King David Kalakaua King David Kalakaua was the seventh and final king to rule the Hawaiian islands. He began his career early on by participating in leadership groups, which sculpted him into a wise and diligent leader. In addition to this, Kalakaua’s lavish lifestyle and energetic personality fueled his desire to resurrect the long forgotten ways of ancient Hawaiian culture. Kalakaua’s passionate actions brought back the arts of hula and chanting, as well as the legends of ancient Hawaiian deities. To his tragic demise, Kalakaua’s misplaced faith in his most trusted political advisers leads to their betrayal and the ultimate collapse of the Hawaiian sovereign nation and altered the course of Hawaiian history forever. Furthermore, King David Kalakaua’s traditional values lead him to restore the ancient Hawaiian culture, but mistakenly placed his trust in the wrong political advisors, leading to the downfall of the Hawaiian sovereign nation. David Kalakaua was born on the day of November 16, 1836 in the prosperous town of Honolulu, Hawaii. As a child, he attended the Royal School to receive an education. Subsequently, at the age of 16, Kalakaua served in the Hawaiian Government and became an impactful leader in a group called the “Young Hawaiians,” whose ambition was to bring back Hawaii’s long forgotten culture and arts (“The Merrie Monarch”). Shortly after the death of King Kamehameha …show more content…
VI, an election was held to determine the new king of Hawaii. Due to his previous political experience, Kalakaua was an attractive candidate for the voters. On February 12, 1874, Kalakaua was elected king of Hawaii. Consequently, it was then his responsibility to ensure the sovereignty of Hawaii’s nation and to restore the ancient culture back to the people (“King David Kalakaua”). Ever since the first foreign contact from Captain Cook and his crew, Hawaii’s population flooded with missionaries from all around the world. Some missionary families saw the great potential in Hawaii’s land for building plantations and growing crops. As a result, the large plantation owners desired more political power and formed a militia called the Hawaiian League, whose mission was to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy (“King David Kalakaua”). During this time, Kalakaua was on the lookout for political advisers to aid his decisions in the Hawaiian government. Wealthy plantation owners such as Sanford Dole, Claus Spreckels, and countless others joined Kalakaua as his political advisers. Based on their recommendation, Kalakaua signed the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 and eliminated the import and export taxes from Hawaii to the USA. As a result, the sugar industry boomed and Hawaii’s economy flourished. After this economic uprise, Kalakaua built the famous Iolani Palace in Honolulu, which was an engineering masterpiece for its time (“The Merrie Monarch”). As the economy flourished, David Kalakaua saw that the advice from his advisers was successful and began to increasingly trust them. To his own ignorance, little did Kalakaua know that these businessmen were secretly part of the Hawaiian League and plotting to overthrow the kingdom in their quest for more political power (“David Kalakaua History”). In the time Kalakaua’s reign continued, the Hawaiian League continued to devise a plan to conquer the Hawaiian sovereign nation. Leader of the Hawaiian League, Walter Murray Gibson, spoke with Kalakaua on July 1, 1887 and asked the king forfeit his power to the Hawaiian League, but Kalakaua denied them of any rights to his ruling (“The Bayonet Constitution”. Shortly after, the Hawaiian League militia marched up and surrounded the Iolani Palace. Kalakaua was presented with a new constitution that withdrew all of his political power and gave it to the League. King Kalakaua immediately denied the new constitution, but was quickly warned that he must sign away his power or die. At this point, Kalakaua saw that resisting any further was futile and signed the new constitution. At a later point, Kalakaua called this the Bayonet Constitution due to the circumstances they forced upon him. Without delay, nearly 6500 out of 9000 Hawaiians signed and spread petitions to repeal the Bayonet Constitution but were denied by the Hawaiian League. This highly unjust constitution impacted the history of Hawaii forever. Months after the incident, Kalakaua fell terribly ill and travelled to San Francisco for medical aid. To Kalakaua’s dismay, his medical treatment was not effective and lead to his death on January 20, 1891. King David Kalakaua died with the final words “tell them I tried,” and is now buried at the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii in Honolulu (“King David Kalakaua”). King David Kalakaua’s actions will never be forgotten.
His actions started at a young age and shaped him into a leader and a passionate Hawaiian hero. Kalakaua brought back the ancient traditions of hula, chanting, and gods that had been long forgotten and outlawed. Sadly, his betrayal by his most trusted advisers lead to the downfall of Hawaii’s sovereignty. King David Kalakaua’s meaningful intentions started as a child and brought back the most important ancient values of life to the Hawaiians, but he was betrayed by close friends and forever changed the fate of Hawaii’s
nation. Works Cited "Bayonet Constitution." Bayonet Constitution - Hawaii History - Short Stories. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. "David Kalakaua History." David Kalakaua - Hawaii History - Monarchs. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. "The Merrie Monarch." Aloha Hawaii RSS. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. "King David Kalakaua." Of Hawaii. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. "Merrie Monarch Festival." King David Kalākaua. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
Often times, the history that is being told is one of Hawaiian weakness, and defeat. The Bayonet Constitution of 1887, the Overthrow of 1893, and the Annexation of 1898, are all often used as examples of moments of powerlessness in the Hawaiian Kingdom. What about all history prior to, in between, and after, these major dates? Surely, it did not just disappear. In the last few decades, Hawaiian history has changed dramatically due to the works of many Hawaiian historians. The history that was lost has been found, and new discoveries are still being made. Hawaiʻi’s history is a story of resistance, pride, and unity. Included within this history is a man named Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox. Wilcox was a revolutionist, and a leader, but he enjoyed being a politician the most. Wilcox was the beacon of hope that helped guide the people of Hawaiʻi through darkness. Wilcox was and still is today a symbolic figure in Hawaiʻi’s political history.
Kuykendall, Ralph S. The Hawaiian Kingdom, 1854-1874: Twenty Critical Years. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1953. Print.
The role of a kahuna in the Hawaiian culture takes on the responsibility of keeping a balance between the people and the nation. In doing so, they apply their field of expertise towards assisting the aliʻi and the makaʻāinana. In ancient Hawai’i, there were many different types of kāhuna that had a skill set that contributed or benefited the community. In this paper I will discuss the different ways a kahuna achieves this type of balance within the lāhui. These kuleana include advising the aliʻi to make pono decisions, guiding the makaʻāinana in their daily lives and practices, and taking care of the spiritual side of the Hawaiian culture and traditional practices of the people.
A small company of thirty-four New England missionaries came to Hawaii between 1820 and 1930, were the first modern immigrants. (Lind p.59) Missionaries were powerful agents of cultural destruction, coming to Hawaii to settle and teach their ways and beliefs. Bloodthirsty priests and despotic chiefs had ruled one reason for missionaries arriving and settling in Hawaii, due to the fact that they believed ancient Hawaiians. (Trask p.14) Bringing along cultural havoc by establishing a western style educational system, which included the first textbook as the Bible. The most critical change was in the use of language as a tool of colonization. Language had once been inseparable from the Hawaiians and their history by communicating their heritage between and among many generations, now came to be used as the very vehicle of alienation from their habits of life.
The Hawaiian culture is known throughout the western world for their extravagant luaus, beautiful islands, and a language that comes nowhere near being pronounceable to anyone but a Hawaiian. Whenever someone wants to “get away” their first thought is to sit on the beach in Hawai’i with a Mai tai in their hand and watch the sun go down. Haunani-Kay Trask is a native Hawaiian educated on the mainland because it was believed to provide a better education. She questioned the stories of her heritage she heard as a child when she began learning of her ancestors in books at school. Confused by which story was correct, she returned to Hawai’i and discovered that the books of the mainland schools had been all wrong and her heritage was correctly told through the language and teachings of her own people. With her use of pathos and connotative language, Trask does a fine job of defending her argument that the western world destroyed her vibrant Hawaiian culture.
Born on November 14, 1939 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Benjamin Jerome Cayetano was the son of Bonifacio Marcos Cayetano, who migrated from Urdaneta, Pangasinan to Hawaii in 1928 as a part of the first wave of Philippine laborers to work at the sugar cane plantations. At the age of 6, his father and his mother Eleanor divorced, leaving him and his 4 year old brother to take care of themselves on a latchkey existence, while his father went to work as a waiter. As a child, Cayetano grew up in the Kalihi District of Honolulu, a working class community dominated by a diverse group of immigrant families, such as Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. The Kalihi District is an environment where manliness and superiority were measured by one's ability to settle disputes by the use of violence rather than intellectual dialogues. Early childhood experiences in the Kalihi district were major influences to Cayetano's adulthood as he later became a feisty but effective lawyer.
January 11, 1855, marked the crowning of Alexander 'Iolani Liholiho as King Kamehameha IV, the birth of a notorious leader. Alexander was a very well liked man who was highly respected. He ruled the Hawaiian Kingdom and was intelligent, handsome, and destined to help his people. During his reign he dealt with many issues such as whaling, sugar, trade, American domination, immigrants, missionaries, unfair government, sovereignty, education and the decline of the Hawaiian population. King Kamehameha IV helped advance his people and culture by maintaining a stable economy, establishing new educational opportunities, and providing health care for Hawaiians.
Lydia Kamakaeha better know as Queen Liliuokalani was born on September 2, 1838, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was born into Royalty. She was the last monarch and only queen of the kingdom of Hawaii. Liliuokalani parents were Caesar Kapa‘akea and Analea Keohokālole. Her father was the Hawaiian chief of the patriarch of the House of Kalākaua, he ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1874 to 1893. Her mother was a Hawaiian chiefess and matriarch of the House of Kalākaua she ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1874 to 1893. Liliuokalani had three siblings named David Kalākaua, Miriam Likelike and William Pitt Leleiōhoku. Her brother David was the last reigning king of Hawaii’s Kingdom. Her Sister Likelike was a Princess of Hawaii’s kingdom. Her brother William was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a member of the reigning House of Kalākaua.
Kamehameha kept the Kapu system because that couldn’t be changed for the Hawaiians because it kept everything balanced. Kamehameha kept the trading process the same that’s how the Hawaiians would have different resources because every island had new materials that many other islands didn’t have. He also kept the slaying and killing of enemies because “Kamehameha would rarely trust anyone.” (Biography.com) Kamehameha changes was making a fur trade with others. British traders would take advantage of their fur resources and use the furs to trade for goods. The trading with foreigners would greatly increase. Another thing that Kamehameha changed was making a sandalwood trade. The Hawaiian sandalwood had this natural pleasant smell in its wood. The sandalwood became the most important export item by 1805. Kamehameha would declare that the sandalwood trade would become a royal monopoly because many foreigners would want to buy it with new goods. Finally, the last thing that Kamehameha did that changed was making a new law; The Law of the Splintered Paddle. This was made due to the killing of innocent people. This law made the killing or attacks on peaceful people kapu. (History of the Hawaiian Kingdom) Things that Nelson Mandela would keep the same was, the fairness of his people (everyone was equal/equally treated), and righteousness. Some things that Nelson changed was
The Great Mahele was a land redistribution by Kamehameha III because when the foreigners that came, they wanted the land, but Kamehameha III also wanted to give his people land into three even thirds (Cachola). The Great Mahele was unjustified because the new law that had passed allowed foreigners to buy land for a fee simple and the Hawaiians don’t understand this kind of system. The Great Mahele also allowed the foreigners to set up private property that blocked off the resources the Hawaiians got from. Socially the Mahele ruined the relationship between the ali’i and the Hawaiians, the ali’i would help the people get the resources that they needed.
Kualapai, Lydia. "The Queen Writes Back: Lili'uokalani's Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen." Studies in American Indian Literatures. 17.2 (2005): 32-62.
Jovik, Sonia P. and James O. Jovik. (1997). “History.” Atlas of Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, p.408.
The Polynesian peoples have a lifestyle quite different than that of any other culture, as living on an island requires a level of flexible adaptability in order to cope with such a different, sometimes difficult environment. We see the way diverse cultures build their lives around their circumstances and how they respect them in their cultural myths and stories. The Polynesian legends emphasize the physical environment that they live in. They are quite different than any other region in the world, but the beauty and individuality of the Polynesian culture is prominent as seen in their mythology.
He enjoyed the military and also loved the study of Law. He was a joyful man that enjoyed the Hawaiian traditions of Hula, language and music. Creating a few of the songs known and sung today. He also had so much care and compassion for Hawaii and its people, seeking only good for the country. While king, he dealt with the past, present issues and prepaid for the future of Hawai’i. David Kalakaua did whatever he could to keep Hawai’i safe and strong. He never saw himself above others but just as equal. He loved to travel and was loved all around the world, Asia, Europe, and the United States. And continues to be loved for many more years to