Queen Ka’ahumanu was one of the most important women in Hawaiian history, as well as one of the most powerful queens. With her determination and strong influence, she managed to forever alter the foundations of Hawaii’s kingdom and overthrow the traditional ancient religion.
Queen Ka’ahumanu was born on March 17, 1768 in a cave called Pu’u Kauki in Hāna on the island of Maui. Her father was Ke’eaumoku Papa’iahiahi, a fugitive noble from the island of Hawai’i. Her mother was Nāmāhānaikaleleokalani. On her mother’s side, she was related to many kings of Maui. On her father’s side, she was King Kamehameha I’s third cousin. Ka’ahumanu was named after her father’s rival, Kahekilinui’ahumanu because he was the cause of her father fleeing at the time. Her father was an advisor and close friend to King Kamehameha I, and ended up being the royal governor of Maui. When Ka'ahumanu was thirteen years old, her father arranged for her to marry Kamehameha I. He had a total of twenty-two wives, but assured Ka’ahumanu that she was his favorite.
Queen Ka’ahumanu was also his most powerful wife. When the King died on May 5, 1819, he left Ka'ahumanu a share of the governance over the islands. On the morning of Kamehameha I’s death, a few chiefs advised Ka’ahumanu to do away with the kapu system, but she thought it was too soon to act. The kapu system was the ancient Hawaiian set of laws and regulations that forbid many acts. Kapus were strictly enforced, and breaking one often led to immediate death. One of the main causes of the Hawaiians beginning to question the kapu system was seeing the foreigners break the kapus with no consequences. Ka’ahumanu had also secretly broken the kapu multiple times with no consequences. Two weeks following Kameha...
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...aptized on December 5, 1825 where Kawaiaha’o Church is today, and took the name Elizabeth. Christian rules began to strengthen and reform Hawaiian society. Ka’ahumanu was the first Hawaiian to create a body of laws that followed Christian morals and ethics. Three of these commandments, against murder, theft,and adultery, were enforced by law in December of 1827. Because there were laws, there needed to be a jurisdiction system. Ka’ahumanu conducted the first jury process as judge. She continued to spread Christianity and change the structure of Hawaii’s society until she died on June 5, 1839.
Ka’ahumanu was a strong-willed woman that made a significant impact on the islands by transforming the structure of Hawaii’s society, as well as their beliefs. At one point, she was the most powerful figure in the Hawaiian islands, paving the way for a new era for the kingdom.
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.
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.
... to what the newspapers portrayed her as. She was delicate and sweet with a charming air about her that "won over Mrs. Cleveland's heart." She altered the president's perspective of the situation in Hawaii, enough for him to stop the annexation. The nation celebrated but it was temporary, for Hawaii was eventually annexed within the same year.
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.
Sonia P. Juvik, James O. Juvik. Atlas of Hawaii. 3rd Edition. Hilo: University of Hawai'i Press, 1998.
The arrival of the missionaries in Hawaii changed the lives of the natives in huge ways that lasted forever. The introduction of western houses and culture had a big influence on Hawaii. The native Hawaiians built their houses out of grass and had very simple villages, but when the missionaries established their settlement they built more sophisticated and sturdy homes out of coral and used western architectural methods to construct buildings. The Hawaiians soon following their lead and the royalty all had western palaces for homes. This also lead to an increase in technology, such as the use of wells and water lines to store fresh water for the towns. They also began to bring in and
Stevens held firm beliefs about the future of Hawaii in the hands of the United States. From the start of his stay in Hawaii, Stevens made it clear whose side he was on in the political war. He would openly criticize Hawaii’s monarchy, and at times would refer to Queen Liliuokalani and her advisors as “incompetent”(2). Stevens may have not held anything against the Queen herself or any of her cabinet members, but rather degraded them simply to achieve his goals of the annexation of Hawaii, something that he considered “the only effective remedy for Hawaii’s troubles.” (2) Queen Liliuokalani naturally spoke out against the degradation of herself and her cabinet, and on behalf of her position of defending the Hawaiian Monarchy. “The U.S. Minister John Stevens was influenced by the annexationists. As a diplomat, his role was to foster a friendly, trusting relationship with the Hawaiian government. Instead, he often criticized the monarchy in public. I complained to the U.S. government about Stevens’ attitude and conduct but no action was taken.” (1)
...e" (Trask xix). This incident beautifully illustrates and signifies tourism's impact in American society. Like most Americans, this woman uses a discourse that has been shaped by tourist advertisements and souvenirs. The woman's statement implies that Trask resembles what the tourist industry projects, as if this image created Hawaiian culture. As Trask asserts, Hawaiian culture existed long before tourism and has been exploited by tourism in the form of advertisements and items such as postcards. Along with the violence, endangered environment, and poverty, this exploitation is what the tourist industry does not want to show. However, this is the Hawai'i Haunani-Kay Trask lives in everyday. "This is Hawai'i, once the most fragile and precious of sacred places, now transformed by the American behemoth into a dying land. Only a whispering spirit remains" (Trask 19).
In 1874, King David Kalakaua came to the throne. He is credited with returning the ancient hula dance to the people. European clad, he was known as the Merrie Monarch. He dined with prominent figures including the ever-corrupt President Grant. He had mastered ancient chants taught to him by his grandmother. During his reign, he brought a lot of European style to the hula dance. He integrated hymn singing and band music into traditional hula dance forms. The ukulele and steel guitar were also introduced. It was also during this period when the ti leaf skirt appeared as a hula dance costume.
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.
Racism in Hawaii has caused various issues, and one of them is racial tension. It states that “ some say…”[there are]”...racial tensions between the islands white community and native hawaiians” (Hansen, paragraph 3). Well, in history, it was quite difficult for most of the
Jovik, Sonia P. and James O. Jovik. (1997). “History.” Atlas of Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, p.408.
Brian May and Roger Taylor, in 1970, set the wheels in motion for Queen when they decided to form a band during their college years. Queen started out as a band called Smile who signed with Mercury Records, and included: Tim Staffell, Brian May, and Roger Taylor. Once Tim Staffell left, the group added Freddie Mercury (lead singer) and bassist John Deacon. Freddie Mercury, Farrokh Bulsara, was a fan of Smile and was added on as the lead vocalist. John Deacon began as a young guitarist who was a member of the group called The Opposition. This band was composed of a group of friends, and they were influenced by groups such as The Hollies and Herman’s Hermits. Eventually, Deacon was added to the group that already included Mercury, Taylor, and May. Over time, the group changed their name to Queen. The name Queen was selected by Mercury, and this name is symbolic of power and regality. The addition of Mercury proved to be an essential aspect to the history of Queen’s success. In Queen: The Early Years, Hodkinson writes, “much of what made Freddie also defined Queen: without him they were merely a model rock band with a bent for a commercial tune” (2). The group became well known for their theatrical performances and costumes that were often over the top. “From their international breakthrough in 1976, Queen continually remained one of the best-selling rock acts worldwide beyond Mercury's death in 1991. Their total record sales are estimated at up to 300 million records” (Desler 391). This group was important to the evolution of music and music performance in bands that were to follow them.