Ali’i / Chiefs / Governance | Page 124

November 12, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Schooling of Red Fish

“The ancient superstition (tells) that visits of red fish in large numbers to the Islands portend the death of some member of the royal family … “

“A few months ago there started running into and around the harbors of the Islands such schools of alalaua as had not been seen before in five years or more, if not in many years prior to that; and the schools of aweoweo, or grown alalaua, are still here.”

“When the little red fish first started coming in months ago, the older natives shook their heads and declared that one of their aliis must go.”

“It has so turned out.” (Maui News, November 16, 1917)

“The former Queen had been in bad health for many months. A week ago she began to fail rapidly and last Thursday physicians announced that the end was near.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 12, 1917))

“Death came to Hawaii’s queen, Liliuokalani, at 8:30 o’clock Sunday morning – a quiet, sunny, pleasant Sunday morning as calm and as peaceful as was the ending of her eventful life.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 12, 1917)

“’The queen is dead,’ went the word throughout Hawaii as soon as the bells began their solemn proclamation. It was flashed by wireless from island to island of the group over which she had once ruled …”

“Thousands of newspapers today all over the world have told their readers of the passing of Liliuokalani, last queen of Hawaiʻi.”

“The queen’s last hours were as peaceful as her life had been eventful.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 12, 1917)

“During the time the Queen’s body was in state in the throne room of the palace and at the Kawaiahaʻo Church, the first church built in Honolulu, and during the wonderful procession from the palace to the mausoleum it was the evident aim of those in charge to display the most wonderful panorama and glare of gorgeous colors that was possible.”

“You understand, the skies, the water and the landscape of this tropical land is a perfect rainbow of beautiful color at all times. Considering this fact it is not strange that the desire for color display should manifest itself on such an occasion.” (Mid-Pacific, August 1919)

“The Royal Hawaiian Band, the United States Military Bands, the Hawaiian Cathedral Church Choir, the members of various Hawaiian clubs and organizations of Hawaiian origin, dressed in uniforms unique and unusual …”

“… the sailors from the Japanese man-of-war lying in the harbor, and American soldiers and sailors, the consular families of the different consuls from foreign lands, and all the mixed heterogeneous mass of all nationalities which thronged the streets for miles, made the funeral procession to the mausoleum a scene never to be forgotten.” (Mid-Pacific, August 1919)

“(N)o one who was fortunate enough to be present early on this notable Tuesday morning is likely to ever forget one of the first, and perhaps the simplest, bits of homage paid the beloved Queen: The singing, by the ladies of one of the kahili-watches, of the Queen’s own ‘Aloha Oe.’”

“The tender rendition of this now famous refrain from Liliuokalani’s prolific pen, seemingly brought home to the somewhat dazed consciousness of the assemblage the fact that, indeed, was Liliʻu departed forever, and that the time of the final aloha was come.” (Hodges)

“Knowing that this would be the last royal funeral and that a funeral of royalty on these islands was always a remarkably spectacular affair …”

“… the streets of Honolulu were crowded during the week from the day of her death to the day her body was placed in the royal mausoleum on the side of the mountain in beautiful Nuʻuanu valley, just on the edge of the city of Honolulu.” (Mid-Pacific, August 1919)

At the time, the world was at war (WWI.) “In recent weeks, Queen Liliuokalani had shown striking patriotism for the United States. She subscribed liberally for the Red Cross fund and the Liberty Loan.”

“When news first came that a state of war had been declared, she hoisted the Stars and Stripes over her residence in Washington Place, advising her former subjects to support the government of the United States to the fullest.” (The Morning Oregonian, November 12, 1917)

“Liliuokalani, former queen of Hawaiʻi, accomplished writer, song composer and hostess, was born near Honolulu (September 2) 1838. She was christened Lydia (Kamakaeha) and was the daughter of a noble family.”

“Following a native custom, the object of which was to cement friendships, she was given to (Paki) and his wife Konia, of another noble family, to raise. Her name Liliuokalani, “Lily of Heaven,” was given her, several years later.”

“As a girl she attended the royal school at Honolulu and received a fair education, which she supplemented by much reading. She was a gifted musician. Later in life she composed hundreds of Hawaiian songs; some of which are now known all over the world. “

“At school the future queen met John O Dominis, son of an American sea captain to whom she was afterwards married.” (Baltimore American, November 12, 1917; Coughlin) She died November 11, 1917 at the age of 79.

“After the death of the Queen the red fish vanished.” (Mid-Pacific, August 1919)

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Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – PP-26-5-002

Casket, visitors, and flowers in throne room, at funeral of Liliuokalani-LOC-3c05895v

Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – PP-26-5-023

Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – Procession, Nuuanu Avenue-PP-26-9-006-00001

Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – Procession, Nuuanu Avenue-PP-26-9-002

Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – Procession, Nuuanu Avenue-PP-26-8-033

Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – Procession, Nuuanu Avenue-PP-26-6-017

Funerals – Queen Liliuokalani – Procession, Nuuanu Avenue- PP-26-9-003

Funeral_Procession_of_Liliuokalani_-_marching

Funeral_Procession_of_Liliuokalani_-_Casket

November 8, 2016 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Hawai‘i: The State That Doesn’t Vote

‘The State that Doesn’t Vote’ … so said the headline in a 2012 article on CNN … Of the 50-States and the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i ranks 51 (last) in voter turn-out rate.

“(F)ewer than half of eligible Hawai‘i residents voted. Compare that with the No. 1 civic-minded state, Minnesota, where 78% cast ballots.” (CNN)

A cynic might say, “Well, it’s better than it was over 150-years ago. Back then, nobody voted.” (But, back then, citizens weren’t allowed to vote.)

Let’s look back …

“(I)n the earliest times all the people were ali‘i … it was only after the lapse of several generations that a division was made into commoners and chiefs.” (Malo) In early Hawaiʻi “The parents were masters over their own family group … No man was made chief over another.” (Kamakau) Essentially, the extended family was the socio, biological, economic and political unit.

As the population increased and needs and wants increased in variety and complexity (and it became too difficult to satisfy them with finite resources,) the need for chiefly rule became apparent. As chiefdoms developed, the simple pecking order of titles and status likely evolved into a more complex and stratified structure.

The kapu system was the common structure, the rule of order, and religious and political code. This social and political structure gave leaders absolute rule and authority. Island rulers, Aliʻi or Mōʻī, typically ascended to power through warfare and familial succession.

When Kamehameha died on May 8, 1819, the crown was passed to his son, Liholiho, who would rule as Kamehameha II. Kaʻahumanu recruited Liholiho’s mother, Keōpūolani, to join her in convincing Liholiho to break the kapu system which had been the rigid code of Hawaiians for centuries.

This changed the course of the civilization and ended the kapu system, effectively weakened belief in the power of the gods and the inevitability of divine punishment for those who opposed them. In addition to the abolition of the old ways, Kaʻahumanu created the office of Kuhina Nui (similar to premier, prime minister or regent) and would rule as an equal with Liholiho – this started the shift from absolute rule to shared rule.

While Liholiho’s brother Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) ruled as monarch (with shared authority with the Kuhina Nui,) he, too, took bold steps in changing the structure of governance. Kamehameha III initiated and implemented Hawaiʻi’s first constitution (1840) (one of five constitutions governing the Islands – and then, later, governance as part of the US.)

Of his own free will he granted the Constitution of 1840, as a boon to his country and people, establishing his Government upon a declared plan. (Rex v. Booth – Hanifin)

That constitution introduced the innovation of representatives chosen by the people (rather than as previously solely selected by the Aliʻi.) This gave the common people a share in the government’s actual political power for the first time.

One important aspect of this constitution was the establishment of the House of Representatives as part of the legislative body, allowing the people a voice in government.

A subsequent law (1842) detailed the election process, “In accordance with the requirements of the constitution, certain persons will be chosen to sit in council with the Nobles. … Whosoever pleases … may write to His Majesty mentioning the names of the two persons of wisdom whom he chooses to sit in council with the Nobles.”

“In these ballot letters there may be a great number of signatures to the same letter. The names of all who vote will be counted, and the persons having a majority will be the ones who are chosen.” However, more than ten years passed before a formal election was held.

On July 30, 1850, a new election law provided for annual elections; under this act, a voter had to be a male subject (either native or naturalized) or resident, at least 20-years of age, who had lived at least one year in Hawai‘i, and was not insane or an unpardoned felon.

When Hawai‘i held its first modern election, on January 6, 1851, approximately 13.9% of the population of Honolulu went to the polls. The 1862 election was a high-water mark, with a turnout of 20.9%. Four years later only 1.6% cast ballots.

Another peak was reached in 1887, with 16.7%. Participation rates dropped precipitously during the following decade, and by 1897 less than one percent of the population was voting. The 1862 level was not reached again until after World War II. (Schmitt)

In 1959, when Hawai‘i first became a state, Islands voters were at the top of the nation with 84% for Primary Elections and 93% for the General.

However in looking at the trends, voter participation rates haven’t really improved over the century and a half from Hawai‘i’s first election; Hawai‘i has the lowest voter turnout rate in the nation. (CNN)

To put this into perspective, the best state had well over 75%, while the nation’s average was just 61%. This has been a recurring problem as every year the percentage of voters who participate in elections drops. Hawai‘i has dropped to half of its 1959 participation rate (41.5% in Primary and 52.3% in General in 2014.) (Nishida)

A graphic representation of DBEDT’s data, shows that even with a growing number of eligible voters (861,000 to 1,111,000) and growing registered voter numbers (464,000 to 707,000,) over the past 20+ years, typically only about 400,000 people in Hawai‘i vote.

For two centuries, the trend in Hawaiʻi has been toward expanding the numbers of people who have a say in all parts of their government: from Kamehameha I’s near-absolute monarchy to a hereditary oligarchy, to an oligarchy open to men with money, to American republic. (Hanifin)

Today’s eligibility and registration process is pretty simple, and many can and should vote. However, as noted by CNN, Hawai‘i is the state that doesn’t vote.

Voting_Age-Registered_Voters-Votes_Cast-1992-2014-DBEDT

Registered_Voters-Votes_Cast-1950-2014-DBEDT

General Election Voter Turnout-1959-2014

US National Turnout 1789-2014

International Voter Turnout-PEW

November 4, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Land Management

The social structure shaped and reinforced land management.

“(I)n the earliest times all the people were alii (chiefs) … it was only after the lapse of several generations that a division was made into commoners and chiefs” (Malo)

Kamakau noted, in early Hawaiʻi “The parents were masters over their own family group … No man was made chief over another.” Essentially, the extended family was the socio, biological, economic and political unit.

Because each ʻohana (family) was served by a parental haku (master, overseer) and each family was self-sufficient and capable of satisfying its own needs, there was no need for a hierarchal structure.

As the population increased and wants and needs increased in variety and complexity (and it became too difficult to satisfy them with finite resources,) the need for chiefly rule became apparent.

As chiefdoms developed, the simple pecking order of titles and status likely evolved into a more complex and stratified structure. The actual number of chiefs was few, but their retainers attached to the courts (advisors, konohiki, priests, warriors, etc) were many.

Most of the makaʻāinana (common people) were farmers, a few were fishermen. Tenants cultivated smaller crops for family consumption, to supply the needs of chiefs and provide tributes. Kapu (restrictions/prohibitions) were observed as a matter of resource and land management, among other things.

The traditional land use in the Hawaiian Islands evolved from shifting cultivation into a stable form of agriculture. Stabilization required a new form of land use and eventually the ahupua‘a form of land management was instituted (what we generally refer to as watersheds, today.)

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

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. Ultimately, this helped in preserving resources.

The ahupuaʻa boundaries reflected the pattern of land use that had evolved as the most efficient and beneficial to the well-being of the ʻohana, as the population expanded throughout previous centuries.

This pattern of land use and the boundaries were adopted and then instituted by the ruling chiefs and their supervisors to delineate units for the annual collection of the Makahiki Harvest Season offerings to them as the land stewards of Lono, God of Agriculture. (McGregor & MacKenzie)

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

Hawaiians built rock-walled enclosures in near shore waters, to raise fish for their communities and families. It is believed these were first built around the fifteenth century.

The ancient Hawaiian fishpond is a sophisticated land and ocean resource management technique. Utilizing raw materials such as rocks, corals, vines and woods, the Hawaiians created great walls (kuapā) and gates (mākāhā) for these fishponds.

The general term for a fishpond is loko (pond), or more specifically, loko iʻa (fishpond). Loko iʻa were used for the fattening and storing of fish for food and also as a source for kapu (forbidden) fish.

Samuel M. Kamakau points out that “one can see that they were built as government projects by chiefs, for it was a very big task to build one, (and) commoners could not have done it (singly, or without co-ordination.)” Chiefs had the power to command a labor force large enough to transport the tons of rock required and to construct such great walls.

A second technological invention by Hawaiian Polynesians was the development of their extended stone-faced, terraced pondfields (lo‘i) and their accompanying irrigation systems (ʻauwai) for the intensive cultivation of wetland taro (kalo.)

The terraces were irrigated with water brought in ditches from springs and streams high in the valleys, allowing extensive areas of the valleys to be cultivated. The irrigation ditches and pondfields were engineered to allow the cool water to circulate among the taro plants and from terrace to terrace, avoiding stagnation and overheating by the sun, which would rot the taro tubers.

An acre of irrigated pondfields produced as much as five times the amount of taro as an acre of dryland cultivation. Over a period of several years, irrigated pondfields could be as much as 10 or 15 times more productive than unirrigated taro gardens, as dryland gardens need to lie fallow for greater lengths of time than irrigated gardens.

The third form of subsistence intensification involved the systematic cultivation of dryland crops in their appropriate vegetation zones as exemplified by the Field Systems in Kona, Kohala, Kaupō and Kalaupapa (Kaʻū reportedly also has a field system.)

Cultivation of the soil in Kona was characterized by a variety of non-irrigated root and tree crops grown for subsistence, each farmer having gardens in one or more vegetation zones. Each crop was cultivated in the zone in which it grew best.

Reverend William Ellis described the area behind Kailua town in Kona above the breadfruit and mountain apple trees as, “The path now lay through a beautiful part of the country, quite a garden compared with that through which they had passed on first leaving the town.”

“It was generally divided into small fields, about fifteen rods square fenced with low stone walls, built with fragments of lava gathered from the surface of the enclosures. These fields were planted with bananas, sweet potatoes, mountain taro, paper mulberry plants, melons, and sugar-cane, which flourished luxuriantly in every direction.”

The fields were typically oriented parallel to the elevation contours and the walls; sometimes these were made up of a grid of rain-fed plots, defined by low stone field walls built, in part, to shelter sweet potatoes and other crops from the wind.

Since the dryland technique was away from supplemental water sources, this was truly dryland agriculture. There was no evidence to level terraces as in irrigated pondfield systems (taro lo‘i,) and there was no evidence of water control features or channels; so the conclusion was the system was strictly rainfed.

The condition of the common people was that of subjection to the chiefs, compelled to do their heavy tasks, burdened and oppressed some even to death. The life of the people was one of patient endurance, of yielding to the chiefs to purchase their favor. The plain man (kanaka) must not complain. (Malo)

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c. 1826 lithograph, William Ellis C., Big Island. Waipio Valley, Ahupua’a.

November 1, 2016 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Timeline Tuesday … 1790s

Today’s ‘Timeline Tuesday’ takes us through the 1790s – including John Young and Isaac Davis joining Kamehameha, Vancouver visits, Battles of Kepaniwai and Nu‘uanu, etc. We look at what was happening in Hawai‘i during this time period and what else was happening around the rest of the world.

A Comparative Timeline illustrates the events with images and short phrases. This helps us to get a better context on what was happening in Hawai‘i versus the rest of the world. I prepared these a few years ago for a planning project. (Ultimately, they never got used for the project, but I thought they might be on interest to others.)

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October 29, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Bingham’s Birthday

A week and almost 200 years ago … October 23, 1819 … the Pioneer Company of missionaries from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (the ABCFM) set sail for the Sandwich Islands. They arrived in Kailua-Kona on April 4, 1820.

There were seven couples aboard; their leader was Hiram Bingham – Sybil, his wife of 2-weeks, joined him. They are my great-great-great grandparents.

The Prudential Committee of the ABCFM in giving instructions to these pioneers said: “Your mission is a mission of mercy, and your work is to be wholly a labor of love. …”

“Your views are not to be limited to a low, narrow scale, but you are to open your hearts wide, and set your marks high. You are to aim at nothing short of covering these islands with fruitful fields, and pleasant dwellings and schools and churches, and of Christian civilization.” (The Friend)

Over the course of a little over 40-years (1820-1863 – what is generally referred to as the “Missionary Period”,) about 180-men and women in twelve Companies served in Hawaiʻi to carry out the mission of the ABCFM.

227 years ago (October 30, 1789,) Hiram Bingham, the fifth of the seven sons (from a family of 13-children) was born at Bennington, Vermont – he came from a family of preachers (he descended from Deacon Thomas Bingham who had come to the American colonies in 1650 and settled in Connecticut, his father was Deacon Calvin Bingham and his mother was named Lydia.)

When Captain Cook first visited the Hawaiian Islands forty years prior to the arrival of the missionaries, Hawaiian was a spoken language, not a written language. Historical accounts were passed down orally, through chants and songs.

After western contact, early writers tried to spell words based on the sound of the words they heard. People heard words differently, so it was not uncommon for words to be spelled differently, depending on the writer.

Hiram and others took on the task of developing a Hawaiian alphabet; on July 14, 1826, Hiram Bingham and Levi Chamberlain signed the “Report of the committee of health on the state of the Hawaiian language” – and the Hawaiian alphabet and formulation of the written Hawaiian Language was adopted … it is still in use today.

Hiram and the others were preachers and teachers – in a short time, the missionaries learned the language and these early missionaries taught their lessons in Hawaiian, rather than English.

The chiefs became proponents for education and edicts were enacted by the King and the council of chiefs to stimulate the people to reading and writing. By 1832, the literacy rate of Hawaiians of about 78 percent had surpassed that of Americans on the continent. The literacy rate of the adult Hawaiian population skyrocketed from near zero in 1820 to an estimated of 91 percent by 1834.

As teaching expanded, the focus was educating the head, heart and hand. In addition to the rigorous academic drills (Head,) the schools provided religious and moral guidance (Heart,) and manual and vocational training (Hand.)

Soon after the first anniversary of the arrival of the Pioneer Company, Kaʻahumanu and Kalanimōku visited the mission and gave them supplies; this visit became important because during it Kaʻahumanu made her first request for prayer and showed her first interest in the teachings of the missionaries.

From that point on, Kaʻahumanu came into more constant contact with the mission. At a meeting of the chiefs and school teachers, Kaʻahumanu and Kalanimōku declared their determination to “adhere to the instructions of the missionaries, to attend to learning, observe the Sabbath, Worship God, and obey his law, and have all their people instructed.” Ka‘ahumanu was baptized on December 5, 1825.

Bingham found a friend in Kaʻahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha and Queen regent during Liholiho’s and the early years of Kauikeaouli’s rule. She and other ali‘i worked collaboratively with the missionaries and visited often. Across the street, in the wood frame house at Missions Houses, you can correctly say, ‘Ka‘ahumanu slept here.’

A little side story on Kaʻahumanu … shortly after arriving in the Islands, with a piece of driftwood, Hiram managed to make a rocking chair for Sybil – in describing it she said, “A box or trunk has been our only seat. My husband, I believe, was never a chair-maker before, but happy for me and the Mission family, that he is everything.”

On Sundays, the rocker was taken to the old thatched Kawaiahaʻo church as a seat for Sybil, the pastor’s wife. Sybil’s wish was that when the last summons came, she might be found in that chair … and her wish was granted when she died in her rocking chair on February 27, 1848 in New Haven Connecticut.

The rocker had its admirers, including Kaʻahumanu. As Bingham notes, “On seeing and trying Mrs B’s chair, the first, probably, ever made (in the) islands, Ka‘ahumanu … wished me to make her one in every respect like it, for she said it exactly fit her.”

It wasn’t until 10-years later that he built Kaʻahumanu her rocker, one of the earliest known pieces of koa furniture in Hawaiʻi. Both are at Mission Houses and are occasionally put on display.

Kalanimōku served as chief councilor and prime minister to Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III. An 1826 letter written by Kalanimōku to Hiram Bingham (written at a time when missionaries were being criticized) states, “Greetings Mr Bingham. Here is my message to all of you, our missionary teachers.”

“I am telling you that I have not seen your wrong doing. If I had seen you to be wrong, I would tell you all. No, you must all be good.”

“Give us literacy and we will teach it. And, give us the word of God and we will heed it … for we have learned the word of God.”

“Then foreigners come, doing damage to our land. Foreigners of America and Britain. But don’t be angry, for we are to blame for you being faulted. And it is not you foreigners, (it’s) the other foreigners.”

“Here’s my message according to the words of Jehovah, I have given my heart to God and my body and my spirit. I have devoted myself to the church and Jesus Christ.”

“Have a look at this letter of mine, Mr Bingham and company. And if you see it and wish to send my message on to America to (your President,) that is up to you. Greetings to the chief of America. Regards to you all, Kalanimōku.”

Due to Sybil’s illness, after 21-years in the Islands, the Binghams left in 1840; Hiram never saw the completed church that he designed, Kawaiahaʻo. However, in this sanctuary, you will often sing a verse written by Hiram Bingham, what many call the Hawaiian Doxology.

Hoʻonani i ka Makua mau
Let us give praise to the eternal Father

Ke Keiki me ke ka ʻUhane nō
To the Son and to the Holy Ghost

Ke Akua mau, hoʻomaikaʻi pū
To God everlasting, let there ring praise

Ko kēia ao ko kēlā ao
Both in this world as well as the kingdom beyond

With collaboration with the Aliʻi, Hiram and the other missionaries
• Introduced Christianity to the Islands
• Created the written Hawaiian language and brought about widespread literacy
• Helped promulgate a constitutional government
• Made Western medicine available
• Introduced a distinctive musical tradition

Hiram died on November 11, 1869 at New Haven Connecticut at the age of 81.

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