Timeline in Hawaiian History...1758? - 1800 AD

Important Dates in Hawaiian History

This section was written for several reasons. First of all, I was interested in learning about Hawaiian historical events in context by reading about what happened in Hawaii regionally, and within the context of the global picture. Researching historical events gave me the insight to create timeline for future reference so that I could understand the progression of the Hawaiian revitalization movement, which demonstrates the significance of Tūtū Puku‘i’s work.

The timeline is laid out chronologically to show progression. Facts and dates were gathered and verified from various sources including a Timeline of Revitalization from the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo website (http://www.ahapunanaleo.org), a timeline from a documentary film by Elizabeth Kapu‘uwailani Lindsey Byers, Ph.D., entitled Then There Were None, Kuykendall and Day’s (1961) book Hawaii a history: From Polynesian Kingdom to American Statehood, and the Hawaiian Historical Society website (http://www.Hawaiianhistory.org/ref/chron.html).

It was important to gather information from several sources to verify facts, and also to gain a well-rounded perspective by hearing the same stories from different viewpoints. The timeline begins with the birth of Kamehameha the first, and ends with Tūtū Puku‘i’s death.

Timeline

King Kamehameha I, also known as Kamehameha the Great (1758? – 1819). No one knows for sure when Kamehameha was born, and there is debate as to the precise year of his birth. Hawaiian legends claimed that a great king would one day unite the islands, and that the sign of his birth would be a comet. Halley’s comet was visible from Hawai‘i in 1758, and it is believed that Kamehameha was born in Pu‘ukoholā shortly after the comet appeared. Most references site that he was born in 1758, while other accounts state that he was born in November of 1737.

Kamehameha was born in secret and he was buried in secret; he lived a life of action, courage, wisdom and justice (Ulukau, 2010). Kamehameha is remembered for uniting the separate Hawaiian Islands into one great nation, and under his leadership, the Hawaiian people lived peaceful, productive, and prosperous lives.

1778 – Captains James Cook and George Vancouver sail their ships Discovery and Resolution into Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawai’i during the annual season of the Makahiki, a festival honoring the god Lono as Lono-i-ka-Makahiki who sailed away long ago and promised to return. Imagine viewing the ships’ enormous white sails for the first time, huge billowing sheets of white which resemble the white kapa banners of Lono; think about the fortuitous timing of Cook’s arrival during the Makahiki season, when emotions and spiritual awareness are heightened, and with the back ground knowledge that Kealakekua (Bay, where Cook landed) means “The pathway of god”…all of these reasons caused the Hawaiians to believe that Captain Cook was Lono who has finally returned.

Cook, Vancouver, and their crews are treated like gods, like the parents of royalty. They are given gifts, feasts are held in their honor, and the Hawaiian hosts offer their guests the very best of everything. This outpouring of hospitality is both exhausting and draining. When the Makahiki celebration comes to an end, the visitors remain… and outstay their welcome.

Eventually, an argument escalates over unfair trade and the accusation of thievery. “About a score of natives were killed in the fray” (Kuykendall and Day, 1961, p.19); Cook and four of his marines are tragically killed ashore. The bones of Captain Cook are divided among the high chiefs because they are perceived to have mana (spiritual power). “Many natives were killed and a number of houses were burned during the week that followed. Finally peace was restored (p. 19), and most of Captain Cook’s remains were returned…” But what happened after that? Some accounts say that his bones were buried in the bay, while others indicate that Captain Vancouver took his remains back to England. In any case, according to Kuykendall and Day, authors of Hawai’i a History (1961), “On March 15, 1979, the expedition left for the north to continue its explorations on the coast of America and Asia, and did not return to the Sandwich Isles” (p. 19).

In 1778 there are an estimated 400,000 to 1,000,000 Hawaiians living in these islands. By 1822 there were only 200,000 pure Hawaiians left alive (Byers, 2003).

1782 – Kamehameha I begins his campaign to unify the islands.

1793 – Captain Vancouver’s ship brings Hawai‘i’s first cattle – five cows, two with calf to Kealakekua Bay.

1795 – Kamehameha I conquers Maui, Lana‘i, Moloka‘i, and O‘ahu, in the battle of Nu‘uanu. 1796 – Kamehameha I fails in his attempt to invade Kaua‘i.

1797 – Kamehameha II (1797 – 1824) is born.

Liholiho - Kamehameha II (1797–July 14, 1824) was the second king of Hawai‘i, sharing the throne upon Kamehameha I's death in May 1819 with Queen Ka’ahumanu as the first Kuhina Nui (co-regent). Kamehameha II is best remembered for the ‘Ai Noa, the breaking of the ancient kapu (taboo) system of religious laws when he sat down with Kaʻahumanu and his mother Keopuolani and ate a meal together. What followed was the destruction of the heiau (temples) and images.

Liholiho never officially converted to Christianity because he refused to give up four of his five wives and his love of alcohol. He (like his father) married several relatives of high rank, and he was the last Hawaiian king to practice polygamy. His favorite wife was his half-sister Victoria Kamāmalu. In November

1823 Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu commissioned the British whaling ship L'Aigle to carry them to London. While in England, the royal family contracted the measles, to which they had no immunity. Queen Kamāmalu died on July 8, 1824. Grief-stricken, Kamehameha II died six days later on July 14, 1824. (Williams, J.S. & Tune, S.C., 2001)