Hawaii | Page 370 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

March 3, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Pī ʻā pā

“We are happy to announce to you that, on the first Monday of January (1822), we commenced printing, and, with great satisfaction, have put the first eight pages of the Owhyhee spelling book into the hands of our pupils”. (Joint letter of the missionaries, February 1, 1822)

Native Hawaiians immediately perceived the importance of “palapala” – document, to write or send a message. “Makai” – “good” – exclaimed Chief Ke‘eaumoku, to thus begin the torrent of print communications that we have today. (HHS)

“On January 7, 1822, on the mission press set up in the (Levi) Chamberlains’ thatched house we commenced printing the language in order to give them letters, libraries, and the living oracles in their own tongue, that the nation might read and understand the wonderful works of God. … Most of the printing done at the islands has been done by native hands.” (Bingham)

The first printing was pages of the pī ‘ā pā; the name of the first little primer or spelling book printed in the Hawaiian language. It included the alphabet, numerals, punctuation marks, lists of words, verses of scriptures and a few short poems.

In the initial instruction, the missionaries taught by first teaching syllables – adding consonants to vowels, just as Noah Webster noted in his speller.

“As far back as one can trace the history of reading methodology, children were taught to spell words out, in syllables, in order to pronounce them.” Webster wrote.

“The teacher begins with vowels: says A. The scholars all repeat in concert after him, A. The teacher then says E. They repeat all together, as before E, and so on, repeating over and over, after the teacher, until all the alphabet is fixed in the memory”. (ABCFM 1834)

The classroom exercise of spelling aloud also focused on syllables: Pupils first pronounced each letter of the syllable, and then put the sounds together and pronounced the syllable.

This practice of spelling aloud gave the Hawaiian alphabet its name. Just as American schoolchildren taught with Webster’s speller began their recitation by naming the letters that formed the first syllable, and then pronouncing the result: “B, A – BA,” so did Hawaiian learners.

The early missionary teacher said to his pupil, b, a – ba; the Hawaiian would repeat, pronouncing “b” like “p” and said “pī ʻā pā; hence the word that is now known as the Hawaiian alphabet and the name of the book. (Schutz)

Then, on July 14, 1826, the missionaries established a 12-letter alphabet for the written Hawaiian language, using five vowels (a, e, i, o, and u) and seven consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p and w) in their “Report of the committee of health on the state of the Hawaiian language.” The report was signed by Bingham and Chamberlain. The alphabet continues in use today.

“To one unacquainted with the language it would be impossible to distinguish the words in a spoken sentence, for in the mouth of a native, a sentence appeared like an ancient Hebrew or Greek manuscript-all one word.”

“It was found that every word and every syllable in the language ends with a vowel; the final vowel of a word or syllable, however, is often made so nearly to coalesce or combine with the sound of the succeeding vowel, as to form a dipthongal sound, apparently uniting two distinct words.”

“There are, on the other hand, abrupt separations or short and sudden breaks between two vowels m the same word. The language, moreover, is crowded with a class of particles unknown In the languages with which we had any acquaintance.”

“There were also frequent reduplications of the same vowel sound, so rapid, that by most foreigners the two were taken for one.”

“In the oft recurring names of the principal island, the largest village, and of the king of the leeward islands, ” Owhyhee,” ” Hanaroorah,” and” Tamoree,” scarcely the sound of a single syllable was correctly expressed, either in writing or speaking, by voyagers or foreign residents.”

“Had we, therefore, followed the orthography of voyagers, or in adopting an alphabet made a single vowel stand for as many sounds as in English, and several different vowels for the same sound, and given the consonants the ambiguity of our c, s, t, ch, gh, &c., …”

“… it would have been extremely difficult, if not impracticable to induce the nation to become readers, in the course of a whole generation, even if we had been furnished with ample funds to sustain in boarding-schools, all who would devote their time and labor to study.” (Bingham)

“The power of the vowels may be thus represented: – a, as a in the English words art, father; e, as a in pale, or ey in they; i, as ee or in machine; o, as o in no; u, as oo in too. They are called so as to express their power by their names – Ah, A, Ee, O, Oo.”

“The consonants are in like manner called by such simple names as to suggest their power, thus, following the sound of the vowels as above – He, Ke, La, Mu, Xu, Pi, We.” (Bingham)

“There were some difficulties to be encountered in distinguishing several consonant sounds, and to determine which of two characters in the Roman or English alphabet to adopt for certain sounds that appeared somewhat variable in the mouths of the natives.”

“The following appeared sometimes to be interchangeable: b and p, k and t, I and r, v and w, and even the sound of d, it was thought by some, was used in some cases where others used k, l, r or t. For purely native words, however, k, I, p and w were preferred.”

“The opening to them of this source of light never known to their ancestors remote or near, occurred while many thousands of the friends of the heathen were on the monthly concert, unitedly praying that the Gospel might have free course and he glorified.”

“It was like laying a corner stone of an important edifice for the nation.”

“A considerable number was present, and among those particularly interested was Ke‘eaumoku, who, after a little instruction from Mr. Loomis, applied the strength of his athletic arm to the lever of a Ramage press, pleased thus to assist in working off a few impressions of the first lessons. These lessons were caught at with eagerness by those who had learned to read by manuscript.”

“Kamāmalu applied herself also with renewed vigor to learn, both in English and in her own language, and exerted an influence, on the whole, favorable to the cause of instruction, and soon had a school-house built for the benefit of her people.”

“Liholiho requested a hundred copies of the spelling-book in his language to be furnished for his friends and attendants who were unsupplied, while he would not have the instruction of the people, in general, come in the way of their cutting sandalwood to pay his debts.” (Bingham)

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Noah Websters Speller-page 28

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March 2, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

When Women Lost Their Citizenship

At the time of the founding of the US, female citizens did not share all of the same rights as men, including the right to vote. It wasn’t until August 18, 1920, when the 19th Amendment was passed and American women were granted the right to vote.

But at that time, a woman’s suitability for citizenship still depended on her husband’s status – he had to be “eligible” whether he wanted to swear allegiance or not. (Archives)

On March 2, 1907, Congress passed the Expatriation Act, which decreed, among other things, that US women who married non-citizens were no longer Americans.

Congress mandated that “any American woman who marries a foreigner shall take the nationality of her husband.” Upon marriage, regardless of where the couple resided, the woman’s legal identity morphed into her husband’s. (Archives)

If their husband later became a naturalized citizen, they could go through the naturalization process to regain citizenship. But none of these rules applied to American men when they chose a spouse. (NPR)

“(There was a) time that we went through when American women lost their citizenship when they married men born in foreign countries who had not yet become Americans.”

Hawai‘i’s “(Gobindram (GJ) Watumull) was within a month of becoming a citizen when the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a decision that people coming from India would not be considered by the average man on the street as a white man …”

“… and, therefore, he could not become a citizen; and the attempt was made subsequently to take away the citizenship of those who already had it.”

“The case that went to the Supreme Court was that of Dr. Thind, an Indian whom all of you know, but being a Sikh, he had a full beard and a turban and of course he had very bright fiery eyes.”

“However, although he lost his right to citizenship by the Supreme Court decision, he soon became an American citizen because he joined the U.S. Army, but the rest of the Indians had to suffer from it.”

“And I, who had married (Watumull), an alien not eligible for citizenship, then lost my American citizenship. Of course for several years I did not leave the Islands, much less go to a foreign country, but had I traveled I would have had to obtain a British passport which I was very averse to doing.” (Ellen Watumull)

This inequity in citizenship rights prompted Ohio Congressman John L. Cable to act. He sponsored legislation to give American women “equal nationality and citizenship rights” as men.

Ellen Jensen, an American from Portland, married GJ Watumull, from India, in 1922. He had the Watumull stores and later foundations and investments in Hawai‘i. Ellen lost her American citizenship because she had married a British East Indian subject.

Ellen Watumull was involved with the League of Women Voters in Hawaii to rescind the law, which prevented American-born women from retaining US Citizenship when marrying non-citizens. (SAADA)

Ellen fought the law, and won.

“(T)he Cable Act, as it was then called, was amended, enabling American women to retain their citizenship if they married foreigners who were eligible for citizenship.”

“But it was not until 1931 that the law was further amended, stating that no American woman would lose her citizenship no matter whom she married, whether the man was eligible for citizenship or not.” (Watumull)

“Immediately afterwards, (she) went to the Federal Court in Honolulu and became naturalized (the first woman to do so following the passage of the law).”

“And you will all remember that on the fifth of May, 1971 (Ellen) observed the fortieth anniversary of my becoming a two-hundred-percent American.” (Ellen Watumull)

“As far as we know too, (GJ Watumull) was the first person to become naturalized when the law was passed and signed by the President.”

“I shall never forget when the telephone rang and (GJ Watumull) said, ‘This is Citizen Watumull speaking.’” (Ellen Watumull)

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March 1, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Grandmother of Three Kings

Kalākua (also Kaheiheimālie) was daughter of Keʻeaumoku, a chief from Hawaiʻi Island and Namahana, from the royal family on Maui.

Kalākua’s siblings included Queen Kaʻahumanu, Hawaiʻi Island Governor John Adams Kuakini, Maui Governor George Cox Kahekili Keʻeaumoku II and Lydia Nāmāhāna Piʻia. She was described as physically being ‘tall and gigantic,’ like her siblings. (Bingham)

“(Kalākua) was never a woman to indulge in flirtations, and her name was never coupled with gossip. She may have had her longings, but she remained true to her husband; and her children were never rumored to have been born of a double paternity like so many of the chiefs.”

“Double paternity was considered an honor because it gave a double or triple line of chiefly descent, thick and intermingled, and formed an honorable ancestry doubly blessed in such riches and knowledge as chiefs desire.”

“Not so (Kalākua,) who considered herself sufficiently honored with the root already established. Kamehameha was her uncle, and both he and Keʻeaumoku were directly descended from Haʻae.” (Kamakau)

She first married Kalaʻimamahu, the brother of Kamehameha I. They had a daughter, Kekāuluohi; Kekāuluohi became Kamehameha’s youngest wife.

Liholiho (Kamehameha II) later took her as one of his wives and around 1821 Kamehameha II gave Kekāuluohi to his friend Charles Kanaʻina. By Kanaʻina, Kekāuluohi had a son William Charles Lunalilo (the first grandson of Kalākua to become king.)

Kekāuluohi succeeded her half-sister Kīnaʻu as Kuhina Nui. Initially, she was considered something of a “place-holder” for Kīnaʻu’s infant daughter Victoria Kamāmalu, who would later assume the office. (Archives)

Kalākua was also married to Kamehameha I; she had four children. Their two sons died as infants; the oldest daughter, Kamāmalu, became wife of Liholiho (Kamehameha II,) and the youngest daughter, Kīnaʻu, later became Kuhina Nui.

Kīnaʻu later married Mataio Kekūanāoʻa; they had several children, including Alexander Liholiho (the second grandson of Kalākua to become king, known as Kamehameha IV), Lot Kapuāiwa (the third grandson of Kalākua to become king, as Kamehameha V,) and Victoria. (Liliʻuokalani) That made Kalākua grandmother of three future Kings.

“The death of Kamehameha made the first separation from the man she had lived with for twenty years. There was no woman of his household whom Kamehameha loved so much as (Kalākua.)

“Kamehameha is never known to have deserted (Kalākua,) but it has often been said that she did not love him so much as her first husband Kalaʻimamahu from whom Kamehameha took her away.” (Kamakau)

“In September, 1823, she heard in Hawaii of Keōpūolani’s death and sailed at once for Lāhainā to attend the burial ceremonies. The chiefs had all assembled at Lāhainā, the body of the chiefess had been concealed, and (Hoapili) was in mourning.”

“After the days of mourning were ended (Kalākua) became the wife of (Hoapili) (October 19, 1823,) they became converted, were married under Christian vows, and took the names of Hoapili-kāne and Mary Hoapili-wahine [the Hawaiian form of Mr. and Mrs.]”

“At this time she had not thought much about religion. The chiefs took to drinking and sensual indulgence after the death of the chiefess [Keōpūolani], but (Kalākua) listened to the word of God as taught by the missionaries although in her heart she still enjoyed life and fun.”

“Hoapili had accepted the word of God because of Keōpūolani. (Kalākua) turned to Christianity first, and Kaʻahumanu followed.” (Kamakau)

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Hoapiliwahine_by_C._C._Armstrong

Kamehameha_IV_(PP-97-8-006)

Queen_Emma_and_Kamehameha_IV-between 1856 and 1863

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The young Prince William Charles Lunalilo in his teens

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February 28, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Missionary Life on Neighbor Islands 1830s

The following are some of Sereno Edwards Bishop’s “Reminiscences of Old Hawaii” that he included in his book named such; he who was born at Ka‘awaloa, Hawaii, Feb. 7, 1827, the son of missionary Artemas Bishop.

Artemas Bishop and his family were first permanently stationed at Kailua, Hawaii, in 1824, being transferred to Ewa, Oahu, in 1836, and to Honolulu in 1855, where Mr. Bishop died, Dec. 18, 1872. Mrs. Bishop died at Kailua, Feb. 28, 1828, the first death in the mission band. She left two infant children, including Sereno.

“Visits To Kaawaloa … Our nearest missionary neighbor outside of the town of Kailua were the Ruggleses, who lived at Kaawaloa, twelve miles south. Their dwelling was at Kuapehu, two miles up the mountain, a most verdant and attractive spot.”

“It later became the residence of Rev. John D. Paris. Kaawaloa proper was a village on the north side of Kealakekua Bay.”

“I was born there at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Ely, only a few rods from the rock where Captain Cook was slain and where his monument now stands.”

“We often visited Kaawaloa, probably twice a year, going by water in a double canoe, generally starting two or three hours before daylight, so as to carry the land breeze a good part of the way.”

“There were a number of paddlers in each of the two canoes, who would make the long craft fly swiftly through the sea. The steersman in the stern would give the signal by a slap of his paddle against the canoe, and all the rowers would shift their paddles in unison from one side to the other.”

“We children generally laid upon the raised platform with the mother, though sometimes in the bottom of a canoe. We were apt to be seasick, and then go to sleep, sometimes awaking to see the waves dashing on a coast of black lava cliffs.”

“We would run up the little bay and step ashore upon Cooke’s rock, whence it was only a few rods to the nice premises of the good Princess Kapiolani.”

“These were prettily thatched cottages on a platform of white masonry which was studded with black pebbles. Kapiolani’s quarters were neatly furnished within. She was generally there to receive us with the most cordial hospitality.”

“Immediately behind the house was a precipice perhaps two hundred feet high. This seems to have been caused by a former breaking off of the coast line for many miles. Great lava flows had subsequently poured over the precipice to the north and south, so as to enclose the bay, leaving half a mile of the precipice at the head of the bay untouched.”

“The Ruggles Family And Home … The next thing was to surmount the formidable pali. There were plenty of natives to carry up the lady and children in the lack of animals.”

“From the summit, two miles of slope brought us to the delightful home of the Ruggleses, where we were again lovingly welcomed. Mrs. Ruggles was a tall, sweet-faced woman of kindliest character.”

“Mr. Ruggles was a pleasant man of small stature, who was often absent from home touring among the natives, his health requiring such activity.”

“There was a luxuriant garden, with luscious grapes and figs and coffee trees in fruit. There were also orange trees, and in the vicinity many old ohia trees with the ripe apples bestudding their gnarled trunks.”

“The mission dwelling was a large thatched house, with several glass windows. A matter of special delight was the company of two very agreeable’ children of our own ages, named Huldah and Samuel, of whom we were always very fond.”

“How Past Days Were Kept … The Ruggles family returned to America about 1834, and we saw no more of them. Mr. Ruggles had done good service as a teacher and preacher for fourteen years.”

“Their places were taken by Mr. and Mrs. Cochran Forbes, four of whose grandchildren now reside in Honolulu. Mr. Forbes was a forceful and zealous missionary. There are memories of pleasant visits with them also, both at Kuapehu and at Kailua. On one occasion a fast day is remembered, such as we observed at Kailua four times a year by omitting the noon meal.”

“The Forbes were more rigid, and no breakfast was served. Discovering this, Mrs. Bishop made for the safe, and seizing some cold chicken and taro, enabled her hungry family to break their fast. She was always to be relied on in the commissariat.”

“Missionary Visits To Kailua … Some mention should be interesting of memories of visits at Kailua from various missionaries. Such visits were always delightful to us.”

“Yet the ladies and sometimes the children were apt to be landed from their schooners in sad plight, after the hardships of the voyage. I remember two fair young women being brought in in fainting condition in the litters which they had occupied on the deck of the vessel.”

“These were Mrs. Dr. Chapin and Mrs. Ephraim Spaulding. The Spauldings made us a long visit, during which I formed an intense childish attachment to Mr. Spaulding, who was a sweet and devout man. An earlier visit is recalled made by the Bingham family about 1833. Most of their time was spent on the upland above us.”

“Mrs. Bingham was much of an invalid. Father Bingham was a somewhat stately, courteous gentleman, for whom I had much liking and a little fear.”

“The Baldwins repeatedly visited us from Waimea. Dr. Baldwin we all liked. He was personally active, even breaking into a run, something rarely seen in grown men in Kailua.”

“My childish impressions of all these friends was wholly favorable, accompanied by the utmost reverence for their spirituality and devoutness.”

“General Meetings Of The Mission … Very prominent in the old mission life were our annual visits to Honolulu in attendance upon what was called the ‘General Meeting.’”

“That was an annual assembling at the capital of all the missionary families, occupying from four to six weeks. The hospitality of the missionaries residing at Honolulu was severely taxed in entertaining their rural associates.”

“Many of the latter families secured native cottages and kept house in them. Our experiences at these times were varied and noteworthy. Especially so were the voyages to Honolulu and return.”

“In these days of rapid transit from port to port in large and comfortable steamers, no idea can be gained of the wretched miseries of those early and protracted voyages in small schooners.”

“As a child’s experiences I recall them as among the severest physical sufferings of a fairly comfortable life. They must have been much worse to the lady missionaries.”

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Kaawaloa, Kealakekua Bay. A copperplate engraving from a drawing by Lucy or Persis Thurston about 1835

February 27, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Henry Chee

His vessel, Malia, was known as the ‘Grey Ghost of the Kona Coast’. He had the uncanny ability to venture solo away from fleets and find the best marlin fishing available. (Cisco)

“Neither (he nor his father) had ever been in a boat, until the day in 1935 that (Henry) went fishing with someone here.” (Chee; LA Times)

Born in Honolulu in 1910, Henry Chee and his wife Ellen moved to Kona in 1931. (IGFA) From a family of banana farmers, Chee entered the charter fishing business in 1935.

Interestingly, many believe bananas are a jinx and bring bad fishing luck. Not so for Chee. (Rizzuto) “He went out with Findlayson one afternoon, and they caught a marlin. Dad told me the sound of that very first screaming reel stayed with him all those years.” (Chee; LA Times)

“‘When Dad started out here, in the late 1930s, there was no such thing as radios on boats. So he was in partnership on his first boat with a man named Charlie Findlayson, who owned a bunch of pigeons.’”

“‘So if someone fishing with Dad caught a marlin, he’d write a note on a tiny piece of paper, put it in a capsule on the pigeon’s leg, and release it.’”

“‘The pigeon would fly back to Kona, through Mrs. Findlayson’s kitchen window. She’d spread the word around town. If it was a big fish Henry would be bringing in, she’d arrange for the newspaper photographer to be there, at the pier.’” (Chee; LA Times)

Throughout his lifetime, Captain Chee set an unprecedented number of game fish catch records which helped make his favorite fishing grounds, the Kona Coast, world famous. (HIBT)

“Henry Chee originated marlin fishing on the Kona Coast. He developed it, he pioneered it, he taught everyone how to catch those big blues.”

“There are a lot of young skippers here today using techniques that they don’t even know Henry started. It’s no exaggeration to call Henry Chee our Babe Ruth.” (Phil Parker; LA Times)

He started using the first plastic marlin lures in Hawai‘i in the 1950s. And he made them himself. (LA Times)

Plastic was new in 1949 and Henry was one of the first to experiment with it. Intrigued when he came upon a screwdriver embedded in resin hardened in a jar, and using the family kitchen as his laboratory …

Henry borrowed bar glasses for molds; inserted copper tubing, doll eyes and shell (for color and reflection); poured in fiberglass resin; boiled the glass on the stove; and removed the hardened blank.

He turned it on a lathe and hand-cut the attack angle with a miter box — all by eye so no two of his ‘straight runners’ were exactly alike.

Skirts were made from red inner tubes, fish skins and oilcloth tablecloths. Each lure was tested in the most scientific way: if it caught fish, he kept it; if it didn’t, he didn’t. (IGFA)

Elsewhere in the fishing world, anglers were convinced marlin would only take baits. The ‘obvious’ truth to bait fishermen: a marlin attacked food fish with its bill and then ate its prey only after it had battered the injured baitfish into submission.

Any lure-catch would, therefore, be a total accident, and there was no useful percentage in accidental catches.

But Henry and his followers were catching those ‘accidents’ every day including some astonishing world record blue marlin and yellowfin tuna. (Rizzuto)

“In 1955, when everyone but Dad was using bait, there were 175 marlin caught. Dad caught 63 of them, all on plastic lures.” (Chee; LA Times)

By the 1950s, Henry Chee’s fame had spread to the mainland. Pictures of celebrities standing next to huge blues caught in Hawaii began to appear in newspapers and magazines. He was the guide for Henry Fonda, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Arthur Godfrey, Roy Rogers, Gordon McRae, Hal Wallis and Walter Lantz. (LA Times)

“‘In the old days, when I started running a boat here in 1954, there were four boats. Now look out there. There are something like 54 to 60 now. I can’t keep track of them.’”

“‘Looking back, it seems like there were more fish then. But then, we lost a lot of marlin. Our gear wasn’t as good as it is today.’” (Parker; LA Times, 1986)

Back then, caring for linen fishing line was a full-time job. (IGFA) “Dad had to work a lot harder in the old days, when skippers had to dry out the line every night, to prevent rot.”

“Dad would wrap it a few times around his back and roll his shoulders, trying to break it. If it broke, he’d throw it all out and load up with new line.” (Chee; LA Times)

Chee died in 1965. “He had a stroke one day while gaffing a marlin, and died three days later (at the age of 55).” (Chee LA Times)

The Henry Chee Memorial Award was established in 1965 by the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament Board of Governors; it is given to the charter boat captain with the highest number of billfish points scored on their boat during the five days of tournament fishing. (HIBT)

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Henry Chee-IGFA