for $25,000.” (Star Bulletin, April 9, 1977)

Carthaginian II was a 97-foot steel-hulled sailing boat that was converted into a replica whaling ship and floating museum to replace the popular Carthaginian tourist attraction.

A big point was made that she was exactly the same size as the ‘Thaddeus,’ the brig that brought the first missionaries to Hawaii from Boston. Visitors were invited to imagine what it must have been like for the missionaries, tossing across the waves for many months crammed inside her.

The boat was built in 1920 in Kiel, Germany at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft shipyard and was once run as a two-master. Later the boat was converted to diesel power and in the Baltic Sea used as a freighter for cement.

She was renamed Carthaginian II and restored over several years.  Masts made of spruce, a deck of eucalyptus, and other details for a whaling supply ship of the 19th century were installed.

Upon completion of the renovations, the Carthaginian II served as a floating museum in Lahaina Harbor from 1978 to 2001.  (Atlantis Artificial Reef FEA)

But age caught up with her, finally. It was decided that refurbishing the old ship was cost-prohibitive and, anyway, she would probably not survive being towed to Oahu for the repairs. Meanwhile, she was becoming a potential safety hazard sitting in the harbor. (Maui 24/7)

In 2003, the Lahaina Restoration Society asked Atlantis Submarine Maui, a tour company featuring underwater ocean tours, for help in exploring whether she could be used as an artificial reef off the Lahaina coast. The company, which had been offering submarine tours off Lahaina since 1991, agreed. (Maui 24/7)

After permitting, then came the sinking of Carthaginian II … In 2005, the boat was towed half a mile away from the coast and sunk to create an artificial reef, and now stands at a water depth of about 100-feet and also serves as a destination for diving expeditions.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Half Full or Half Empty?

I heard this decades ago; it moved me then, and it moves me whenever I think of it. I thought now is a good time to share it with others.

As we look to the future and address our challenges, let’s first address the proverbial question:

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

For some, the involved, the optimistic, the problem solvers, the glass is half-full.

We also realize there are others who will see the glass as half-empty.

Yet, there are a few who will see the glass 100% full: some air, some water and a sparkle of light.

Air, water and light.

Air:
In old Hawai‘i, the air of your breath – “Ha” – symbolized life, your breath of life. “Ha” is your spirit, your heritage.

Water:
In Hawai‘i and essentially in all cultures – water meant life and growth. In Hawai‘i – “Wai” – fresh water; a life force – it meant abundance and wealth.

Light:
Light symbolizes the creator – “I” – Supreme.

Ha – wai – i … the place of life’s breath with abundant life-giving waters of the Creator.

The world is changing; let’s work together and change it for the better.

The challenge is to improve people’s lives, without compromising Hawai‘i’s special economic, social, cultural or environmental qualities.

There are many challenges ahead, problems to solve, issues to address and opportunities to explore.

Let’s work together and continue to make Hawai‘i a great place to live.

If the answers were easy we wouldn’t be here.

We need to work together, stay informed and share what we learn.

Keep in context another important Hawaiian term – Aloha.

Aloha is more than a word of greeting or farewell.

Aloha means love, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity; greeting, salutation, regards; sweetheart, lover, loved one; beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable; to love, be fond of; to show kindness, mercy, charity …

Aloha means mutual regard and affection – and extends warmth, generosity and caring … with no obligation in return.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

 

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Deadly Don (HHR Revival)

It is a long run – some 5,000 miles – from Valparaiso, Chile to Papeete, Tahiti. In the late spring of 1841 the American bark Don Quixote, 260 tons burthen, plowed its way along this path. Captain John Paty was bound Honolulu via Tahiti, on the home passage of a round trip to Chile.

A few days out of Valparaiso it came – the sudden high fever and nausea, the blinding headache and the back pains, the dreaded rash, and finally, on the ninth day, the pustules that can turn a man into a mass of putrefaction.

Eight Hawaiians made up half of the Don’s crew. Six of them caught the pestilence; before Tahiti was raised they were dead.  Two lucky Hawaiians, already immunized, escaped the fatal virus.

On June 12 the Don Quixote made port.

Paty warned off the Pilot, who reported the sickness on board. Governor Paraita of Tahiti conferred with his advisers among the foreign residents. All agreed the vessel should stand off.

What happened next is in dispute.

Paty, reporting twelve years after the event, said that the Don Quixote lay under quarantine for fifteen days , that she stayed only three days after quarantine was lifted, that she employed a few Tahitians on board while in Papeete, and that about three days after she left, one of the employed men fell ill.

Samuel R. Blackler was the US consul at the Society Islands,. At the time he was locked in bitter controversy with the Tahitian authorities.

The Tahitians, trying to oust Blackler, told this story:

“When the sickness became known, Paraita urged that the Don Quixote stop at Matavai, a few miles east of Papeete.”

“Within less than a week Blackler declared the bark safe and demanded she be brought to Papeete, to discharge and copper.”

“Paraita refused, but the Don entered port.  The consul then insisted that cargo be landed.  Again Paraita refused.”

“On June 17 Blackler handed the governor a paper threatening a penalty of $40,511.”

“Paraita, though still withholding consent, relaxed vigilance.”

“On June 19 those aboard the vessel came ashore near Blackler’s house and discharged and sold goods.”

“Soon after the bark sailed a white man died of the pestilence, and two Tahitians soon shared his fate.”

“By August the disease was devouring the island.”

“Blackler, knowing the horror carried in the Don Quixote, was a deliberate killer.”

Paraita ‘s letter charged many other sins to Blackler’s account.

The consul attacked it as an ‘accumulation of falsehoods’, without making direct reference to the epidemic.

Just how long was the quarantine?

The evidence is inconclusive.

Blackler did issue the Don Quixote a bill of health, but as usual did not record the date of the fee.

Was the consul guilty of mass murder?

We know only that he survived the accusation.

This fact, however, is certain: In June of 1841 Honolulu’s deadly Don brought smallpox to Tahiti.

Click the link for the full listing.

https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Deadly-Don-HHR-Revival-Greer.pdf

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

15th Century

Folks describe different ‘phases’ or ‘periods’ of human settlement and agricultural development in the Islands over time. Different people use different terms for each of these (some use varying timeframes, as well,) but they seem to generally fall into Settlement, Development, Expansion and ultimately Post-Contact.

Settlement – AD 1000-1400

It is believed that initial Polynesian discovery and settlement of the Hawaiian Islands occurred between approximately AD 1000 and 1200. (Kirch) This effectively started the ‘Settlement’ phase.

For generations, the small, slowly growing population clustered around shore sites near streams that supplied them with water. Such sites are best for inshore fishing.

The food plants of Hawaiʻi can be divided into three groups: those known as staple foods (the principal starchy foods – kalo (taro,) ʻuala (sweet potato,) ʻulu (breadfruit,) etc;) those of less importance (to add nutrients and variety to the diet;) and those known as famine foods. (Krauss)

Kamakau states that there were no chiefs in the earliest period of settlement but that they came “several hundred years afterward … when men became numerous.”

Development- AD 1400-1650

Archaeological evidence indicates a chronology of household expansion (and, by inference, to population growth, as well as increased managerial presence and a desire to produce higher yields) starting about this time. The Islands evolved from shifting cultivation into a stable form of agriculture. Likewise, a formalization of governance was taking shape.

Dr Marion Kelly noted there were three main technological advances resulting in food production intensification that started to evolve: (a) loko i‘a, walled fishponds, (b) lo‘i, terraced pondfields with their irrigation systems and (c) systematic dry-land field cultivation organized by vegetation zones.

In addition, this movement toward a centralization of government allowed for development and maintenance of large projects, such as irrigation systems, large taro loʻi, large fish ponds, heiau and trails.

Expansion – AD 1650-Contact (1778)

A population peak (usually estimated at several hundred thousand) was reached around 1650 AD, more than 100 years before contact with Europeans.

It was at this population peak, or shortly before, that Hawaiians began to inhabit less favorable coastline areas and barren zones between the coast and upland agricultural sites and to develop extensive dryland agricultural systems in marginal regions. (Cuddihy)

Large-scale irrigation works and permanent field systems were developed during the expansion period. Settlements were intruding into increasingly marginal environments, including the interiors of leeward valleys and the higher elevation slopes. Population densities in the fertile windward valleys increased, although densities in tablelands and elsewhere were much lower.

Post Contact – After 1778

At the time of Captain Cook’s arrival (1778-1779), the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four chiefdoms: (1) the island of Hawaiʻi under the rule of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who also had possession of the Hāna district of east Maui; (2) Maui (except the Hāna district,) Molokai, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe, ruled by Kahekili; (3) Oʻahu, under the rule of Kahahana; and (4) Kauai and Niʻihau, Kamakahelei was ruler.

It was not necessarily a peaceful time. Island rulers, Aliʻi or Mōʻī, typically ascended to power through familial succession and warfare. In those wars, Hawaiians were killing Hawaiians; sometimes the rivalries pitted members of the same family against each other.

In addition to deaths in wars, epidemics of infections added to the decline in Hawaiʻi’s population from approximately 300,000 at the time of Captain Cook’s arrival in 1778 to 135,000 in 1820 and 53,900 in 1876.

The Islands at the Time of Columbus (During the Development Phase – AD 1400-1650)

At about the time Christopher Columbus was crossing the Atlantic to America (1492 – he was looking for an alternate trade route to the East Indies,) exciting stuff was happening in the Hawaiian Islands.

The political governance and land management system by Aliʻi-ai-moku, was expanding and developing after two centuries since its inception, and there was a wake of progress taking place on our shores.

In this general timeframe, and not necessarily contemporaries, the Aliʻi-ai-moku (Island rulers) across the chain were: Mā‘ilikūkahi on Oʻahu, Piʻilani on Maui, ʻUmi-a-Līloa on Hawaiʻi and Kukona on Kauaʻi.

Māʻilikūkahi – Oʻahu

Soon after becoming aliʻi, Māʻilikūkahi moved to Waikīkī. He was probably one of the first chiefs to live there. Up until this time Oʻahu chiefs had typically lived at Waialua and ‘Ewa. From that point on, with few exceptions, Waikīkī remained the Royal Center of Oʻahu aliʻi, until Kamehameha I moved the seat to Honolulu.

Māʻilikūkahi is noted for clearly marking and reorganizing land division palena (boundaries) on O‘ahu. Defined palena brought greater productivity to the lands; lessened conflict and was a means of settling disputes of future aliʻi who would be in control of the bounded lands; protected the commoners from the chiefs; and brought (for the most part) peace and prosperity.

What is commonly referred to as the ‘ahupuaʻa system’ is a result of the firm establishment of palena (boundaries.) Ahupuaʻa served as a means of managing people and taking care of the people who support them, as well as an easy form of collection of tributes by the chiefs.

Piʻilani – Maui

According to oral tradition, Piʻilani unified the entire island of Maui, bringing together under one rule the formerly-competing eastern (Hāna) and western (Wailuku) multi-district kingdoms of the Island. Chief Piʻilani (“stairway to heaven”) unified West Maui and ruled in peace and prosperity. His territory included Nā Hono a Pi‘ilani, the six West Maui bays, a place he frequented.

Piʻilani’s prosperity was exemplified by a boom in agriculture and construction of heiau, fishponds, trails and irrigation systems. Famed for his energy and intelligence, Piʻilani constructed the West Maui phase of the noted Alaloa, or long trail (also known as the King’s Highway.)

His son, Kihapiʻilani laid the East Maui section and connected the island. This trail was the only ancient pathway to encircle any Hawaiian island (not only along the coast, but also up the Kaupō Gap and through the summit area and crater of Haleakalā.)

ʻUmi – Hawaiʻi Island

ʻUmi-a-Līloa (ʻUmi) from Waipiʻo, son of Līloa, defeated Kona chief Ehunuikaimalino and united the island of Hawai‘i. He then moved his Royal Center from Waipi‘o to Kona. At about the time of ʻUmi, a significant new form of agriculture was developed in Kona; he is credited with starting it. Today, archaeologists call the unique method of farming in this area the ‘Kona Field System.’

The Kona Field System was planted in long, narrow fields that ran across the contours, along the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualālai. This intensive agricultural activity changed farming and agricultural production on the western side of Hawai’i Island; the Kona field system was quite large, extending from Kailua to south of Honaunau

The Kona Field System was described as “the most monumental work of the ancient Hawaiians.” The challenge of farming in Kona is to produce a flourishing agricultural economy in an area subject to frequent droughts, with no lakes or streams for irrigation.

Kukona – Kauai

Kukona became a symbol of the very highest ideals of chivalry in battle, was born in Kōloa and fought his defining battle at Poʻipū.

During the 15th century, an ambitious chief of Hawaiʻi who had already conquered three other islands, tried to seize Kauaʻi. He was accompanied into battle by the combined armies and chiefs of Maui, Molokai and Oʻahu. The war is known as the War of Ka‐welewele. The much smaller forces defending Kauaʻi, led by Kukona and his son Manokalanipo, soundly defeated the invaders after leading them inland and then surrounding them at the shore.

Kukona captured all four chiefs of Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu, Maui and Molokai. He had the opportunity to kill them all and assume leadership over the islands. However, he preferred peace and allowed them to return safely home with a promise that they never again make war on Kauaʻi. This peace lasted for four hundred years.

What about Puna?

The Islands were at peace, the population was growing and new intensified means of feeding the subsistence society were being developed. However, in Puna, there was a disturbance in the forest …

The longest recorded eruption at Kīlauea, arguably, was the ʻAilāʻau eruption and lava flow in the 15th century, which may be memorialized in the Pele-Hiʻiaka chant. It was the largest in Hawaiʻi in more than 1,000-years.

The flow was named after ʻAilāʻau, who was known and feared by all the people. ʻAi means the “one who eats or devours.” Lāʻau means “tree” or a “forest.” (He was the fire god before Pele arrived at Hawaiʻi Island.)

The eruption probably lasted about 60 years, ending around 1470. This large volume of lava covered a huge area, about 166 square miles (over 106,000-acres) – larger than the Island of Lānaʻi.

From the summit of the ʻAilāʻau shield, pāhoehoe lava flowed 25-miles northeastward, making it all the way to the coast. Lava covered all, or most, of what are now Mauna Loa Estates, Royal Hawaiian Estates, Hawaiian Orchid Island Estates, Fern Forest Vacation Estates, Eden Rock Estates, Crescent Acres, Hawaiian Acres, Orchid Land Estates, ʻAinaloa, Hawaiian Paradise Park and Hawaiian Beaches. (USGS)

Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death

There is a new disturbance in the forest …

Click HERE for more information on the Historic Periods, Agriculture Intensification, the 15th Century Rulers and the Forest.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Pre-contact Footprint-Hawaiian Islands-GoogleEarth-OHA-TNC
Pre-contact Footprint-Hawaiian Islands-GoogleEarth-OHA-TNC