Hawaii | Page 393 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

October 10, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Peter Lee Road

“The wonderful volcano of Kīlauea, on the island of Hawaii, is the great attractive of visitors. It is the only crater in the world that is constantly in action, and that can be safely approached at all times to the very edge of the precipice which encloses the boiling lava.”

“To reach Kīlauea necessitates a passage of thirty hours from Honolulu in a fine steamer to Hilo or Punalu‘u, then a ride of thirty miles in coaches takes visitors to a fine hotel, which overlooks the molten lava lake. It is a sight that will repay the effort and expense incurred ten times over, and one that will never be forgotten.” (Whitney)

“The Interisland steamer W G Hall, 380 tons burthen, leaves Honolulu alternate Tuesdays and Fridays, at 10 A. M. She is one of the best sea boats plying in our waters, and tourists will find her accomodations and table equal to any, while her officers and stewards are ever on the alert to supply all their wants.”

“(T)he steamer at once proceeds to Punalu‘u, the terminus of the sea route. This is usually reached about 6 P. M. The passengers are landed in boats and will proceed to the Punalu‘u hotel, where they will find themselves comfortably taken care of.” (Whitney)

Lee set upon this venture with the idea of popularizing the Punalu‘u-Pahala route to Kilauea. In 1891, Peter Lee, an enterprising pioneer with an eye to the future, built a 24-mile wagon road from Pahala to Kilauea, following by seven years the construction of a hotel at Punalu‘u, which then became a third takeoff point. (NPS)

“The hotel is clean, the table good, and the proprietor will be found very obliging and ready to afford any information required.” (Whitney)

“Early in the morning the start for the Volcano is made. The first five miles are done by rail to Pahala, where the Hawaiian Agricultural Company have a large plantation and a fine mill. The fields extend far up the hillside and the constant moving of wagons, riders and gangs of men makes a busy scene.” (Whitney)

“At Pahala a coach will be found ready to convey the tourists to the Volcano. The road passes through a pleasant grassy country with the tree-clad slopes of Mauna Loa lying to the left, while to the right glimpses of the sea and the lower land are occasionally caught.” Whitney)

“The Half-way House is reached in about three hours. Here a lunch is prepared for the travelers, and a short rest is given to the animals. The air becomes cooler as the coach advances, and a pleasant ride of seven hours through a country abounding in pretty scenery brings the party to the vicinity of the Volcano House.”

“The smoke which forever overhangs this wonder of nature will have been pointed out by the guide, long before the crater is reached. About a mile from the Volcano House, a first view into the crater is obtained. By daylight the sight is by no means so striking as at night, but enough can be seen to excite wonder in the beholder.” (Whitney)

“For a number of years the Government road from Pahala in Kā‘u, to the Volcano has been practically abandoned, and a private road built and owned by Mr. Lee has been generally traveled.” (Minister of the Interior Report, 1894)

The best estimate for the date of completion of Peter Lee’s Road comes from a Volcano House register entry dated October 1888 by a guest who claimed to be the first visitor to travel by means of a wheeled conveyance the entire way from an ocean port to the volcano.

It is possible that the road was finished earlier, or that the segment that finally connected the two roads was completed before the entire road was fit for travel. (NPS)

In correspondence from Lee to Thurston, Lee notes, “I am just now making a carriage road to the Volcano on the Kā‘u side, which road will be completed in a few weeks, Several competent people have overlooked this road and are highly recommending it.”

“As I have been employed for several years in road building in Peru and California, I am thoroughly familiar with this kind of work, and am confident that I can make this road as good and cheap, and in as short a time as anybody in the country.” (Lee to Thurston, September 22, 1888; Maly)

However, the construction of the Volcano Road from Hilo had begun. With the completion of the Hilo to Volcano Road in 1894, four-horse stagecoaches came into the picture, reducing the travel time from Hilo from two days to six and one-half hours, and Hilo became the principal departure point for Kilauea. (NPS)

Back to Peter Lee’s road … “The Legislature of 1892 passed an appropriation for the purchase of this road, and practically it was turned over to the Government in December, 1892; but the formal transfer was only completed in January, 1894. The purchase price being $4,500.” (Minister of the Interior Report, 1894)

“This is the main road for travel between the districts of Hilo and Kau, and until last October was the only road by which carriages could go to the Volcano.”

“Nothing has been done on the road by way of repairs for a long time, and it is now a very uncomfortable carriage road. The Kau Road Board should be instructed to put it in order, and in addition, certain portions crossing the lava flows should be regraded and reconstructed, and finished with the traction engine now in use on the Volcano road.” (Minister of the Interior Report, 1894)

Peter Lee sold the Punalu‘u Hotel to the new buyers of the Volcano House; he managed both hotels for them.

From the early 1900s, prisoners at Namakanipaio worked on rebuilding the “Peter Lee Road” into Kaʻū, and on roads and trails around the Kilauea, and towards Puna. The prison site was closed shortly after 1915. (Maly)

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Fern Forest Road to the volcano from Punaluu, Hawaii Island-PP-28-13-008

Punaluu-S00084-1880

Suspected Peter Lee Road Marker noting completion-Aug 1887-NPS

KilaueaCrater_USGS_Quadrangle-KilaueaCrater-1922-portion-Peter Lee Road

October 9, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Baldwin House Settlement

In 1901, with the consent of the HP Baldwin heirs, who own the property, it was decided to use the old Baldwin homestead for the settlement work.

Mrs. Henry Perrine Baldwin and others helped newly arrived plantation workers from Japan, the Philippines and China adjust to living on Maui. Along with other members of the Baldwin family, she continued to support the kindergarten and settlement work.

“We have classes started in sewing, basket-weaving, and physical culture. In a short time lacemaking is to be taken up and also a class in music is to be opened, as many have signified their desire to learn to read music by note.”

“The reading-room on the second floor is now open twice a week, on Monday and Thursday evenings, where papers, magazines and books may be found, while games and music may be enjoyed on the first floor.”

“There is much interest shown, and we hope to accomplish much during the ensuing year in all branches of the work, and to put in new departments as the need arises.” (The Friend, December 1909)

Staffed by members of the middle class, the Hawaiian settlement house movement sought to help immigrant families adapt to the language and customs of their new country.

Behind the settlement house effort was the progressive belief in the importance of social cohesion, the belief that individuals are not autonomous but part of a web of social relationships and that welfare of any single person is dependent on the welfare of society as a whole. (Castle)

The old Baldwin homestead of coral rock and plaster was occupied by Dr DD Baldwin and family during his thirty-four years of missionary labors in Lahaina. In 1868 Dr. Baldwin was transferred to Honolulu and for some years the old home was deserted, or occupied for short periods only.

This second period of service at the old homestead began in 1900, when Miss Nancy Malone decided that Lahaina needed a kindergarten. She appealed to HP Baldwin; he approved her idea and offered to put up a building if others in the community would supply the furnishings and Pioneer Mill Co. would contribute to the current expenses.

The building was erected on the grounds of the Baldwin homestead, almost on the very site of that early Seaman’s Chapel, where Dr Sereno Bishop held services for so many years and where little Henry P Baldwin, at the early age of seven, began to lead the singing and to play hymns on the melodeon at morning and evening prayer.

When the kindergarten building was ready for use, Mrs HP Baldwin decided to start settlement work also. Accordingly, in 1901, she engaged both a kindergarten teacher and a settlement worker.

Since that beginning, workers have come and workers have gone but the work has never halted. The Pioneer Mill Co have faithfully kept their agreement to assist in current expenses

Mr DT Fleming of Baldwin Packers, has been a friend of the Settlement and has generously assisted when repairs or improvements were needed. Whatever Baldwin House has accomplished has been due to her wise and motherly guidance.

The present activities may be grouped in six departments, three of which are distinctly educational (the Kindergarten, the Library and the Evening School) and three of a more or less social nature.

Lahaina has no public hall suitable for small gatherings, and so when school hours are over, the bright, airy kindergarten room is metamorphosed into a free community hall. Here the Girl Scouts have drills; here various committees transact their business; and here are held all kinds of evening entertainments.

Lahaina has no boarding place comfortable for single women. Accordingly, Baldwin House has, in late years, offered its extra rooms to young business women, who join the family and carry on co-operative housekeeping. This is proving a pleasant arrangement for all concerned and is an added form of community service.

Perhaps the most popular feature of the Settlement is the playground, with its beautiful old shade trees, its fresh green grass, its rings, swings, see-saws, horizontal bar and sand box; its gay hibiscus flowers and its bubbling drinking fountains.

“Here, where once sweet Mother Baldwin dispensed open-hearted hospitality and gathered her Hawaiian friends about her for songs and for instruction in heavenly graces, the people of the neighborhood now come and go from dawn to dark, day after day …”

“… as freely as if they owned the place, and the Girl Scout leader assembles her troop for songs and for instruction in modern efficiency.” (Gossin, The Friend, December 1, 1922)

“One of the summer festivities was a garden party for which the Settlement children made really beautiful butterflies. On these were printed the words : ‘Keep Lahaina Clean.’ At the back of the butterflies the children pasted small burrs, which stuck when the butterflies were thrown at people.”

“One afternoon a week the sewing girls have been taught cooking. Simple food which they could make in their own homes, boiled rice, potatoes, cocoa, coffee, baked custard, gingerbread, muffins, pan-cakes, etc. Much emphasis has been laid on the preserving of Hawaiian fruits, papaia marmalade, guava marmalade and jelly, mango pickles and mango sauce, all with a view to the fact that sometime this could be made an industry for Lahaina girls.”

“The kindergarten is composed of several nationalities— Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, German, and Spanish. We find the homes of the children much cleaner and more sanitary this year than ever before, as each year the people are becoming more and more educated along hygienic lines, which is indeed encouraging. We are planning work for the coming year, which we hope will be helpful in all ways in teaching the children to care for themselves and others.” (HEA Annual Report, 1912)

“How appropriate that these activities are being conducted under the auspices of the descendants of the very missionaries whose beautiful lives consecrated this home to unselfish service.”

“How satisfactory it is that all departments of the work are crowded to capacity and that the Settlement, though small in scope and modest in endeavor, seems to have made a place for itself in the lives and hearts of the community it aims to serve.” (Gossin, The Friend, December 1, 1922)

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October 8, 2017 by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Ships to Hawaii Before 1819

The following is a chronological listing of voyages to Hawai‘i. The information is from a summary from Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society (HMCS) and is limited to material in the library of the Mission Houses’ library, one of the largest of Hawaiiana in existence.)

While a complete list is desirable, to accomplish this, it would be necessary to examine carefully all the known ships’ logs, private journals, newspapers and other old documents. While it may not be a complete listing, it notes the bulk of voyages to the Islands. (Judd, HMCS)

1778
Resolution – Captain James Cook, arrived January 18, 1778, departed Feb. 2, 1778; Discovery – Captain Charles Clerke
Second visit – arrived Nov. 26, 1778, departed Feb. 4, 1779; but a broken mast on the Resolution forced both vessels to return Feb. 11, 1779. Captain Cook was killed Feb 14. Vessels finally left islands March 13, 1779.
“For several years after this melancholy event no ship visited the islands after Captain Cook.” (Dibble)

1786
King George – British registry, Capt Nathaniel Portlock, arrived May 24, 1786, departed Jun 13, 1786 – came a second time in Nov 1786 and a third in Sept. 1787. Accompanied by Queen Charlotte.
Queen Charlotte – British registry, Capt. George Dixon, with Portlock’s expedition, arrived May 26, 1786, departed June 13, 1786
Boussole – French naval frigate, La Pérouse in command; arrived May 29, 1786, departed May 30, 1786. He landed at Maui only. Accompanied by Astrolabe.
Astrolabe – French naval frigate, de Langle in command, with La Pérouse’s expedition; arrived May 29, 1786, departed May 30, 1786.

1787
Nootka – British registry; John Meares, master; arrived Aug. 2, 1787, departed Sept. 2, 1787.
Queen Charlotte – British registry; Capt George Dixon; with Portlock’s expedition; arrived Sept. 5, 1787, departed Sept. 18, 1787
King George – British registry; Capt. Nathaniel Portlock; arrived Sept. 27, 1787, departed Oct. 8, 1787
Imperial Eagle or Loudoun – Charles William Barkley, master
Prince of Wales – British registry; James Colnett, master; spent winter of 1787-88 at Hawaii; accompanied by Princess Royal
Princess Royal – British registry, merchant vessel; Charles Duncan, master; spent winter of 1787-88 at Hawaii with Prince of Wales

1788
Felice – Britsh registry; John Meares, master; arrived Oct. 18, 1788, departed Oct. 26, 1788
Iphigenia – British registry, ship; William Douglas, master; arrived Dec. 6, 1788, departed Mar. 16, 1789; accompanied by North West America
North West America – British registry, schooner; Robert Funter, master; arrived Dec. 6, 1799, departed March 15, 1789; accompanied by North West America

1789
Iphigenia – British registry; William Douglas, master; arrived July 20, 1789, departed Aug. 20, 1789
Columbia – Boston registry, ship; Robert Gray, master; arrived in August 1789
Mercury – British registry, brig; Capt. John Henry Cox, master; arrived Sept. 23, 1789, departed Sept. 25, 1789; George Mortimer on board

1790
Eleanora – American registry, brig; Simon Metcalf, master; by ordering the Olowalu Massacre, Simon Metcalf provoked the natives to retaliation. This the Hawaiians accomplished by capturing the Fair American and murdering all the crew except Isaac Davis. When John Young, the boatswain, was sent ashore from the Eleanora a few days later, he was held by natives for fear he would tell Metcalf of the fate of the crew of the Fair American. Young and Davis became two of Kamehameha I’s chief advisors.
Fair American – American registry; Thomas Metcalf, master

1791
Princess Royal – Formerly British registry, now under Spanish colors; Manuel Quimper, master; arrived Apr. 1791
Argonaut – British registry, merchant vessel; James Colnett, master; arrived Apr. 1791; credited with bringing first sheep to Kauai
Hope – American registry, brigantine, trader; Joseph Ingraham, master; arrived Oct. 6, 1791, departed Oct. 12, 1791
Lady Washington – American registry, sloop; Capt. John Kendrick, master
Hancock – American registry, brig; Capt. Crowell, master

1792
Discovery – Capt. George Vancouver; accompanied by Chatham; arrived Mar. 2, 1792, departed Mar. 16, 1792
Chatham – Lieut. William Robert Broughton; accompanied Discover; arrived Mar 2, 1792, departed Mar. 16, 1792
Daedalus – British naval store ship; lieut. Hergest; arrived May 7, 1792, departed May 12, 1792
Columbia – Boston registry, ship; Robert Gray, master; arrived Oct 29, 1792, departed Nov. 3, 1792
Halcyon – Charles William Barkley, master; arrived Nov. 8, 1792, departed Nov. 15, 1792
Margaret – American registry, ship; Capt. Magee, master
Jenny – England; Capt. Baker, master

1793
Discovery – Capt. George Vancouver; accompanied by Chatham; arrived Feb. 12, 1793, departed Mar. 30, 1793
Chatham – Lieut. Peter Puget; accompanied Discovery; arrived Feb. 12, 1793
Jefferson – American registry, trader; Capt. Roberts, master; arrived Mar 1793
Butterworth – English registry, trader; William Brown, master

1794
Discovery – Capt. George Vancouver; accompanied by Chatham; arrived Jan. 9, 1794, departed Mar. 14, 1794
Chatham – Lieut. Peter Puget; accompanied Discovery; arrived January 9, 1794, departed Mar. 14, 1794
Britannia – first vessel built in Hawaii; constructed under Vancouver’s supervision in Feb, 1794
Jefferson – American registry; Capt. Roberts, master; arrived Oct 1794
Phoenix – Capt. Moore, master
Jackal – English registry, schooner, trader; William Brown, master
Prince Lee Boo – English registry, Capt. Gordon, master
Lady Washington – American registry; Capt. John Kendrick, master

1795
Union – Boston registry; John Boit, jr., master; arrived Oct. 13, 1795, departed Oct. 16, 1795
Jane – arrived Oct. 13, 1795, departed Nov. 12, 1795
Ruby – Charles Bishop, master
Mercury – Capt. Barnett, master

1796
Providence – Capt. William Robert Broughton; arrived Jan. 1, 1796, departed Feb. 20, 1796
Arthur – Henry Barber, master
Otter – Boston registry; Ebenezer Dorr, master; sighted Hawaii Dec. 2, 1796, left Kauai Jan. 1, 1797

1798
Neptune – American registry; Daniel Greene, master; arrived Aug. 12, 1798, departed Aug. 31, 1798

1799
Caroline or Dragon – American registry, Richard J. Cleveland, master; arrived July 19, 1799, departed July 21, 1799

1800
Betsy – British registry; arrived Oct. 21, 1800, departed Oct. 28, 1800

1801
Perseverance – American registry; Masa Delano, master; arrived December 10, 1801, departed December 20, 1801

1802
Atahualpa – Boston registry; Capt. Wildes, master; arrived Aug. 5, 1802, departed Nov. 4, 1802
Margaret – British registry; Johy Buyers, master; arrived Dec 17, 1802, departed Jan. 21, 1803
Ann – American registry; arrived Dec. 25, 1802, departed Dec. 28, 1802

1803
Lelia Byrd – American registry; William Shaler, master; arrived June 21, 1803, departed July 7, 1803; brought first horse to Hawaii

1804
Nadeshda -Russian; Capt. Lieut. Adam John von Krusenstern in command; arrived June 7, 1804, departed June 10, 1804
Neva – Russian; Capt. Lieut. Urey Lisiansky in command under von Krusenstern; arrived Jun 8, 1804, departed Jun 20, 1804

1805
Lelia Byrd – American registry; William Shaler, master; arrived Aug. 22, 1805
Tamana – John Hudson, master; built in Hawaii 1805
Atahualpa – Boston; Capt. Adams, master; arrived Aug. 1805, departed Oct. 6, 1805
Yarmouth – arrived Dec. 8, 1805; Samuel Patterson; departed Dec. 22, 1805

1806
Hamilton – Boston; Capt. Porter
Perseverance – American; Amasa Delano, master; arrived Sept. 8, departed Sept. 30.
Port au Prince – London; Mr Brown, master; arrived Sept. 29, 1806, departed Oct. 26, 1806
Pearl – Boston; Capt. Ebetts, master
O’Cain – Boston; Jonathan Winship, master
Tamana – John Hudson, master

1807
Maryland – New York; Jonathan Perry, jr., master; arrived May 19, 1807, departed July 19, 1807

1809
Neva – Russian; Capt. Hargemeister; arrived Jan. 27, 1809
Dromo – American; arrived Feb. 24, 1809, departed Mar. 15, 1809

1810
Duke of Portland – Capt. Spence, master; arrived Feb., departed Mar. 4
Albatross – American

1811
Tonquin – American; Capt. Jonathan Thorn, master; arrived Feb. 13, 1811, departed Feb. 28

1812
Beaver – American; Capt. Cornelius Sowles, master; arrived Mar 26, 1812, departed Apr. 6, 1812

1813
Lark – American; Capt. Northcop, master

1814
Sir Andrew Hammond – U.S. ship of war; commanded by Lieut. John Gamble of Marine Corps; arrived May 23, 1814, departed June 11, 1814
Cherub – British ship of war; Capt. Tucker; arrived Jun 22, departed July 15
Atahualpa – Boston; sold to Russians, renamed to Bering; wrecked off Kauai during attempted occupation by Russians
Isabella, Othrytie, Kodiak, Ilmen and Bering – Russian vessels

1815
Columbia – British; Anthony Robson, master; arrived Jan 16, 1815, departed Jan 18, 1815
Millwood – New York; Samuel G. Bailey, master; arrived Dec. 7, departed Feb. 16
Columbia – British; Capt. Jennings; arrived Dec. 10, departed Jan 4, 1816

1816
Rurick – Russian; Lieut. Otto von Kotzenbue; arrived Nov 21, departed Dec 14

1817
Columbia – British; Capt. Jennings; arrived January 27, departed Apr. 16
Bordeaux Packet – American; Andrew Blanchard, master; arrived Aug 12; sold to Kalaimoku in Dec.
Rurick – Russian; Lieut. Otto von Kotzebue; arrived Sept 27, departed Oct. 14, 1817
Columbia – British; Capt. Jennings, master; arrived December 6; sold to Kamehameha I, May 2, 1818.

1818
Santa Rosa – A pirate ship under Capt. Turner; arrived May, departed Oct. 20
Osprey – arrived Aug 28, 1818, departed Sept. 20, 1818
Argentina – belonged to independents of South America; Capt. Hippolyte Bouchard; arrived Sept, departed Oct. 20
Kamschatka – Russian; Capt. Golovnin; arrived Oct. 20, 1818

(All information is from Voyages to Hawaii Before 1860, HMCS, 1929.)

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October 7, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

‘Native Tenants’

“Kamehameha I was the founder of the kingdom, and to him belonged all the land from one end of the islands to the other, though it was not his own private property. It belonged to the chiefs and people in common, of whom Kamehameha I was the head, and had the management of the landed property.” (Constitution 1840)

“When the Islands were conquered by Kamehameha I, he followed the example of his predecessors, and divided out the lands among his principal warrior chiefs, retaining, however, a portion in his hands, to be cultivated or managed by his own immediate servants or attendants.”

“Each principal chief divided his lands anew, and gave them out to an inferior order of chiefs, or persons of rank, by whom they were subdivided again and again; after passing through the hands of four, five or six person; from the King down to the lowest class of tenants.”

“All these persons were considered to have rights in the lands, or the productions of them. The proportions of these rights were not very clearly defined, but were nevertheless universally acknowledged.”

“The tenures were in one sense feudal, but they were not military, for the claims of the superior on the inferior were mainly either for produce of the land or for labor, military service being rarely or never required of the lower orders.”

“All persons possessing landed property, whether superior landlords, tenants or sub-tenants, owed and paid to the King not only a land tax, which he assessed at pleasure, but also, service which was called for at discretion, on all the grades, from the highest down.”

“They also owed and paid some portion of the productions of the land, in addition to the yearly taxes. They owed obedience at all times. All these were rendered not only by natives, but also by foreigners who received lands from Kamehameha I and Kamehameha II, and by multitudes still alive …”

“… of this there are multitudes of living witnesses, and a failure to render any of these has always been considered a just cause for which to forfeit the lands.”

“It being therefore fully established, that there are but three classes of persons having vested rights in the lands—1st, the Government, 2nd, the landlord (Chiefs and Konohiki,) and 3rd, the tenant (Makaʻāinana,) it next becomes necessary to ascertain the proportional rights of each.”

“Happily, evidence on this point is not wanting, though it may be the most difficult one to settle satisfactorily of any connected with land claims. The testimony elicited is of the best and highest kind.”

“It has been given immediately by a large number of persons, of a great variety of character, many of them old men, perfectly acquainted with the ancient usages of the country; some were landlords, and some were tenants.” (Land Commission Principles, adopted by Legislature October 26, 1846)

“The title of the Hawaiian government in the lands so acquired and so bona fide owned, as in the preceding sections set forth, shall be deemed in law to be allodial, subject to the previous vested rights of tenants and others, which shall not have been divested by their own acts, or by operation of law.” (Laws adopted 1846)

“Wherefore, there was not formerly, and is not now any person who could or can convey away the smallest portion of land without the consent of the one who had, or has the direction of the kingdom. These are the persons who have had the direction of it from that time down, Kamehameha II Kaahumanu I and at the present time Kamehameha III.”

“These persons have had the direction of the kingdom down to the present time, and all documents written by them, and no others are the documents of the kingdom.”

“The kingdom is permanently confirmed to Kamehameha III and his heirs, and his heir shall be the person whom he and the chiefs shall appoint, during his lifetime, but should there be no appointment, then the decision shall rest with the chiefs and House of Representatives.” (Constitution 1840)

“‘God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the earth,’ in unity and blessedness. God has also bestowed certain rights alike on all men and all chiefs, and all people of all lands.”

“These are some of the rights which he has given alike to every man and every chief of correct deportment; life, limb, liberty, freedom from oppression, the earnings of his hands and the productions of his mind, not however to those who act in violation of the laws.”

“Protection for the People declared. The above sentiments are hereby published for the purpose of protecting alike, both the people and the chiefs of all these islands, while they maintain a correct deportment, that no chief may be able to oppress any subject, but that the chiefs and people may enjoy the same protection, under one and the same law.”

“Protection is hereby secured to the persons of all the people, together with their lands, their building lots, and all their property, while they conform to the laws of the kingdom, and nothing whatever shall be taken from any individual except by express provision of the laws.”

“Whatever chief shall act perseveringly in violation of this constitution, shall no longer remain a chief of the Hawaiian Islands, and the same shall be true of the governors, officers, and all land agents.”

“But if any one who is deposed should change his course, and regulate his conduct by law, it shall then be in the power of the chiefs to reinstate him in the place he occupied, previous to his being deposed.” (Declaration of Rights, 1839)

In 1848, King Kamehameha III responded to increasing economic pressure from foreigners who sought to control land by fundamentally changing the land tenure system to a westernized paper title system.

The lands were formally divided among the king and the chiefs, and the fee titles were recorded in the Māhele book. Lands granted in the Māhele were granted “subject to the rights of native tenants,” usually tenant farmers who already worked and resided on portions of those lands.

In 1850, a law was passed allowing these “native tenants” to claim fee simple title to the lands they worked. Those who claimed their parcel(s) successfully acquired what is known as a kuleana.

In the years that have passed since the Māhele, many of the large parcels initially granted to chiefs have changed hands through formal legal transfers of title.

Deeds executed during the Māhele conveying land contained the phrase “ua koe ke kuleana o na kānaka,” or “reserving the rights of all native tenants,” in continuation of the reserved tenancies which characterized the traditional Hawaiian land tenure system. (Garavoy)

Contemporary sources of law, including the Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Hawaii State Constitution, and case law interpreting these laws protect six distinct rights attached to the kuleana and/or native Hawaiians with ancestral connections to the kuleana.

These rights are:
(1) reasonable access to the land-locked kuleana from major thoroughfares;
(2) agricultural uses, such as taro cultivation;
(3) traditional gathering rights in and around the ahupua‘a;
(4) a house lot not larger than 1/4 acre;
(5) sufficient water for drinking and irrigation from nearby streams, including traditionally established waterways such as ‘auwai; and
(6) fishing rights in the kunalu (the coastal region extending from beach to reef).

The 1850 Kuleana Act also protected the rights of tenants to gain access to the mountains and the sea and to gather certain materials.

The Kuleana Act did not allow the makaʻāinana to exercise other traditional rights, such as the right to grow crops and pasture animals on unoccupied portions of the ahupua’a. The court’s interpretation of the act prevented tenants from making traditional use of commonly cultivated land. (MacKenzie)

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October 6, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

First American Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe

Jeanne Baret, a French woman from the Loire Valley, and her lover, botanist Philibert Commerson, implemented an elaborate plot so she could join him on a French expedition around the world, led by explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville.

Just before Bougainville’s ship, the Etoile, set sail in December 1766, Baret dressed as a man and showed up on the dock to offer her services – introducing herself as “Jean.”

They set sail, and over the couple of years amassed more than 6,000 plant specimens – including one they named for the expedition’s commander, bougainvillea. Although later found out to be a woman, and disembarked along the way, she later made it back to France – the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. (Cohen)

The credit of first American woman to circumnavigate the globe is given to Lucia Ruggles Holman – like Jeanne Baret’s, her trip around the world had its complications.

The 1819 departure of the Pioneer Company of missionaries to the Islands missionary was in danger of indeterminate delay because they lacked a physician.

One in the company, Samuel Ruggles, thought of Lucia, his sister, and her suitor, Thomas Holman, a physician practicing in Cooperstown, New York. If the doctor could be persuaded to join the missionary cause, events could proceed on schedule.

Ruggles thought Lucia and Thomas could marry, and then he would have the company of kin on this endeavor. However, Holman, a recent graduate of Cherry Valley Medical School in New York could not marry due to the debts incurred by the doctor’s unsuccessful practice. Then, a solution appeared in the guise of becoming missionaries.

The Prudential Committee acting on behalf of the American Board assumed the debts, purchased the necessary medical books, instruments, drugs, and supplies, and sent Holman to the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall for training. (Wagner-Wright)

On October 23, 1819, the Pioneer Company of American Protestant missionaries from the northeast US set sail on the Thaddeus for the Hawaiian Islands.

Dr Thomas Holman and his wife Lucia joined two Ordained Preachers, Hiram Bingham and his wife Sybil and Asa Thurston and his wife Lucy; two Teachers, Mr. Samuel Whitney and his wife Mercy and Samuel Ruggles and his wife Mary; a Printer, Elisha Loomis and his wife Maria; and a Farmer, Daniel Chamberlain, his wife and five children.

After rounding Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America) and 164-days at sea, on April 4, 1820, the Thaddeus arrived and anchored at Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Hawai‘i’s “Plymouth Rock” is about where the Kailua pier is today.

On April 11, King Kamehameha II gave the missionaries permission to stay. However, “The King gives orders that Dr. H. and our teacher must land at Kiarooah – the village where he now resides, and the rest of the family may go to Oahhoo, or Wahhoo.”

“(H)e wanted the Dr. to stay with them, as they had no Physician and appeared much pleased that one had come; as to pulla-pulla (learning), they knew nothing about it. Consequently it was agreed that Dr. H. & Mr. Thurston should stay with the King and the rest of the family go to Oahhoo.” (Lucia Ruggles Holman)

Things did not go smooth for the Holmans and the rest in the mission – it started on the trip over – “Long before the close of the voyage this little community began most sensibly to feel the unpropitious influence of a most refractory spirit in (Dr Holman) …”

“… (who declared) determination not to comply with the principles established by the Board, & expressed to us in the instructions of the prudential committee, for the regulation of our economical policy.”

“Both the Dr. & his wife spoke often of acquiring personal wealth & returning early if they should succeed, to their own country. The Dr. objected to subscribing to our byelaws founded on the above named principles, because he said they cut him off from his original plans.”

“He wished to acquire the miens of returning at pleasure to America, & to educate his children there &c. … When he was referred to the general tenure of our instructions, he replied … that he had not subscribed them all &c. Sister H. too, from the time of leaving Boston repeatedly talked loudly of returning to her friends.”

“He has now received the 2nd admonition – Br. Thurston says ‘it is most manifestly our duty to proceed in our course of discipline with him even to excision if he does not confess his faults & evidence repentance future amendment’”. (Bingham to Samuel Worcester, October 11, 1820)

Dr. Holman, contrary to the unanimous advice and request of the brethren, left them, and went to reside on the island of Maui, more than 80 miles from any of them. This they considered an abandonment of the mission.

“The subject is too painful to dwell on, except when imperious duty demands – All the mission family is exhausted with it and with one voice, much as they need a physician, they would desire the Dr & his wife were safely landed on their native shore.” (Bingham to Evarts, November 2, 1820)

After only four months in the islands, the Holmans had not adjusted to the spirit of the mission. (Kelley) He withdrew from the mission on July 30, 1820 and returned to the US with his family (including Lucia Kamāmalu Holman born in 1821).

On October 2, 1821, Dr. Holman and family accepted free passage home on the Mentor, a whaleship, via China and the Cape of Good Hope. Mrs. Lucia Ruggles Holman is believed to be the first American woman to circumnavigate the globe. (Portraits)

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