| Show First Ha Hawaiian Island Settlers Sailed From Tahiti or or Samoa 1 i. i v t W ANCIENT VOLCANIC cones conet like this thit one dot the landscape of the tha Hawaiian I islands island This Thi particular cone rises from the up up- lands of one of the worlds world largest cattle caule ranches the ranches the Parker ranch ranc Here lIere 2400 miles from any mainland roams rooms the tIle largest herd of pure-bred pure Herefords in the world orld U. U S S. S Possession Located 2400 Miles From Any Mainland Pr Prepared W g by National DC D.C. Geographic r Society let Washington g D. D C w Service Geography experts have long sought the solution to the why and the how of the first population of the Hawaiian Hawaiian Hawaiian Hawai Hawai- ian islands Located in the midst of the Pacific ocean 2400 miles from any mainland mainland mainland main main- land the islands present a puzzling problem in history of world wide wide colonization It Is practically certain that the first settlers came from Tahiti or Samoa about A. A D. D but why they came exactly how they came whether they sailed out into the blue or followed the trail of some legend legend- I k I 3 i fN q t S iF t 1 a ay z y x j N kf 1 I. This statue stat stat- statue ue of the conqueror stands in front fron of the Judiciary building in Honolulu The TIle great kin king Kamehameha I died in 1820 about bou th the time of the arrival of the fi first white missionaries to the islands ary any hero no man knows Perhaps the most plausible explanation is that they were driven from home by an invasion of savage people There are legends o 0 veral voyages voyages voyages voy voy- ages back and forth forU om Samoa and Tahiti about years later and then for tor some unknown reason all communication with the rest of the world seems to have ceased until until un un- til tU the discovery of the islands by Captain Cook In 1778 Spoke Polynesian Language By that time the legends were vague but that they were substantially substantially substantially true is 11 proved by the language language language lan lan- guage which is Polynesian like that of the Tahitians the Samoans and the Maoris of New Zealand and by much of the fauna and flora tlora which resemble that of the South Pacific islands even though the preg prevailing pre winds and currents are from the northeast Furthermore the Ha- Ha worshiped the same principal principal principal prin prin- cipal gods eods as other Polynesians Captain tn Cook who landed first tint on the little island of was treated treat ed as a god Runners were sent throughout the group of Islands to tell teU the wonderful news of his bis com corn ing They even described the English language Imitating it thus A hika hika- walk U If U. U to us this does not resemble English we must remember that the Hawaiian language contains contain only 12 sounds I later translated into letters letters five five vowels and seven consonants The runners could hardly be expected to invent sounds like the letter s A few months month later when Captain Cook returned this time Ume to the Island Is land of Hawaii to explore and trade his hla crew behaved outrageously Finally Fi Fl nally a native stole one of the ship ships boats fighting ensued and the fa famous famous famous fa- fa navigator lost loa his life Captain Cook was honorably bur but led and his bones were deified Near Near his monument today are some ome of the oldest and most interesting Hawaiian lIa- lIa wallan remains things which the navigator undoubtedly saw In 1778 The first white missionaries to settle settle set set- tle tie in the islands were the Americans Americans Ameri Amen cans who arrived in 1820 The great king Kamehameha I on whom these newcomers newcomer had counted for sympathy sympathy thy and assistance had just died but his successor welcomed them The missionaries most of them from New England were mind high ed self sacrificing and devoted They refrained from exploiting the HawaIIans and guarded them against exploitation by others Missionaries Were Valuable These missionaries were good Americans but they made no attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to bring about annexation of the islands to the United States They did however give the Hawaiian Hawai ian government every possible assistance assistance assistance as as- in preventing seizure of the Islands by any other nation nation- Had they not been on hand Hawaii Ha lla- wall wail would have been British or French before the middle of the Nineteenth century Their Influence on the American government Induced Induced In In- the declaration that the United United United Unit Unit- ed States would consider It an unfriendly unfriendly unfriendly un un- friendly act If the Islands were taken taken taken tak tak- en over by any other power Even in those early days It was vaguely realized In Washington that for defensive reasons Hawaii was Important to the United States Kamehameha I 1 has been called by the grandiloquent name of Napoleon Napoleon Napoleon Na of the Pacific He certainly was a good soldier administrator and a man of fine tine character Kamehameha II a weakling In Inbody bod body and character died young Kamehameha Kamehameha Ka Ka- III who reigned a long longtime longtime longtime time was an able man who on the whole led his people wisely Kamehameha Kamehameha Kamehameha Kame Kame- IV and V left no particular impression Old Line Dies Out After this line died out a high chief was elected king He died soon after assuming the throne and David Kalakaua was elected to succeed him Kalakaua took a trip around the the world Probably he be tasted every wine in every country for he Is reported reported reported re re- re- re ported to have been often In a dazed condition and not always coherent ills His companion on the trip told the story that when the king was driving ing log In Nikko with one of the imperial im penal princes after a heavy luncheon luncheon luncheon lunch lunch- eon he fell asleep Rudely wakened by the cawing of crows rows he said politely politely politely po po- to the prince In Japan ho how w sweet is the singing of the birds Kalakaua's magnificent funeral with its dirges its wailing the pano pano- rl x 4 d Ka I HERE'S HERES YOUR POI POl A AlIa hawaiian Ha- Ha poi pot maker maker here demon demon- strafes the ancient art ar of handling handling handling han han- one of the tile native foods food Poi i is made from the root of the Taro plant and nd is boiled and nd beaten into a pulpy mass It is i. eaten with the tile fingers ply of its feather cloaks and really marked the end of Hawaiian royalty His IUs sister sue ue seeded him but her reign was wu shorland short and stormy tormy In h her r desire to abolish the constitution and make herself hersell absolute she he was a few centuries after her ber time tune The result was her I dethronement and the establishment I of a republic |
