When you go to Hawaii you will need this guide to the islands

Front matter

WHEN YOU CO TO HAMAII

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Contents

I. A Bir or GEOGRAPHY Il. A Bir or History III. Ishanp or OanuU IV. THe Braco at WAIKIKI

VY. KauakauaA AVENUE — KApPIoLANI PARK — Diamonp Heap — Buack Point — KAHALA — WaIALAE GoLtF CLUuB— Koxo Hrap — Karmuki — Manoa VALLEY — WAIOLI TEA- Room

VI. InctupiIna Puacres or Historicau INTEREST IN HoNOLULU

Chapter I A Bit Of Geography

Tue printed words Hawaiian Islands have enabled many a person to locate on a map the few pin-points which represent ‘the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean,’ ‘the Key of the Pacific,’ or ‘the Malta of the Pacific.’ Mark Twain certainly knew his islands. As for the other two appellations, the Key may fit one of these days and the Malta be digested, but not at the immediate present.

The island group is a part of an archipelago in the North Pacific extending for a distance of about two thousand miles, from Hawaii on the southeast to Ocean Island on the northwest. The islands extending northwest from Kauai of the main group are, with the exception of Necker Island, coral atolls. The largest and only important one of these atolls is Midway Island. It is used as one of the cable stations between San Francisco and the Philippine Islands. The names of this minor group are, from southeast to northwest, Necker Island, French Frigate Shoal, Gardner Island, Dowsett Reef, Maro Reef, Laysan Island, Lisiansky Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Gambia Shoal, Midway Island, and Ocean Island.

The Hawaiian Islands proper consist of a group of twelve islands lying between latitudes 18° 54’ and 22° 14’ north and longitudes 154° 50’ and 160° 30’ west. Of this d WHEN YOU GO TO HAWAII number eight are inhabited and are, in order of size, Hawail, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, and Kahoolawe. The remaining four — Lehua and Kaula near Kauai, Molokini near Maui, and Nihoa near Oahu — are small barren rocks.

The formation of the group of islands is the result of hundreds of years of volcanic activity causing craters to be built up from the bottom of the sea. This action has proceeded from northwest to southeast, as is evidenced by the atolls of the minor group, which were at one time as large islands as are Oahu and Kauai to-day. Between the area of atolls and that of islands still in the making are volcanic peaks in all stages of decay. Some have been eroded past all recognition. Others have lost every spark of fire like those guardian sentinels of Honolulu. On the island of Hawaii the building programme is still under way in Halemaumau, ‘The House of Everlasting Fire.’

The volcanoes of these islands are not explosively inclined, and consequently do not hurl masses of lava and volcanic ash to great heights. On the other hand, they are much more polite about it and a great deal slower in their actions. The lava is relatively fluid and seethes and bubbles in vast caldrons until it eventually runs over the top or breaks through and runs slowly down the slopes. The result is that the Hawaiian volcanoes do not look like ‘real’ volcanoes. The mountain-tops are altogether too wide, with no resemblance to the perfect cone. However, if you are ever so fortunate as to be present at the meeting of the red-hot lava and the cool ocean, you will behold a sight that will be stamped on your memory for life.

In the construction of these tropical islands, Nature did not make the volcanoes with their lava do all the work, but called in some of her tiniest builders to add the flourishing touches in the way of harbors and lagoons. These little

LAVA AND CORAL 5 workmen are the reef-building corals. They grow best a short distance from shore, where the salt water is free from sediment and where they are exposed to the dash of the waves. Lagoons are formed within the reef, access to which is through a natural opening left by the coral-builders to allow the muddy rainwater from the mountains to pass out to sea.

So we see that the Hawaiian Islands were formed by the volcanoes and coral-builders working hand in hand — the volcanoes producing the land masses and the coral-builders patching things up along the shore.

Chapter II A Bit Of History Origin

WHEN the white man first came to the Hawaiian Islands, he found a large population consisting of three distinct classes — the nobility of kings and chiefs, the priests, and the common people. Just where these inhabitants came from is a question the answer to which has been given in many different ways.

To the Hawaiians, however, there is no doubt as to their origin. When they first came, from where and how, and what was the beginning of their life is told in their legends and traditions, their chants and genealogies. These have been passed on from one generation to the next, so that which is so mysterious to scientists and historians is nothing more than fact to them.

Considering that the Islands’ early history was passed down by word of mouth, it is no wonder that the story differed here and there. From the chants of Hawaii Loa, a person in the dim past, the Hawaiians have developed the belief that Hawaii was at one time a part of a great continent the topmost peaks of which are the islands of to-day. Suddenly there came a mighty deluge and a flood, and the continent, save a few mountain-tops, was submerged.

In the genealogical chant it is told that the Hawaiian race had its origin in Hawaii; that the very first person was a woman by the name of Lailai, whose husband, Kealiiwahilani, was the Hawaiian Adam. Wakea, their immediate descendant, and his wife, Pa-pa, have usually been referred to as the progenitors of the Hawaiians.

ORIGINS 7

Even as we have the story of Noah and his ark, so have the Hawaiians their Nu-u. He built himself a ship in which he survived the ravages and hardships of the deluge and found himself perched on the top of Mauna Kea. He called a cave that he found there after his wife Lili-noe, and it bears her name to this day. Remember this when you are motoring around the Island of Hawaii.

To the Hawaiians, ‘whence they came’ is no puzzle. But to our historians and scientists it is a baffling question which has not been answered satisfactorily for all — nor will it ever be.

There are several reasonable and well-studied theories. From a similarity of religious ceremonies, some believe that the Hawaiians have a Jewish origin. Others, on account of carvings found on rocks in remote places, imagine a possible Egyptian relation. A great many favor the theory that the Tahitians are the progenitors of the Hawaiians, or even the Maoris of New Zealand. It is all very interesting if not authentic.

However, no matter where they came from or how they got here, they arrived and made their homes on islands which, according to scientists, have been in existence for twenty thousand years. Compared with the date of their discovery, that is a long time ago.

DISCOVERY OF THE ISLANDS, JANUARY 18, 1778

As to the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands a great deal has been written. No sooner is a sane and logical solution advanced than another just as plausible is presented in refutation. Did John Gaetano, the Spanish navigator, discover them in 1555? Was it other seamen from Spain? Or was Captain James Cook, B.R.N., the discoverer in 1778?

There is much in support of Gaetano. Spain at that time was, without a doubt, master of the seas, and never lost an opportunity of sending out a well-equipped squadron to carry her flag to distant realms. Just such an expedition set out from Spanish South America in 1542 to sail among the islands of the South Pacific. On this voyage Juan de Gaetano held the position of navigator, and from his reports, charts, and documents the Spanish have claimed the distinction of discovering the Hawaiian Islands.

In the legends, charts, and traditions of the Hawaiians it is found that foreigners had been cast upon their shores before Gaetano. To establish connection between their stories and the historical facts is difficult if not impossible. However, it is supposed that the first Europeans on the Islands were Spanish castaways from one of Saavedra’s ships lost en route from Mexico to the Spice Islands in 1527.

Be it as it may, some one from the outside world evidently landed on the shores of these islands before Captain Cook in 1778, but it remained for him to bring them into relation with the rest of the world.

So we have Captain James Cook, British Royal Navy, setting sail from England on July 14, 1776, with two ships — the flagship Resolution, and the Discovery under Captain Clerke. Previous to this voyage Captain Cook had made two expeditions in search of unknown tracts of land in the vast expanse of ocean of the southern hemisphere. This third voyage was undertaken through the Earl of Sandwich’s requesting the Admiralty to seek for a northern passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, Captain Cook found himself once again in the broad Pacific and eventually at Tahiti. After replenishing his supply of food and water, he continued on his way, passing by Christmas Island, which he named, and on January 18, 1778, discovered the present islands of Oahu and Kauai. A landing was made at Waimea on Kauai for the purpose of examining the water and test-

CAPTAIN COOK 9 ing the friendship of the natives. No opposition was offered, and he was free to come and go as he wished. He visited the temples and received in barter many interesting articles, the most famous of which are the feather capes and helmets now in the Bishop Museum at Honolulu. Two weeks later, Captain Cook left Kauai and continued on his quest for the Northwest Passage. Returning several months later, he found that the Islands were more extensive than he had first thought. He named the group the Sandwich Islands after John Montague, Earl of Sandwich, his friend and patron.

On November 26, 1778, the island of Maui was sighted, and four days later Hawaii, famous then for its kings and chieftains, was in view. Cook spent several weeks in exploring the coast and in getting the lay of the land. Finally, on January 17, 1779, the ships came to anchor in Kealakekua Bay on the western side of the island. His reception was flattering. The natives were more than friendly. They thought he was the reincarnation of their god Lono, who, according to their legends, would one day return, and Cook received divine honors.

However, peace and adoration did not reign for long. One act led to another, and Captain Cook realized that he was rapidly losing control of the situation. On February 4, 1779, he left Kealakekua Bay to explore the leeward side of the group. Rough weather was encountered, and after failing to find a suitable anchorage the ships returned to Kealakekua Bay, dropping their anchors on February 11, 1779. Things happened quickly.

During the few days that Cook was away, the natives evidently took stock of the situation. Their provisions were being consumed in large amounts with very little given in return. These English seamen had won the favor of the native girls and wives. A sailor had died and was given burial on land, which was a proof that the visitors were not immortal. So when Cook returned, it was quite apparent that he no longer held the same exalted position in the eyes of the natives.

A landing-party was interrupted and hindered in its endeavor to replenish the water-supply. Several cases of stealing ships’ fittings occurred. Finally a cutter was stolen from the Resolution. Captain Cook, being notified of the loss of the boat, decided to go ashore and secure the native chief Kalaniopuu and hold him prisoner until the cutter was returned. He left the ship early in the morning accompanied by a detachment of marines and sailors and landed at Kaawaloa, a native village on the bay. The inhabitants were more than friendly in their attitude, but through some misunderstanding the marines fired upon an approaching canoe, killing one of the occupants. A scene of wild confusion followed. The natives sought revenge and concentrated their efforts on taking the life of the ‘White God.’ Cook’s followers were unable to protect their leader on account of the danger of firing in such a mélée. He fell, and his companions were forced to retreat to the ships without his body.

So ended the career of one of England’s most renowned sailors and navigators. But the death of Captain Cook, February 14, 1779, might well be considered the birth of the Hawaiian Islands in their relations with the powers of the world.

A few days after Cook’s death, the Resolution and the Discovery sailed out of Kealakekua Bay, eventually pointing their prows south and for England. New lands were heralded to the world!

Captain Cook’s tragic death was a blow to the civilized world and placed a damper on many an enthusiastic explorer. For about seven years no foreign boat again ven-

OTHER ADVENTURERS 11 tured near the Islands. During this period the island of Hawaii was in a perpetual state of civil war, while King Kahekili and his brother Kaeo brought under their control the smaller islands of the group.

Incited by stories of wealth easily attained in trade between the west coast of North America and China, certain business men of England formed a company for that purpose. From America to China across the Pacific is many a mile, and in those days travel was an entirely different undertaking from that of our day. Naturally the Hawaiian Islands again came into being as a haven for water, supplies, and rest. Preéminent in the trading business were Captains Portlock and Dixon, both of whom had been with Captain Cook on his fateful voyage.

Not only the English but adventurers of other nationalities were attracted by the lucrative trade. An American, Captain Metcalf, set sail from China with two ships and touched at Hawaii in the latter part of 1789. In an altercation with the natives one of his ships was captured and destroyed, and two members of his crew were forced to re-

*main on shore. These two men were John Young and Isaac Davis. We shall hear of them again. This happened in March, 1790.

KAMEHAMEHA I, 1736-1819

The birth of Kamehameha I at Ainakea, District of Kohala, on Hawaii, was the cause of great consternation among the chiefs. ‘A man is coming to slay chiefs’ was the ery of the prophets, and King Alapainui was angry and not a little worried. He gave orders for the child to be killed, but the babe was carried into the hills and the King’s men were unable to accomplish their mission. Twelve years later the King relented and sent for the boy. Then the young chieftain was carefully schooled in the art of war and in the life at the royal court.

Upon the death of Kalaniopuu in 1782, Kamehameha became king. As we have seen, the few years immediately following Captain Cook’s discovery were years of strife and turmoil for Hawai. Kamehameha began his reign with about half of the island of Hawaii under his control. He immediately set out to subjugate the chiefs who held the windward side. By 1790 he thought himself strong enough to attempt an invasion of Maui. He landed at Hana and defeated the Mauians in a battle fought in the Wailuku Valley. The victory was due, in great part, to the cannon operated by Young and Davis, the American traders.

Upon his return to Hawaii, Kamehameha found that the chiefs of the windward side had been playing a bit in his absence. Keoua, the leader of the revolt, retreated from Hilo to the Kau District by way of the Kilauea Voleano. As the last files of men were passing, there was an explosive eruption which killed the entire second column. The King was greatly impressed by what he interpreted as the work of Pele, the goddess of Kilauea. Keoua was treacherously slain the following year while attending a conference held by Kamehameha at Kawaihae Bay. This act gave the great” chief control of the entire island of Hawaii and was the beginning of his successful conquests.

By 1795, Kamehameha had subjugated the islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Molokai, while Oahu and Kauai still denounced his authority. So in that year he sailed across the channels to Oahu with a huge fleet of war canoes, called the ‘Peleleu Fleet,’ to crush the resistance of Kalanikupule, King of Oahu. With Kamehameha were our two traders Young and Davis, who had command of the artillery.

The ‘fleet’ landed upon the shore of Waikiki, where Kamehameha established his camp and waited for a favorable opportunity to press the enemy. He had not long to

KAMEHAMEHA I “AS wait. (Upon the opening of the new Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1927, this landing was reénacted.)

Hotly pursued by the attackers, the army of King Kalanikupule retreated up Nuuanu Valley. Stand upon stand was made, but to no avail. On pressed Kamehameha — the Oahuans were doomed. Up the valley they went, until further retreat was blocked by a precipice with a sheer drop of one thousand feet. A last heroic stand was made, but those who were not cut down by Kamehameha’s victorious forces were forced over the Pali to meet death hundreds of feet below.

Kauai was the last of the islands to defy the rule of Kamehameha, but in 1810 she finally gave up the unequal battle and entered into the ‘great Kingdom.’

Kamehameha was not only a great warrior, but he was also a great statesman. After the formation of his kingdom, he put aside the sword and promoted agriculture and encouraged industries. He organized his government to carry out his desires always with the welfare of his people in mind. It is interesting to note here that our friend John Young was made Governor of the island of Hawaii.

Kamehameha was greatly influenced by the wise council of Captain George Vancouver, who arrived in Hawaii in 1792. Captain Vancouver was in the employ of the British Government and visited the Islands frequently during his voyages. It was he who introduced cattle and sheep into the Islands.

The arrival of Captain Vancouver marked a new era in the lives of the Hawaiian people. His advice on the managemen of the government and domestic affairs and his sound criticism of the tabu system so impressed the people that in 1794 they placed Hawaii under the protection of Great Britain. However, the cession was never ratified.

Before Vancouver sailed for England, he told Kamehameha of the Christian religion and promised to have teachers sent to the Islands. As we shall see, this promise was a large factor in the reception of the missionaries who arrived several years later.

MISSIONARIES — 1820

In the legendary history of Hawaii we are often confronted with the existing condition of the ‘tabu.’ This system was the imposing of individual might over others — of a chief over inferior chiefs and the common people, and of a king over all. This system became, with the aid of the priests, so firmly established that it greatly aided the high chiefs and enabled them to exercise their power and wield their authority, not only over the habits of the people but over their lives as well.

When the Islands were visited by Captain Cook in 1778, the system of tabu was strongly in force. Kamehameha I was a staunch supporter of the tabu because it gave him individual strength over his subjects which he otherwise would not have had. Nevertheless, he and his court were deeply impressed by the criticisms of the tabu offered by visiting foreigners, notably Captain Vancouver, and by the evident superiority of the foreigners, which they attributed to a superiority in the Christian religion.

So we find that, upon the death of Kamehameha in 1819, a group among the natives banded together, rejected their ancient tabus, and adopted, as much as they were able, the religion of the foreigners. Keopuolani, Kamehameha’s wife, was the leader of this group, and when she, in the presence of the multitude, broke the tabu at Kailua, on the island of Hawaii, by eating the ‘tabued cocoanut’ and escaping unharmed, they were quick to join her ranks. Liholiho, Kamehameha’s son and successor, was one of the first to support his mother, and through his efforts all opposition to the new

THE MISSIONARIES 15 order of things was suppressed. Thus fell the old religion and the much-feared tabu.

During the early trading days in the Islands many young Hawaiians sought adventure by shipping on the foreign vessels. Obookiah, an orphaned native of Hawaii, was just such a one. He eventually landed in New England and, working his way, arrived at New Haven. As he had been instructed in earlier days in the service of his native temples, it is not surprising that he should have wanted the foreigner’s religion carried to his people. His pleadings were not in vain. A school was established for the training of pupils for foreign missions, and enthusiasm ran high. Obookiah studied hard and fervently, but died without seeing the fulfillment of his cherished hopes. However, he sowed the seed which two years after his death developed into the first organized missionary party to set sail for the Hawaiian Islands.

The mission party left Boston on October 23, 1819, on the brig Thaddeus, headed for the Islands by way of Cape Horn. In this intrepid group of pioneers were two ordained ministers, the Reverend Hiram Bingham and the Reverend Asa Thurston, and their wives; Daniel Chamberlain, farmer; Samuel Whitney, mechanic and teacher; Samuel Ruggles, teacher; Elisha Loomis, printer and teacher; a physician, Dr. Holman; and several young Hawaiians, among whom was Tamoree, the son of King Kaumualii of Kauai.

On March 30, 1820, the Thaddeus came in sight of the island of Hawaii. Great excitement prevailed on board as the ship sailed along the northern shore. Their perilous voyage was at an end, but what new hardships and privations awaited them? A couple of the Hawaiians in the party went ashore to learn the state of affairs. The missionaries on board eagerly awaited their return. At last the news reached them that Kamehameha was dead and that his son, Liholiho, was King; that the ancient system of tabus was abolished, and that peace reigned throughout the Islands.

What a coincidence! The very month that the old religion of the Hawaiians was cast aside, the first party of missionaries embarked from New England to carry to these people the teachings of God. The scene could not have been better prepared. The Hawaiians without a religion and in a state of uncertainty, and the missionaries suddenly appearing among them from over the horizon.

Many of the older chiefs remembered the promise made by Captain Vancouver to Kamehameha that missionaries would be sent to the Islands. The arrival of the Thaddeus was, in their minds, the fulfillment of this promise, and through their counsel Liholiho permitted the missionaries to land at Kailua’ April 8, 1820, and himself became one of the first listeners to the teachings of the new religion. At first only those of rank were, by order of the King, permitted to be taught. The seed was sown on the island of Hawaii and spread rapidly throughout the group.

Mr. Thurston and his wife, with one or two others of the party, remained at Kailua, while the Thaddeus sailed for Oahu and Honolulu. Mr. Bingham opened the mission in Honolulu and was, as time passed, its devoted champion against bitter attacks made against it and the missionaries by the outside world. He became a great friend of the kings and gave valuable counsel in their relations with foreigners.

At the request of the King, Ruggles and Whitney, accompanied by George Tamoree, went to Kauai and established a mission there. (It is to be remembered that Tamoree’s father, Kaumualii, was the Governor of Kauai and the last king of a conquered people.) By his aid the mission-

THE MISSIONARIES iy aries were able to work uninterrupted and to gain the confidence of the natives.

Missions were established on the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, and Kauai, and through them the natives were taught the lessons of the new religion. Within ten years the Hawaiians were transformed from idol-worshipers to followers of Christ.

But all this could not have happened had not the missionaries had the support of a number of the native men and women of chieftain rank who, with their own religion destroyed, were eager to embrace the teachings of Christ. The Hawaiian race was deeply religious, and the missionaries arrived just at the time when the natives were at a loss for a substitute. So it required only the example of the high chiefs to bring the natives to listen to the new religion. Without the support of these chiefs, the missionary movement undoubtedly would have been a complete failure.

Before passing on to other events and characters, let us stop for a moment and hastily glance over the accomplishments of these first missionaries and their successors. Of course the great object held in view was the conversion of the Islanders. But the missionaries did not stop at that. The Hawaiian language for the first time was systematized and reduced to writing. A printing-press was placed in operation in Honolulu in 1822, and from it the natives were supplied with Bibles written in their own language. Half of the adult population was taught to read. The children were gathered into the schools, where they received instruction that would have done credit to any elementary school in the United States. The natives were shown improved methods in agriculture. The King and his court were given intelligent and just counsel in the management of the Islands’ internal affairs as well as in matters dealing with foreign powers. The missionaries showed the natives the path to follow and guided them skillfully along it. The Hawaiians owe much to them, and the missionaries and their families had no reason to regret their great undertaking.

LIHOLIHO, KAMEHAMEHA IT, 1819-1824

The reign of Kamehameha II was short, but filled with anxiety and sadness for the King. We have seen that it was he who suppressed the opposition to the destroying of the ancient tabu; that he permitted the first organized missionary party to land at Kailua, and that through his example the natives were brought to the teachings of the Church.

Liholiho had often expressed a desire to visit England to pay his respects to King George IV. So, late in 1823, he with his wife Kamamalu and their suite sailed for London. Owing to the avarice of the ship’s captain, the arrival of the royal party in England greatly resembled the landing of an immigrant. However, when the British Government learned of the King’s presence, every effort was made for his comfort. The Hawaiian King and his Queen were honored and féted and were quite the topics of conversation.

Suddenly a member of the royal suite was attacked by measles. The King caught the malady the next day, and in a week the whole suite was sick. Great was the grief of Liholiho and Kamamalu. They failed rapidly, and the Queen died, quickly followed by her husband. Their remains were returned to Hawaii on board a British warship under the command of Lord Byron, a cousin of the poet. They were the first island rulers to go abroad.

KAUIKEAOULI, KameHAmena IIT, 1825-1854 When Kauikeaouli, Liholiho’s young brother, came to the throne as Kamehameha III, he was but eight or nine years old. Until he became of age the reins of government were in the hands of the Queen Mother, Kaahumanu, and

KAMEHAMEHBA III 19 upon her death, Kinau, one of Liholiho’s wives and a daughter of Kamehameha, managed the affairs of state.

Up to the reign of Kamehameha III, the government of Hawaii had been an absolute monarchy. The King’s word was law, there being no written language and consequently no written laws. There was no private ownership of land — it all belonged to the King. A certainamountof all products, whether from land or sea, went to the King as his share. All offices of the government were filled at the pleasure of the sovereign. Kamehameha III changed this condition of things.

A council was appointed to investigate the situation and to submit for the King’s approval a system of government modeled upon the governments of the United States and Great Britain. The result was the first code of laws and the Declaration of Rights. After much deliberating these were approved by the King and adopted in June, 1839.

The road had been paved, and the next year brought forth the first constitution, drawn up by the Council of Chiefs. The constitution was adopted in October, 1840, and the Hawaiians entered upon a new era. A legislature of nobles and representatives was established, the latter being elected by vote of the people. An executive branch of the government was formed. Civil and criminal'codes of law were provided, which established a uniform system of taxation and did away with the unjust tabus on fishing. Laws regulating the management of schools were passed and put into immediate practice. ‘

Through the contact with foreigners and their knowledge of foreign governments, the King and his chiefs were coming to the point where they realized that the old system of land-tenure was a great hindrance to the Islands’ progress. A land system was organized, January, 1848, which provided for the distribution of land to king, chiefs, and common people. Each was to receive one third. Kamehameha III uponreceipt of his portion immediately divided it in two, setting aside one part for the Government and reserving the remainder for himself. The latter were known as ‘crown lands’ and as such are spoken of to-day. Foreigners were not permitted to own land until two years later.