Peter T Young

July 7, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ka Lanakila O Ka Mālamalama Hoʻomana Naʻauao O Hawaiʻi Church

In ancient times, the windward coast of the island of Lānai was home to many native residents. Maunalei Valley had the only perennial stream on the island and a system of loʻi kalo (taro pond field terraces) supplied taro to the surrounding community.

Sheltered coves, fronted by a barrier reef, provided the residents with access to important fisheries, and allowed for the development of loko iʻa (fishponds), in which various species of fish were cultivated, and available to native tenants, even when the ocean was too rough for the canoes to venture out to sea. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center)

There was once a time in the year 1900 when Keōmoku was the island’s population center, and over 1,000 workers flocked to the town to work in the area’s fledgling sugar plantation.

The plantation built a large community with houses, stores, an inn, a sugar mill and hospital. However, with inadequate finances and water shortages, the plantation failed and closed in March 1901.

In 1903, the Hawaiian families of Lānai joined an association of Hawaiian churches and began construction of a wooden church at Keōmoku. Dedicated on October 4, 1903, the full name of the church was “Ka Lanakila o ka Mālamalama Hoʻomana Naʻauao o Hawaii.”

Ka Lanakila services were performed solely in the Hawaiian language, and structured in three distinct Sunday services, Kula Euanelio, Hālāwai Haipule and Kula Sabati. Families arrived at church before 10 am and remained there through 1 pm.

Also in those early days, no work was allowed on Lāpule (Sunday), so families prepared all food the day prior to service, and then returned home for a quiet day of rest and reflection.

By 1930, the population of Keōmoku Village had mostly moved to the uplands with the development of more extensive ranching operations and the Dole Pineapple Plantation, though Ka Lanakila church remained in regular use until 1951, when Reverend Daniel Kaopuiki, Sr. and his wife, Hattie Kaenaokalani Kaopuiki relocated from Keōmoku to Lānai City.

The town faltered with the closing of the plantation, and in the 1950s the town’s last resident moved to Lānai City. The population of Lānai rapidly declined to around 125 individuals.

By 1954, Ka Lanakila was abandoned and decommissioned as a church, and the land was returned to the owner, the Hawaiian Pineapple Co. In the late 1980s, a restoration project was begun, and large sections of the church wood work were removed and replaced.

Unfortunately, the work was left incomplete, and over the next 20-plus years, siltation buried the footings of the church, and posts and piers below the church rotted. Framing, walls and roofing materials also rotted, and the floors began to sink.

Following lengthy discussions with elder Hawaiians of Lānai – to assess whether Ka Lanakila should be allowed to collapse or if it should be stabilized – it was decided that this historic feature should be cared for.

The Agape Foundation Charitable Trust and Office of Hawaiian Affairs provided major funding for the project, community members and state-wide partners offered support, and Castle & Cooke Resorts, LLC granted a right of entry agreement to the Lānai Culture & Heritage Center to undertake the stabilization work which was begun in October 2010.

While no longer considered a “formal” church by the elder Hawaiian members of Lānai’s community, the building continues to hold a special place in the hearts and minds of the people, who, since its closing in 1951, continued to make visits to Ka Lanakila Church and tried to care for the site.

Several of the Kūpuna (elders) and their ‘ohana (families) hope to once again hold an occasional service at Ka Lanakila, and encourage its respectful use for family gatherings and educational purposes. This historic wooden church is a connection with earlier time in Lānai’s history, and is the last physical structure of what was once the most significant settlement on the island.

The building is 24-feet wide by 40-feet long. Ka Lanakila Church is the last wooden structure existing in the former Keōmoku Village.

Hoʻomana Naʻauao o Hawaiʻi was the first independent Hawaiian Christian organization in the Islands; it was founded by John Kekipi in 1889.

He named his denomination “Hoʻomana Naʻauao,” which non-members translate as meaning “reasonable service.” Its mother church, Ke Alaula oka Mālamalama, is in Honolulu. (Lots of information here from Lānai Culture and Heritage Center; Maly.)

July 6, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Battle of the Equator

Portuguese mariners built an Atlantic empire by colonizing the Canary, Cape Verde, and Azores Islands, as well as the island of Madeira. Merchants then used these Atlantic outposts as debarkation points for subsequent journeys.

From these strategic points, Portugal spread its empire down the western coast of Africa to the Congo, along the western coast of India, and eventually to Brazil on the eastern coast of South America.

It also established trading posts in China and Japan. While the Portuguese didn’t rule over an immense landmass, their strategic holdings of islands and coastal ports gave them almost unrivaled control of nautical trade routes and a global empire of trading posts during the 1400s.

The history of Spanish exploration begins with the history of Spain itself. During the fifteenth century, Spain hoped to gain advantage over its rival, Portugal. The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469 unified Catholic Spain and began the process of building a nation that could compete for worldwide power.

Their goals were to expand Catholicism and to gain a commercial advantage over Portugal. To those ends, Ferdinand and Isabella sponsored extensive Atlantic exploration. Spain’s most famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, was actually from Genoa, Italy.

Spain’s drive to enlarge its empire led other hopeful conquistadors to push further into the Americas, hoping to replicate the success of Cortés and Pizarro.

The exploits of European explorers had a profound impact both in the Americas and back in Europe. An exchange of ideas, fueled and financed in part by New World commodities, began to connect European nations and, in turn, to touch the parts of the world that Europeans conquered. (Lumen)

Over the centuries, there was a rivalry between Spain and Portugal, so it is not unexpected that the sailing of the Orteric in 1911 would include ‘The Battle of the Equator.’

The Orteric was carrying Spanish and Portuguese immigrants to Hawai‘i to work in the Islands’ sugar industry.

“The Orteric sailed from London on February 16 and at Oporto picked up a batch of immigrants, taking on 305 there. At Lisbon 260 people were taken on, and at Gibraltar 960 Spaniards were sent on the vessel.” (Hawaiian Gazette, April 14, 1911)

“The Spanish were easily distinguished from the Portuguese because of their headgear and corduroy clothing. The hats were wide brimmed, full crowned affairs and the corduroy of many colors ranging from dark brown to snuff yellow, showed hard and age in nearly every instance.”

“They all looked with a few exceptions to be people from agricultural districts. One or two were dapper as if they hailed from some city. Poverty was the badge of nearly all and their belongings did not amount to much.”

“The Spaniards are in a majority numbering over nine hundred. On the voyage here they and the Portuguese had many disagreeable clashes and had to be kept in separate portions of the ship … trouble began to brew and it was one-sided, for the Spaniards greatly outnumbered the Portuguese.”

“As usual the women were the cause of the pilikia of the men. The ladies differed and after a little hair pulling the men entered into the fray.” (Hawaiian Gazette, April 14, 1911)

“[A]bout 10 days after leaving Gibraltar there was a riot between the Portuguese and Spanish male passengers, resulting in a pitched battle with knives, clubs, cleavers, and pistols.” (American Marine Engineer, Jan 1912)

“To prevent further trouble the Portuguese passengers were placed aft, while the Spanish passengers were put in the forward part of the vessel.”

“That battle is now referred to among the ships officers as ‘The Battle of the Equator.’ It was quelled by Captain Findlay and the ships officers.” (Hawaiian Gazette, April 14, 1911)

July 5, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

SPAM

In 1926, Geo. A. Hormel & Co. developed the world’s first canned ham. The transfer of leadership of Hormel from father to son Jay C. Hormel brought new products, including Dinty Moore beef stew, Hormel chili and in 1937 a new canned luncheon meat.

The goal of the new luncheon meat product was to produce an affordable canned meat item that was convenient enough to enjoy every day.

A contest was held in 1937 to give the promising new product a name. New York actor, Ken Daigneau, the brother of then Hormel Food vice president, entered with the name “SPAM.” Speculation indicates the name was a way to shorten “SPiced hAM.”

Daigneau won $100 for the contest and, his name is mostly unknown, he went down in the history books as the Bestower of Appellations of one of the most iconic pork product in the world. (HormelFoods)

First introduced on July 5, 1937, SPAM is made with Pork with Ham, Salt, Water, Potato Starch, Sugar and Sodium Nitrite. First, the pork and ham are pre-ground.

Then, salt, sugar and the rest of the ingredients are added and mixed, to reach the desired temperature. From there, the mixture is moved over to the canning line, where it’s filled into the familiar metal cans, 12 ounces at a time.

Once filled, cans are conveyed to a closing machine where lids are applied through vacuum-sealing. Next, the cans are cooked and cooled for about three hours. At this point they’re ready for labels and then they are off to be cased, where they await distribution. (SPAM)

With the passage of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 (this was a pre-US entry into WWII act that set up a system that allowed the US to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed ‘vital to the defense of the United States’) the US gave needed supplies to Great Britain, while remaining ‘officially’ neutral. (HormelFoods & National Archives)

Because of its shelf-stable status (and the fact that it wasn’t rationed like beef), Hormel Foods began shipping the stuff abroad during World War II.

By 1941, Minnesota-based Hormel Foods sent more than 100 million pounds of SPAM to allied troops; by 1944, more than 90% of the canned foods were shipped for government use. (HormelFoods)

The easy-to-pack product became a staple food for GI’s during the war. SPAM sales skyrocketed; by 1959 Hormel had produced their one-billionth can of SPAM. (TasteOfHome)

If you live in a part of the world where US troops were stationed during WWII, you’re probably pretty familiar with SPAM. The product is most popular in these areas, with the most extreme example being Hawai‘i.

Folks in the Islands completely adopted the ham-in-a-can product and consume nearly 7-million cans of SPAM products each year. You’ll find fried eggs and rice with spam for breakfast, SPAM fried wontons as a snack, and sushi-inspired SPAM musubi rolls at nearly every home and restaurant. You’ll even see SPAM on McDonald’s breakfast menu! (HormelFoods)

The product has sold more than nine billion tins since it was introduced on July 5, 1937. More SPAM is consumed per person in Hawai‘i than in any other state in the United States – almost seven million cans of SPAM are eaten every year in Hawai‘i.

SPAM is also a popular ingredient in various Asian cuisines, particularly Korean. South Koreans consume more SPAM than the residents of any other country besides the United States.

Despite having only a sixth of the population of the US, South Koreans consume half as much SPAM each year. The popular Korean dish ‘budae jjigae’ — which translates to ‘Army stew’ or ‘Army base stew’ — developed after the Korean War, when an economic downturn meant that meat was scarce and expensive.

A US Army base in the South Korean city of Uijeongbu had a surplus of various processed food, including SPAM — which ‘was totally new to Koreans’.

As of 2023, SPAM is available in 11 varieties: SPAM Classic, SPAM Lite, SPAM 25% Less Sodium, SPAM Maple Flavored, SPAM with Real HORMEL Bacon, SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey, SPAM Hickory Smoke Flavored, SPAM Hot and Spicy, SPAM Jalapeño, SPAM Teriyaki and SPAM with Tocino Flavoring. (Rousselle)

Another preparation is SPAM Musubi. We can thank Barbara Funamura (from Kauai) for that. Barbara graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in food sciences and nutrition and went on to Ames, Iowa for post-graduate study in institutional management.

“Her first job was as an extension agent at the University of Hawaii. She traveled all over, and when she came home, she was an extension agent until the kids came.”

When she started working after raising the kids, she became the first food supervisor for the Meals on Wheels program before joining Big Save as a supervisor for the Kauai Kitchens.

Barbara Funamura was the originator of the SPAM musubi – SPAM and rice are combined in a musubi (rice ball) wrapped in nori (sheets of dried seaweed.)

“The first one was triangular” her husband said – to differentiate it from the musuburrito, a similar rice-and-chorizo musubi.

Eventually the SPAM musubi was made using a box, morphing it into its now familiar shape. “Barbara saw it and recognized that it was the way to go,” her husband said.

“The sushi would come out all uniform, and it just happens that it fits two slices of SPAM side by side.” (The Garden Island and Kauai Hongwanji.

July 4, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

4th of July in the Islands

Early commemorations/celebrations in the Islands recognizing US Independence on the 4^th of July …

1818

“As is apt to be the case wherever on earth or at sea there are Americans, Independence Day was celebrated.”

“At Honolulu, Saturday, July 4, 1818 there was a dinner provided by Mr. Warren, at which were about twenty white men and the principal chief of the island, Bokee.”

“There were a number of appropriate toasts drunk to American Independence. The day and evening were spent in mirth and harmony.” (James Hunnewell)

1820

“July 4th [1820]. Last evening had a comfortable season in the observance of the Monthly Concert. Great are the tender mercies of our GOD. We find Him present here, strengthening, comforting and cheering our hearts as in our native land.”

“Received, this morning, from Mr. [Anthony] Allen, a present of a large part of a mutton with a squash and our usual bottles of goat’s milk, to observe American Independence.”

“Another piece comes in from Mr. H[unnewell] who had a bit of cheese last night. Our family all take tea together at Capt. Chamberlain’s.” (Sybil Bingham Journal)

1829

“In the summer of 1829, a commodious house of worship for a congregation of 3000 or 4000 Hawaiians was erected at Honolulu, in an improved style, under the auspices of Kaahumanu and Kauikeaouli [Kamehameha III].”

“It was 196 feet in length, and 63 in breadth, covering an area of 12,348 square feet.” [This was the fourth thatched church at Kawaiaha‘o.

“The posts of the building were fifteen or sixteen feet in length, ten inches in diameter, set firmly four or five feet in the earth, inclining a little inward, the better to resist the lateral pressure of the roof. …”

“Great interest was felt by many in the erection of this building; and when it was completed, and ‘the doors of this immense tabernacle were set up,’ the women spread the entire earth floor of 12,300 feet with clean mats for seats.”

“Care was taken to have a dedicatory service favorable to the advancement of the nation, and preparation was made on the part of the king and chiefs to appear, not as mere spectators of Christian services, not as a company of rude heathen consecrating a polluted fane to the service of the abominable deities of heathenism by the sacrifice of human victims …”

“… but as a Christian and civilized ‘people whose God is the Lord,’ and ‘who know the joyful sound’ of his salvation, offering him such service as they were able to give.”

“On the 3d of July this house was opened for worship, and some four thousand persons assembled in it, with the queen regent, the king, and princess [Nāhi‘ena‘ena] , and most of the leading personages of the nation, and joined in the solemn dedicatory services.”

“Most of the congregation sat upon the mats very closely together, three to a square yard, or one to three square feet. Hundreds were without about the doors and windows, not able to find room within. …”

“When the great congregation was ready, the king rose, and in a handsome, appropriate manner said, in few words, ‘Chiefs, teachers, and commons, hear: we have assembled here to dedicate to Jehovah, my God, this house of prayer, which I have built for him. Here let us worship him, listen to the voice of his ministers, and obey his word.’ …”

“The great congregation, in their best attire, presenting a cloud of faces turned toward the speaker, listened with attention to the exhibition of God’s condescension, kindness, and faithfulness to his church; and the duty, happiness, and blessed results of acknowledging and worshipping him in the sanctuary.”

“After the sermon and dedicatory prayer, the princess, whom Kaahumanu regarded as the future partner of the throne, and who had been somewhat accustomed openly to counsel their own people …”

“… in a very dignified and impressive manner, acknowledged the supremacy of God, the King of heaven, over them all, and their duty to give him the homage of their hearts, and exhorted the people to remember and regard what her brother had said. …”

“Rarely have we, for any single day, felt more deep solicitude to save the young king from the power of the world’s temptations, than on the fourth of July, the day succeeding the happy dedication, when the birth of American Independence was celebrated by a festival among foreigners which, patriotic as we were …”

“… we could have wished for that time had been on the other side of the great waters, lest the excitement of the hilarity, the roar of cannon, the sparkling wine moving itself and giving its color in the cup, and the flatteries and solicitations of those who loved such things …”

“… would entirely overcome his youthful resolutions to maintain sobriety and dignity, or lead him to dishonor the cause he had so well advocated the preceding day.”

“The following day, the first Sabbath after the dedication, a great concourse joyfully assembled again in the new, and to us and them, beautiful house of God, though its architecture and external decorations would hardly distinguish it from a grass thatched shed for canoes, except by its length, the number of windows and doors, and the glass over the four principal doors at the two ends.”

“Twelve hopeful converts were baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and fourteen other hopeful converts stood up before the congregation of worshippers, after they had been carefully examined by the church, and, at their earnest request, were publicly announced as candidates for admission, and who were subsequently received. …”

“Among the multitude who, at that period, came to us confessing their sins, asking instruction in the way of salvation, and proposing to give themselves to God as his servants …”

“…there were at Honolulu about five hundred registered as members of a meeting of inquiry who met from week to week, and who were taught and expected to attend to Christian duties, and to take the Word of God as their guide. …” (Hiram Bingham, 21 Years)

1840

The 4th of July was celebrated by a large number of the American residents here, who gave a dinner at the house of Ha‘alilio, in the valley of Manoa. The King and his suite, with many other invited guests were present.

The party left town together, forming a strong cavalcade, and as they rode along the plain, presented a gay and cheerful appearance.

The dinner was cooked in native style, and the manner of partaking nearly so. The dishes were placed upon mats on the floor, and the party arranged themselves around this primitive table in such attitudes as best suited their case or convenience.

Many toasts were drank, and the festivities were enlivened by a variety of fine songs.

Nothing occurred to interrupt the harmony of the scene, and although not confined exclusively to Americans, every one appeared to be united in the celebration of the day.

Salutes were fired at morning, noon and sunset, from the fort and from some of the vessels in the harbor. (The Polynesian, July 11, 1840)

Here are some other brief American Revolutionary War highlights (and some other July 4 events:)

1775

March 23 – Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech
April 18 – The rides of Paul Revere and William Davis
April 19 – Minutemen and redcoats clash at Lexington and Concord “The shot heard round the world”
June 17 – Battle of Bunker Hill (Boston) – the British drive the Americans
Throughout the year, skirmishes occurred from Canada to South Carolina

Initially, fighting was through local militias; then, the Continental Congress established (on paper) a regular army on June 14, 1775, and appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief.

The development of the Continental Army was a work in progress, and Washington used both his regulars and state militia throughout the war.

1776

January 15 – Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy

March 17 – the British evacuate Boston

July 4 – the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence

The Congress did not have the approval of all 13 colonies until July 9, 1776. On July 19, Congress ordered that an official copy of the document be created. The order called for handwritten ornamental script to be used on parchment paper with the title ‘The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America.’ The actual signing finally took place on August 2, 1776.

1777

April 26 – Sybil Ludington (16 years old) rode through upstate New York to warn militia that British troops were raiding and burning Danbury, Connecticut

Ultimately, on September 3, 1783, the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The treaty document was signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay (representing the United States) and David Hartley (a member of the British Parliament representing the British Monarch, King George III).

On June 21, 1788, the US Constitution was adopted (with all states ratifying it by that time.)

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Charles Carroll were the longest surviving signers of the Declaration of Independence. Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; Carroll was the last signer to die – in 1832 at the age of 95.

July 3, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Nine Traditions That Emphasized Chiefly Rank

In 1920, Martha Beckwith became the first person to hold a chair in Folklore at any college or university in the country. The Folklore Foundation, established at Vassar, was an unprecedented institution and became a center of research in the almost entirely new field of folk culture. (Vassar)

“Position in old Hawaiʻi, both social and political, depended in the first instance upon rank, and rank upon blood descent-hence the importance of genealogy as proof of high ancestry.”

“Grades of rank were distinguished and divine honors paid to those chiefs alone who could show such an accumulation of inherited sacredness as to class with the gods among men. Since a child inherited from both parents, he might claim higher rank than either one.” (Beckwith)

There were nine traditions that emphasized chiefly rank:

a family genealogy tracing back to the gods through one of the two sons of Ki‘i, Ulu and Nanaʻulu, and by as many branches (lala) as family relationship could be stretched to cover
a name chant, composed at birth or given in afterlife, glorifying the family history not only of persons concerned but also of places made sacred by particular events or association
signs in the heavens by which ʻaumakua of the day recognized their offspring on earth
a special place set aside as sacred to the birth of high-ranking chiefs (i.e. Kūkaniloko)
the sacred cord (aha) stretched at the entrance of a chief’s dwelling, under which all of lower rank must pass but which fell “of itself” before the approach of anyone of equal or higher position
wealth, especially in lands, labor and specialized objects such as foods, ornaments, colors belonging to ranking chiefs alone
the power of the kapu, which gave the ranking chief immense personal privilege, although the ruling chief might have actually more power over lands and wealth (before certain captive chiefesses of Maui of incredible sanctity, according to Kamakau, Kamehameha himself was of lower rank)
the right to officiate in the heiau as both chief and priest
at death, the final deification of the bones and their laying away in a sacred and secret place difficult of access (one of the most important such place in ancient times being the ʻĪao valley on the island of Maui)

Rank depended primarily upon blood; but of great importance was the conduct of life by which one could, by carelessness in preserving the kapu and in making proper marriages, lose caste and prerogatives under the severe discipline of the Aha-ali‘i (Council of Chiefs,) or could, through a royal marriage, raise the rank of one’s descendants upon the family line.

The image, ‘Aha Ula’ by Brook Parker, represents the chiefly rank. Information here is primarily from Beckwith, Mookini and Yardley.