Kingdom of Hawaii

“ Borne over the waters by unseen forces, the canoe of Waahia was stranded on the beach at Koholalele, on the island of Hawaii. Not far off was the old heiau of Manini, and thither the god was conveyed, and placed in the custody of the high-priest of the temple, with the injunction that it was never to be removed from the inner court, or sanctuary, unless the kingdom was in peril. Six generations after it was taken from the heiau by the giant Maukaleoleo, and carried at the head of the victorious army of Umi, as mentioned in the legend of “Umi, the Peasant Prince of Hawaii.” ”

“ In this grand scheme of conquest and consolidation he was sustained by the leading chiefs of Hawaii, hungering for foreign possessions, and large quotas of canoes and warriors were promised.
A general plan of action having been adopted, a fleet of two thousand canoes of all sizes and an army of twelve thousand warriors were speedily collected. Sacrifices were made at the great temple of Pakaalani; the favor of the gods was invoked, and the auguries were satisfactory. The king was to lead the expedition in person, and the chivalry of the kingdom rallied to his support. ”

“ They shall be chosen by the people, according to their wish, from Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. The law shall decide the form of choosing them, and also the number to be chosen. This representative body shall have a voice in the business of the kingdom. No law shall be passed without the approbation of a majority of them. ”

“ When Kahekili landed from his fleet of canoes, and conquered Kahahana, the people said, “The life of the land has come from the sea.” Then again when Ka-meha-meha came from Hawaii, conquered Oahu and made Honolulu the centre of his kingdom, the old natives of the island repeated the prophecy and considered it fulfilled. ”

“ His Majesty Kalakaua, will, and his Successors shall take the following oath: I solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God, to maintain the Constitution of the Kingdom whole and inviolate, and to govern in conformity therewith.
Article 25. No person shall ever sit upon the Throne, who has been convicted of any infamous crime, or who is insane, or an idiot.
Article 26. The King is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and of all other Military Forces of the Kingdom, by sea and land. But he shall never proclaim war without the consent of the Legislature ”

“ Hewahewa was prepared to do his part as the religious head of the kingdom, but the young king, notwithstanding the pressure that had been brought to bear upon him by Kaahumanu and a few of the leading chiefs of his court, was still undecided.
A feast was prepared in honor of the king’s return to Kailua. In accordance with native custom, separate tables for the sexes were spread, and a number of foreigners were present as the invited guests of Kaahumanu. During the afternoon Liholiho, in response to well-devised banters, had been induced to drink and smoke with the female members of his family. ”

“ Slavery shall, under no circumstances whatever, be tolerated in the Hawaiian Islands; whenever a slave shall enter Hawaiian territory he shall be free; no person who imports a slave, or slaves, into the King’s dominions shall ever enjoy any civil or political rights in this realm; but involuntary servitude for the punishment of crime is allowable according to law. ”

“ In double canoes, [362] one of them bearing the corpse of his royal father, Kiwalao set sail with a large party of chiefs, warriors and retainers for Honaunau. There it was his purpose to deposit the remains in the neighboring burial-place of Hale-a-Keawe, sacred to the ashes of Hawaiian kings, and then proceed with the redivision of such of the lands of the kingdom as were at his disposal.
When off Honokua the second day, Keeaumoku came down from Kapalilua and boarded the fleet. His avowed purpose was to wail over the body of Kalaniopuu. ”

“ O ke ’lii nui o Hawaii ia wa e noho ana o Kalaiopuu, a ua hanau nana o Kiwalao. A make o Kalaiopuu ma Waioahukini ma Kau, hooili ihola ia i ke aupuni maluna o kana keiki ponoi, o Kiwalao.
OF KALAIOPUU’S WORDS TO KIWALAO AND KAMEHAMEHA. NO KA OLELO A KALAIOPUU IA KIWALAO A ME KAMEHAMEHA. Before the death of Kalaiopuu he gave an injunction to the boys, Kiwalao and Kamehameha,3 and to all the chiefs, thus: “Boys, listen, both of you. The heir to the kingdom of Hawaii nei, comprising the three divisions of land, Kau, Kona and Kohala, shall be the chief Kiwalao. He is the heir to the lands. ”

“ The Government of the Hawaiian Islands is a Republic. Up to the year 1893 it had been a limited monarchy, but at that date it was felt, by the progressive party in the state, that monarchy had had its day, and that the friends of such a form of government should give way to more liberal institutions, assimilating to the institutions of the United States, and to become a part of which Great Republic is the earnest desire of all those who have the interests of the Islands at heart. ”

“ The chief justice of the supreme court shall be the chancellor of the Kingdom; he shall be ex officio president of the nobles in all cases of impeachment, unless when impeached himself, and exercise such jurisdiction in equity or other cases as the law may confer upon him, his decisions being subject, however, to the revision of the supreme court on appeal. Should the chief justice ever be impeached, some person specially commission by the Queen shall be president of the court of impeachment during such trial. ”

“ The Hawaiians were barbarous, certainly, since they slew their prisoners of war, and to their gods made sacrifice of their enemies; since no tie of consanguinity save that of mother and son was a bar to wedlock; since murder was scarcely a crime, and the will of the alii-nui on every island was the supreme law; since the masses were in physical bondage to their chiefs and in mental slavery to the priesthood. Yet, with all this, they were a brave, hospitable and unselfish people. ”

“ To this day the United States of America has yet to acquire any lawful authority over the Hawaiian islands. Despite this fact though, the United States of America continues to impose its own domestic laws within the territorial borders of the Hawaiian Kingdom as an occupying power. ”

“ After the migratory influx of that period, however, and the settlement on the islands of a number of warlike southern chiefs and their followers, the independent chiefs began to unite for mutual protection. This involved the necessity of a supreme head, which was usually found in the chief conceded to be the most powerful; and thus alii-nuis, mois and kings sprang into existence. So far as tradition extends, however, certain lines, such as the Maweke, Pili and Paumakua families, were always considered to be of supreme blood. ”

“ The American eagle, from its seat in the North, overshadows with guardian pinions the American continent.
In the case of Hawaii the American Republic seems likely to depart from its traditional policy of acquiring no territory beyond American bounds. The Hawaiian Islands were won from barbarism by the efforts and sacrifices of American missionaries and their descendants. A republic has been established there, and intelligent Hawaiians look hopefully forward to a common future with the United States. ”

“ The chief of the district of Puna was Kahavari, a young noble distinguished for his strength, courage and manly accomplishments. How he came to be chief or governor of Puna is not stated. As his father and sister lived on Oahu, he was probably a native of that island, and may have been advanced to his position through military service rendered the Hawaiian king, since it was customary in those days, as it was at later periods, for young men of martial tastes to seek adventure and employment at arms with the kings and chiefs of neighboring islands. ”

“ While the rest of the world writhes and struggles, Hawaii forges ahead, using its best brains to further the means of international peace; and the Pan-Pacific Union grows apace. It is incorporated as an international body of trustees, the consuls in Honolulu from all Pacific lands are on its board of management, and the heads of all Pacific governments, from President Harding to the king of Siam, are among its officers and active workers. Among its branches may be named those in Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines ”

“ Recognized by the powers of the earth, sending and receiving envoys, enforcing respect for the law, and maintaining peace within its island borders, Hawaii sends to the United States, not a commission representing a successful revolution, but the accredited plenipotentiary of a constituted and firmly established sovereign State. ”

“ Indeed, that independence was not only recognized but guaranteed by France, England and the United States.
Many of the missionaries settled in Hawaii, and their descendants have become rich and prominent citizens. Hawaii owes much to them. So far as lay in their power, they taught the people trades and introduced New England ideals of government and education. ”

“ The white population became too difficult of government by these half-civilized Polynesians, a revolution was brought about, for a few years Hawaii was an independent republic administered by Americans, and finally was annexed by the United States in 1898. ”

“ Keeaumoku, the slayer of princes and maker of kings, died peacefully as governor of the windward islands in 1804. Kaahumanu became the wife of a king, and died as chief counsellor of the islands in 1832. The temples of the Hawaiian gods were destroyed immediately after the death of Kamehameha, in 1819, and but a tenth of the number of natives found on the islands at the close of the last century are now left to sing of the achievements of their ancestors, who first made their home in the group when the Roman Empire was falling to pieces under the assaults of Northern barbarism. ”

“ Prior to the discovery of gold in California, the islands shipped wheat, potatoes, onions and other vegetables to the Golden Gate, but now sugar is king, the crop in 1916 returning $63,000,000, while pineapple plantations yielded $8,000,000, coffee $298,000, and rice $166,000.
When Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian, or Sandwich Islands, in 1778, the native population was about 200,000. Hawaii was annexed to the United States in July, 1898, and created a Territory in 1900. A governor is appointed by Congress. The machinery of government is perfect and works very smoothly. ”

“ Raising his face into the baptism, Naula with emotion exclaimed:
“The sacrifice is accepted! The gods are merciful, and the people are saved!”
And the rains continued, not there alone but all over the islands, until the grass grew green again and the banana put forth its shoots. Everywhere the rejoicing was great. The [173] people returned to their deserted lands, and the valleys of Hana, even, blossomed as before. But Hua and his family had perished from the earth, and a new dynasty came into being to claim the sovereignty of eastern Maui. ”

“ Alighting, we pressed against a wall of wind that eternally drafts through the gap, and threading among a score of small pack-mules resting on the way to Honolulu, gained the railed brink of the Pali. In the center of a scene that had haunted me for years, since I beheld it in a painting at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, I looked a thousand feet into an emerald abyss. Over its awful pitch Kamehameha a century ago forced the warriors of the King of Oahu, Kalanikupule—a “legion of the lost ones” whose shining skulls became souvenirs for strong climbers in succeeding generations. ”

“ In view of the fact that the legitimacy of the present government of Hawaii might be questioned, it affirms “that the republic of Hawaii, established in and based upon its present constitution, is a rightful government, and has been, and still is, recognized as such by the United States of America and by other great powers, without any question by any nation of its rightful and sovereign independence ”

“ Hearing of the revolt, Kauholanui, who had been engaged in constructing a fish-pond at Keoneoio, in the neighborhood of Honuaula, left Maui at once with less than a hundred spears, and, landing in Kona, whose chief could be relied upon, he started overland for Waipio. The revolution was unpopular, and with great unanimity the chiefs and people rallied to the standard of the king. The struggle was brief. A battle was fought near Waimea, resulting in the defeat of the rebel army and the death of Noakua. ”

“ An interesting sociological problem is raised by the presence of the large Asiatic element in the population. The Japanese and Koreans, and in less measure the Chinese, act as domestic servants, work under white contractors on irrigating ditches and reservoirs, do most of the plantation labour and compete successfully with whites and native islanders in all save skilled urban occupations, such as printing and the manufacture, of machinery. The “Yellow Peril” is considered less dangerous in Hawaii than formerly, although it was used as a political cry in the campaign for American annexation. ”

“ They have learned much already: and they are improving daily. They are governed by a good Queen and by wise and able officers. Had they at hand, in the Capital, a wise English Consul, to advise them (when they need) in difficulties, and to aid them in the solution of important problems continually coming before them, their progress would be greatly facilitated. Under such influences, secular and sacred, Hawaii, with its sixty thousand people, has grown into a Christian nation and has taken its place in the world’s history. ”

“ Some peoples counted time by the number of generations from some common ancestor; some counted by the length of reign of each successive king or chief; some counted each individual year within a, by them, generally adopted era. The Hawaiians counted by generations of their principal chiefs or kings. They started from Wakea as a common ancestor of all the chiefs on all the islands of the Hawaiian group; but, for convenience or clearness sake, time was counted by either of the reigning families on the four principal islands: Kauai, Oahu, Maui, or Hawaii. ”