Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kālaiʻāina

Early on, with the family unit being the socio-political structure, there was no need for a hierarchical or complex society.  However, as the population increased and wants and needs increased in variety and complexity, the need for chiefly rule became apparent.

Eventually, a highly stratified society evolved consisting of the Ali‘i (ruling class,) Kahuna (priestly and expert class of craftsmen, fishers and professionals) and Makaʻāinana (commoner class.)

The concept of private ownership of property did not exist in Hawaiʻi. The Kings were the sovereign owners of all of the land which was in turn controlled by the aliʻi nui or high chiefs and tended or farmed by the kanaka or commoners.  (RE3)

Laws and rules, called kapu, were created to prohibit abuse of resources, both to the land and ocean. The kapu prohibited certain practices in order to preserve scarce or limited resources. In this system everyone was entitled to a share of what was produced from the soil or taken from the sea.  (RE3)

Over the centuries, the Islands weren’t unified under single rule.  Leadership sometimes covered portions of an island, sometimes covered a whole island or groups of islands.  Island rulers, Aliʻi or Mōʻī, typically ascended to power through warfare and familial succession.

At the period of Captain Cook’s arrival (1778-1779), the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four kingdoms: (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,) Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe, ruled by Kahekili; (3) Oʻahu, under the rule of Kahahana; and at (4) Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, Kamakahelei was ruler.

There were family connections of these four to Kamehameha; the death of Kiwalaʻo; the “Four Kona Uncles” (Keʻeaumoku, Keaweaheulu, Kameʻeiamoku and Kamanawa (the last two are twins and are depicted on the Hawaiian Coat of Arms;)) permission from Kalola to marry her granddaughter (after the defeat of Maui) and how Kamehameha secured his “unification” by “sharing the spoils” of the conquests and “braided the bloodlines;” eventually leading to the agreement with Kaumualiʻi.  (Yardley)

In Hawaiʻi, as in other parts of the world, control of the ʻāina has long been recognized as the basis for sovereignty. This was especially true in traditional Hawaiian society before Kamehameha united the islands.  At that time, the ultimate control of all ʻāina was vested in the mō’ī of each island, as he or she was the paramount Chief. (Kameʻeleihiwa)

Control of ʻāina is not the same as ownership of ʻāina, in the Western capitalist sense. In traditional Hawaiian society, ʻāina was given from one person to another, but was never bought or sold.

 If in Hawaiian metaphor, all ʻāina and products of the ʻāina – in fact life itself – proceed from the Akua, then “ownership” of the ʻāina and all wealth emanating from the ʻāina rightfully belong to those Akua from whom they proceed.  (Kameʻeleihiwa)

Kālaiʻāina (the carving/distribution of land) by the mōʻī was practiced not only upon conquest, but traditionally at the peaceful ascension of a new mōʻī.  (Klieger)

After selecting lands for himself, the King allotted the remaining to the warrior Chiefs who rendered assistance in his conquest.  These warrior Chiefs, after retaining a portion for themselves, reallotted the remaining lands to their followers and supporters.

However, no one owned the land and at death a parcel or unit was returned to the overseer for redistribution. Essentially, the king could distribute land to anyone he wanted if he so chose. (RE3)

The distribution of lands was all on a revocable basis.  What the superior gave, he was able to take away at his pleasure.  This ancient tenure was in nature feudal, although the tenants were not serfs tied to the soil – they were allowed to move freely from the land of one Chief to that of another.

A process for formal individual “ownership” of the land followed a transition over the years.  In 1839 the Bill of Rights of the Hawaiian Islands was enacted which guaranteed that people’s lands would not be taken from them.

In 1840, the first Constitution of Hawai`i was enacted. This constitution made it clear that people had an interest in land greater than that of the bounty and produce of the land.

In 1845, the Land Commission was created in Hawaiʻi by Kamehameha III to award land claims. Then, in 1848, the Māhele (land division) occurred with the King and 245 aliʻi and konohiki came together to divide the land.

Each māhele was in effect a quitclaim agreement between the King and a Chief or Konohiki with reference to the lands in which they both claimed interests.  For the lands set aside for the Chief or Konohiki, the King signed an agreement: “I hereby agree that this division is good.  The lands above written are for (name of Chief or Konohiki); consent is given to take it before the Board of Commissioners to Quiet Land Titles.”

The Māhele itself did not convey title to land. The high Chiefs and the lesser Konohiki were required to present their claims before the Land Commission to receive awards for the lands.  With an award, the person was still required to pay commutation to the government, in cash or by surrender of equally valuable lands (set at one third of the value of the unimproved land.)

In the Māhele of 1848, of the approximate 10,000 awards, around 1,000,000-acres were reserved by King Kamehameha III as “Crown” lands, 1,500,000-acres were given by the King (as “Government” lands) to the ‘government and people’, approximately 1,500,000-acres were set aside for the Chiefs (as “Konohiki” lands) and less than 30,000-acres of land were awarded to the native tenants (Kuleana lands.)

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Train Robbery

The name, “Kekaha,” can be interpreted to mean “dry land” or an area near the shore that is not favorable for planting. The Kekaha region of Kauai has low annual rainfall and no permanent streams. Despite the low rainfall, early visitors to Oahu in the late 1700s indicate that the Kekaha area was well-populated.

Inhabitants manufactured cloth from wauke (Mulberry), and grew taro and sugarcane in the swampy ground. The perpetual swamplands of the plain apparently were greatly enlarged during periods of heavy winter rains.

A Chinese immigrant, Leong Pah On, began growing rice commercially in the 1860s in the drained swamplands of the area, eventually cultivating 600 acres throughout Mānā, Kekaha, and Waimea for rice production.

Pah On imported laborers from China to work the rice fields, presumably creating a significant Chinese population in the area. Rice cultivation continued until 1922 when the Kekaha Sugar Co. assumed ownership of the lands. (Cultural Surveys)

A railroad was constructed for the Kekaha Sugar Company in 1884, which ran from Waimea to the sugar mill at Kekaha. A visitor in described the main track:

“… They have engineers only – no firemen – no brakemen. No brakes on cars. Roads are dead level. We passed cane fields and grazing pastures all in sight of ocean – as our course was parallel to beach and one mile from it.” (Cultural Surveys)

The Kekaha Sugar Co. saw expansion after 1907 when the construction of the plantation’s major irrigation ditch was completed. Most of the cane was initially transported by flume.

By 1910 the plantation had 15 miles of permanent railroad track transporting cane from collection points to the mill and then transporting bags of sugar to the steamship landing at Waimea. In this timeframe the plantation employed approximately 1,000 people.

This railroad generated a deal of excitement in 1920, when it became site of the first and only train robbery to take place in the Hawaiian Islands.

“At the western most section of the Kekaha Sugar Co. were the fields in the Mānā area, which extended to the current location of the airfield at Barking Sands. The families working on these fields lived at Mānā Camp. Due to the distance of this camp from the main office at Kekaha, a paymaster, Mr. Asser, was sent to the camp each month.

On February 11, 1920, the pay for all of the workers, $11,000, was carried in individual envelopes by the paymaster, who rode on the plantation train. The tale of “The Great Train Robbery” was told by Philip Rice in the February 28, 1968 issue of the Garden Island:

“The locomotive proceeded towards the camp, passing through the high cane. At a place where a sharp curve or poor condition of the track necessitated a reduction in speed to about that at which a man could walk, a person completely clothed in the garb of a cane loader stepped forth from the tall cane. Over his face was a part of an old towel with eye holes cut in it. …”

“He pointed a revolver at Mr. Asser and the locomotive engineer, ordered the locomotive stopped and that they dismount. The two complied, and the holdup man boarded the locomotive, started it, and proceeded toward Mānā Camp, quite a distance beyond and out of sight of the holdup point…”

“When the robbery was discovered, a search was made where the locomotive had been abandoned. A trail of tabi (footwear of heavy blue denim) prints extended makai toward the swamp near the coast at Kekaha.”

“A helpful local fisherman named Kaimiola Hali, who sold his fish to the workers at Mānā camp on their paydays, helped in the search. When the tabi prints led into the peninsula swamp near Hali’s house, he cautioned the men not to go into the swamp since it was too  deep.”

“The sheriff became suspicious of the man when he saw him try to obliterate one of the prints. The sheriff returned to the area and entered the swamp. A few feet from the end of the peninsula, he found a large lard can with several pay envelopes, containing all but $250 of the stolen money.”

“The sheriff then went to Hali’s house and collected evidence and testimony pointing to Hali as the robber, including wet tabis hanging up to dry that exactly matched the tabi prints in the swamp. An exhausting trial was then conducted, and Hali was found guilty…”

“In the trial, it came out that Hali often went to the theater at Mānā, which showed westerns, especially those that depicted outlaws and train robberies. It has been suggested that these films inspired Mr. Hali to commit the crime.” (Rice, TGI)

Judge W.C. Achi Jr. sentenced Kaimiola Hali, on May 20, 1920 to not less than three years, nor more than 20 years, in prison. (Soboleski)

In 1938 a Honolulu Advertiser article stated that Kekaha Sugar Co. was the most valuable single piece of property in the Territory. The railroad system was eliminated in 1947 when trucks were utilized for hauling sugarcane to the mill. (Cultural Surveys)

In 1983 Kekaha Sugar employed about 400 people and produced 54,819 tons of sugar. In 1994 Amfac/JMB consolidated many functions of Kekaha Sugar and Lihue Plantation as a cost-cutting measure. Kekaha Sugar mill closed in 2000. (Lots of information here is from Cultural Surveys.)

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kamakahelei

Captain James Cook’s crew first sighted the Hawaiian Islands in the dawn hours of January 18, 1778.  His two ships, the HMS Resolution and the HMS Discovery, were kept at bay by the weather until the next day when they approached Kauai’s southeast coast.

Cook sailed along the coast searching for a suitable anchorage.  His two ships remained offshore, but a few Hawaiians were allowed to come on board on the morning of January 20, before Cook continued on in search of a safe harbor.  On the afternoon of January 20, 1778, Cook anchored his ships near the mouth of the Waimea River on Kauai’s southwestern shore.

At the time of Cook’s arrival, the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four kingdoms: (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 at (4) Kauai and Niʻihau, Kamakahelei was ruler.

Of the four, Kamakahelei was the only woman.

Kamakahelei was the “queen of Kauai and Niʻihau, and her husband was a younger brother to Kahekili, while she was related to the royal family of Hawaiʻi. Thus, it will be seen, the reigning families of the several islands of the group were all related to each other, as well by marriage as by blood. So had it been for many generations. But their wars with each other were none the less vindictive because of their kinship, or attended with less of barbarity in their hours of triumph.”  (Kalākaua)

“At that time Kahekili was plotting for the downfall of Kahahana and the seizure of Oʻahu and Molokai, and the queen of Kauai was disposed to assist him in these enterprises.”  (Kalākaua)”

The occupation of the Hana district of Maui by the kings of Hawaii had been the cause of many stubborn conflicts between the chivalry of the two islands, and when Captain Cook first landed on Hawaii he found the king of that island absent on another warlike expedition to Maui, intent upon avenging his defeat of two years before, when his famous brigade of eight hundred nobles was hewn in pieces.”  (Kalākaua)

“The native historians all say that on the night that Cook’s ships anchored at Waimea, a grand council was held at the house of Kamakahelei, the highest chiefess on the island, and the actual hereditary sovereign of that part of Kauai, when some proposed to seize the ships by force and run them ashore for the sake of the plunder that would be obtained …”

“… while others of a more pacific or more timid mind proposed to propitiate the newcomers – whom, or rather whose captain, they in some confused manner connected with the old and distorted legend of Lono – with presents and with the charms of their women.”  (Fornander)

“The latter advice was acted on, and hogs, vegetables, kapa, and women were sent on board, and among the latter was Kamakahelei’s own daughter, Lelemahaalani; and during the last generation of Hawaiians it was openly said, and never contradicted, that that night Lelemahoalani slept with Lono (Cook.)”  (Fornander)

Surgeon Ellis, who was part of Cook’s crew, stated in 1779 that Kamakahelei “was short and lusty, about 40 years of age, and very plain with respect to person.”  That would make Kamakahelei’s birth around 1739.

Kamakahelei was the only daughter of High Chief Kaumeheiwa (the son of High Chief Lonoikahaupu and High Chiefess Kamuokaumeheiwa) and his wife, High Chief Kaʻapuwai (possibly the daughter of Peleioholani, 22nd Alii ʻAimoku of Oahu and 21st Alii ʻAimoku of Kauai.)

Kamakahelei succeeded Peleioholani as the Aliʻi of Kauai.

Kamakahelei was believed to possess a secret, most powerful and sacred prayer, greatly feared throughout Hawai‘i, called the “Aneekapuahi,” which could cause an enemy’s immediate incineration – it was feared throughout the Islands.

Kamakahelei’s first husband was Kaneoneo (Peleʻioholani’s grandson.)  With Kaneoneo, Kamakahelei had two daughters, one of whom, Kapuaʻamohu, became one of the wives of Kaumualiʻi and grandmother of Queen Kapiʻolani.

Her husband’s father, Kūmahana, was desposed by the ʻEwa chiefs who replaced him with Kahahana, who would become the last king of Oʻahu.  Kaneoneo died during the rebellion on Oʻahu against Kahekili about 1785-6.

At the time of Cook’s visit, Kamakahelei had another husband, the celebrated Kāʻeokūlani ((Kāʻeo) younger brother of Kahekili, Mōʻi of Maui.)

With Kāʻeokūlani, Kamakahelei had a son Kaumualiʻi.  Kaumualiʻi was born at Holoholokū Heiau in Wailua.  (Like its counterpart Kūkaniloko heiau in Wahiawa, Oʻahu, these royal birthing sites maintained the antiquity and purity of the chiefly lineages on O‘ahu and Kauai.  It is said that chiefs from Hawai‘i Island and Maui often sought greater prestige by marrying those with these strong ancestral lineages.)

Her second husband, Kāʻeokūlani, died on Oʻahu in 1794, but the time of her own death has not been remembered, but it probably occurred shortly after that of Kāʻeo.  (Fornander)

At his mother’s death, Kaumualiʻi became the sovereign of Kauai, and, though young in years, appears from all descriptions to have been a prince of remarkable talents and a most amiable temper.  (Fornander)

In the face of the threat of a further invasion, in 1810, at Pākākā on Oʻahu, negotiations between King Kaumuali‘i and Kamehameha I took place and Kaumualiʻi yielded to Kamehameha.  The agreement marked the end of war and thoughts of war across the islands.

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

“Excuse my back”

Conversation at Waikīkī: “I see Ed Sawtelle’s back” “I didn’t know he had been away” “I said that I see Ed Sawtelle’s back’s the best known back in Honolulu. I want to see the face in front of the back for once.”

“Ed Sawtelle doesn’t need to say ‘Excuse my back’ when he sits at the console of the great Robert Morton Organ in the Waikīkī Theater: that tall swaying silhouette under the proscenium lights is his signature.  (Blanding, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 27, 1954)

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sawtelle is a graduate of Harvard, where he majored in music, and a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied under two of the nation’s outstanding authorities, Professor Henry Dunham and Professor Wallace Goodrich.

For some time, Sawtelle was with the Boston Symphony, and for three years was accompanist with the Boston Opera House. He entered the theatrical field in New York, and has been organist and musical director in theaters in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, and Boston.

For many years, Sawtelle was associated with the Robert Morton Organ Company demonstrating and installing theatrical organs. In this particular field he was considered one at the greatest authorities in the country.

Sawtelle first came to Hawaiʻi in 1922 as organist at the opening of the Princess Theater. While here he was organist at the Hawaiʻi Theater, and went to Hilo to open the Palace Theater as organist and musical director. He returned to Honolulu to open the new Waikīkī Theater.

Leaving Hawaii in 1929, Sawtelle was featured on the radio in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. A concert tour took him through the major centers of the nation.

Mrs. Sawtelle returned to Honolulu with her husband. She, too, is noted in the field of music, having appeared throughout the country on concert tour as Carmen Prentice, mezzo-soprano.

Not only did Sawtelle supervise the building of the Hammond organ for the Waikīkī Theater, but he brought it to Honolulu with him, and has supervised the installation at the new playhouse.  (Honolulu Advertiser, August 20, 1936)

As organist for the Consolidated Amusement Company since 1922 with only a break of seven years from 1929 to 1936, Ed meant “moods, memories and music” to Honolulu audiences.

During the war years his audiences extended far beyond the limits of the movie palaces to little lonely atolls in the deep Pacific, to hospitals and observation posts in the Islands, and to ships at sea as his Star Dust Serenade went out over the airwaves to reach and sooth the homesick hearts of men and women in the service.   (Blanding, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 27, 1954)

Starting in 1937, Sawtelle played the new organ at intermissions and on weekly live radio broadcasts heard throughout the Pacific during World War II. For a time, Sawtelle played two shows a day, seven days a week. He eventually retired in 1955, but a succession of organists carried on the tradition through 1997.

The 1,353-seat Waikīkī Theater opened with great fanfare on August 20, 1936.  “This first-class theatre survived as a single-screen house its entire life.”  (TheatresOfHawaii)   Dickey created an environment as charming and artificial as the image on the screen.  (Charlot)

In 1939, the Waikīkī Theatre was equipped with a Robert Morton theatre organ, which had originally been installed (with a twin console) in the Hawaiʻi Theatre in 1929.  (Peterson)

“No theater in the world has a more picturesque setting than Waikīkī.  Situated on the beach at Waikīkī, it stands on the site where once Hawaiʻi’s royalty played.  The playhouse now becomes a glorious new addition to the beach made famous in song and story.  It is the new center of activity of that district which long been the mecca of travelers from the world over.”  (Honolulu Advertiser; Alder)

“Inside the theater, it felt as if you were in a tropical paradise. A full-colored rainbow arched over the curtains that hid the screen. Along the side walls, there were palm trees that reached from floor to ceiling and lush jungle plants, which appeared absolutely real to my child’s eyes.”

“Then, a distinguished gentleman named Ed Sawtelle would appear and sit down at a large organ console, located just below and in front of the stage, and begin a concert that filled the hall with rolling music that vibrated off the walls.”  (Richard Kelley)

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Treason

The Penal Code of the Hawaiian Kingdom of 1850 notes, Section

1. Treason defined.
2. Allegiance.
3. Local allegiance.
4. Ambassadors and others.
5. An overt act is requisite to levying war.
6. The war must be levied for the dethroning or destruction of the King, or for some general purpose.
7. An accessory before the fact.
8. The testimony of two witnesses requisite to convict of treason.
9. Punishment.
10. Punishment for concealing knowledge of the commission of treason.

1. Treason is hereby defined to be any plotting or attempt to dethrone or destroy the King, or the levying of war against the King’s government, or the adhering to the enemies thereof, giving them aid and comfort, the same being done by a person owing allegiance to this kingdom.

2. Allegiance is the obedience and fidelity due to the kingdom from those under its protection.

3. An alien, whether his native country be at war or at peace with this kingdom, owes allegiance to this kingdom during his residence therein, and during such residence, is capable of committing treason against this kingdom.

4. Ambassadors and other ministers of foreign states, and their alien secretaries, servants and members of their families, do not owe allegiance to this kingdom, though resident therein, and are not capable of committing treason against this kingdom.

5. To constitute the levying of war, contemplated in the first section of this chapter, it shall be requisite that the persons concerned therein be parties to some overt act, in or towards procuring, preparing or using force, or putting themselves in a condition in readiness to use force, either by being present at such overt act, or by promoting, aiding in, or being otherwise accessory before the fact to the same.

6. In order to constitute the levying of war, the force must be employed or intended to be employed for the dethroning or destruction of the King or in contravention of the laws, or in opposition to the authority of the King’s government, with an intent or for an object affecting some of the branches or departments of said government generally …

… or affecting the enactment, repeal or enforcement of laws in general, or of some general law; or affecting the people, or the public tranquility generally; in distinction from some special intent or object, affecting individuals other than the King, or a particular district.

7. An accessory before the fact to treason is guilty of treason, and shall be subject to prosecution, trial and punishment therefor, though the principals more directly concerned have not been convicted, or are not amenable to justice.

8. No person shall be convicted of treason but by the testimony of two or more lawful witnesses to the same overt act of treason whereof he stands charged, unless he shall in open court, confess such treason.

9. Whoever shall commit the crime of treason, shall suffer the punishment of death; and all his property shall be confiscated to the government.

10. If any person who shall have knowledge of the commission of treason against this kingdom, shall conceal the same, and shall not, as soon as may be, disclose and make known such treason to the Governor of the island on which he resides, he is guilty of a great crime …

… and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, or imprisonment at hard labor not exceeding ten years, in the discretion of the court. (Penal Code of the Hawaiian Kingdom, 1850) (Image shows Fort Kekuanohu, Fort Honolulu, later the prison – Judiciary, Yee)

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Honolulu Waterfront-Fort-Prison-Judiciary
Honolulu Waterfront-Fort-Prison-Judiciary