Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands - Kamehameha  l  (Part 5)

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Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands
" Keepers of the Culture "
A study in time of the Hawaiian Islands
Kamehameha  l 
and stories told by the ancients -- part 5
Capt George Vancouver and Kaahumanu
by Darlene E. Kelley
November 9, 2000

http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374

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As told by the Ancients -- part 5.

Capt. George Vancouver  [ 1758 --1798 ]

Vancouver entered the Royal Navy at the age of thirteen. He served as an
able bodied seaman during the second Pacific voyage of Capt James Cook
and was a midshipman during Cook's fateful third voyage. In
September,1789, he was appointed to head an exploring expedition to the
South Seas, to repossess the fur-rich Nootka Sound region and to seek,
as Cook had done, the fabled Northwest Passage. His ships were the sloop
Discovery [ not the same vessel in which he sailed with Cook], and the
Chatham, commanded at first by Lietenant William Robert Broughton and
later by Lieutenant Peter Puget. A supply vessel, the Daedalus, met the
squadron twice.

While spending two years charting and naming the coasts north of San
Francisco, Vancouver and his crews passed three winters in Hawaii
between 1792 and 1794. Vancouver was the most important visitor to the
islands during the reign of Kamehameha l and gave a number of valuable
descriptions of life at this period. On his second visit his ships
brought in cattle and sheep, as well as goats and geese. The following
year he learned that the king had separated from his favorite wife ,
Kaahumanu, who was suspected of dalliance with Kaiana, and arranged to
reunite the pair. He helped the King's carpenter to finish building a
sailing ship, but spoke out strongly against the trade in defective arms
and ammunition that foreigners were carrying on among the chiefs.

Vancouver obtained from Kamehameha l what the Englihmen called a '
cession'  of the Big Island to Great Britain. This agreement was never
ratified; neverless, English influence was foremost in the islands in
the early years.

Vancouver reurned to London in October, 1795, and in ill health spent
the remaining months of his life preparing his jounals for publication.


It was at this period [ 1792-94 ] that Captain George Vancouver arrived
in Hawai'i. During several of his voyages of exploration for the British
government, he wintered in the Hawaiian Islands. Fourteen years earlier
he had visited Hawi'i as a young officer with the expedition of Captain
Cook, who had so named the Islands, Sandwich Islands, in honor of his
patron, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. It was  at that time that he first
saw Kamehameha. He tells in his Voyages how surprised he was to find
Kamehameha so changed from the savage looking person he had seen among
the Hawaiians to a man of cheerful and sensible mind combined with
generosity and goodness of disposition.

Kamehameha first made an informal call upon Vancouver, taking his young
queen, Kaahumanu. and her retinue, and John Young with him. The Captain
was much impressed by the beauty of the Queen, whom he judged to be
about sixteen years old, and by the conduct and appearance of all the
members of the royal family. Before they left the ship he gave presents
to them all. To Kamehameha he presented a handsome scarlet cloak trimmed
with gold lace, which pleased the King very much. Kamehameha put the
cloak on at once and walked about to the delight of his people, who
stood nearby to admire him. The mirrors on the ship, placed opposite
each other, delighted him, reflecting, as they did, his entire royal
person and attire.

The following day Vacouver received a grand state visit from the King.
Vancouver wrote;  "The sqadron was made up of eleven large canoes,
arranged so as to form an obtuse angle. The largest, in which Kamehameha
was, had eighteen paddles on each side. It headed the procession, guided
by orders of the king, who regulated the maneuvers with great skill. the
fleet paddled around the vessel in a slow and solemn manner. Then the
ten canoes were ordered to form into a line under the stern, while his
own canoe was paddled to the starboard side. When abreast of the
gangway, notwithstanding the great speed with which it was shooting
ahead, it was instantly stopped by a skillful back dip of the paddles."

Kamehameha climbed the side of the ship and , taking Captain Vancouver's
hand, inquired if he were sincerely his friend, and if the king of
agreat Britain were also friendly to the Islands. When assured of the
friendly feeling of both Vancouver and King George of England,
Kamehameha saluted the Cptain by touching noses in the true Hawaian
manner.

Kamehameha wore his famous feather cloak. Vancouver described it as the
most elegant cloak he had ever seen, composed of bright yellow feathers
and reaching from his shoulders to the ground. Kamehameha also wore a
handsome helmet, and made altogether a very magnificant appearance.

The King brought valuable gifts to Captain Vancouver. He first presented
him with four helmets of beautiful fabrication. He then ordered the
canoes alongside. Each of these contained nine of the largest size
swine. There followed a fleet of smaller canoes, loaded with fine
vegetables and fruit. All of this produce was placed on the deck  of the
vessel. Kamehameha also gave the Captain a large number of mats, pieces
of tapa cloth, and other articles of Hawaiian manufacture. Vancouver
could not take care of all of these things, and
Kamehameha had them stored on shore until the Captain should call for
them.

The friendship which developed between Captain Vancouver and Kamehameha
was, without question, one of the greatest influences towards
civilization in the Kings experience.
Kamehameha listened with keenest attention to everything said to him. He
was alert to any idea that would increase his own knowledge, especially
regarding methods of war. he begged Vancouver for guns and ammunition,
but they were refused.The Captain told him that they were tabooed by
King George. This settled the matter for Kamehameha. He had the greatest
admiration for the British King. But when Captain Vancouver attempted to
interfer in Kamehameha's private life, he met opposition. At one time,
Captain Vancouver was concerned when he learned there was a
misunderstanding between Kamehameha and his queen over Kaahumanu's
supposed flirtation with the handsome chief, Kaiana. The Captain decided
to speak to Kamehameha about it, thinking he might bring about a
reconciliation. Kamehameha expressed his thanks and said that he would
always be happy to receive Vancouver's advice on State affairs, or on
any public matter, especially about peace and war, but his domestic
happiness, he said, he considered to be totally out of Vancouver's
province.

However, a little later, when Kamehameha had had time to think things
over, he did plot an intrique with Captain Vancouver. Kaahumanu had gone
home to her father, and Kamahameha wanted her back again. So a plan was
made by the Captain and the King that Kaahumanu and her retinue should
be invited on board ship for a pleasant call. While they were there,
Kamehameha was to unexpectedly to arrive and the meeting between him and
the Queen would appaer to be accidental. In this way Vancouver brought
the two together in such manner as to cast no reflection upon the King's
independence or prestige. Kamehameha arrived aboard ship at the apponted
time and, seemingly preoccupied with paying his respects, he turned to
leave. As by accident, his glance fell upon Kaahumanu but momentarily as
he reached the door. There was an eon of frozen silence as the King and
Queen regarded each other. Then Vancouver, silently taking Kaahumanu's
hand and placing it in Kamehameha's broke the spell. Sudenly weeping and
laughing, the King and Queen embraced each other in a burst of
endearments. Only one shadow hung darkly over the reconciliation -- when
Kaahumanu begged Vancouver to ask Kamehameha to promise not to beat her.
It is to be assumed that, on this delicate point, Vancouver heeded an
earlier royal decree and declared the matter out of his province.

Kaahumanu  [ 1768--1832 ]

This powerful chieftess was born at Hana, Maui, daughter of the elder
Keeaumoku and Namahana. Her brothers were Keeaumoku ll and Kuakini [ Cox
]. She became one of the wives of Kamehameha l when he was ruling chief
of the island of Hawai'i. A breach between the pair was healed by
Captain George Vancouver in 1793.

As foster mother of Kamehameha ll she was named co-ruler with him and
became the first kuhina nui, or regent. She led him in the celebrated
breaking of the ancient tabu. In 1821. when King Kamehameha ll of Kauani
was brought to Honolulu as a virtual hostage, he was married to
Kaahumanu, who also married the King's heir, Kealiiahonui. Kaahumanu was
left in charge of the kingdom when the royal party left for London in
1823 and was assisted by Kalanimoku, who put down the Kauai rebellion
led by George P. Kaumualii. She ruled her people it was said with a rod
of iron.

Kaahumanu allowed the American missionaries to land in 1820 for a trial
period. At first she was disdainful of strangers, but around 1825, as
the most important person in the Kingdom, she took the lead in promoting
Protestantism, and was taught by the Rev. Hiram Bingham to read and
write. On the first Sunday in December, 1825, she along with Kalanimoku
and several other chiefs, received communion at Kawaiahao Church for the
first time. Six months after Kamehameha ll departed for England,
Kaahumanu proclaimed a code of civil laws, clearly based on missionary
teaching, that prohibited murder, theft, fighting, and Sabbath-breaking.
She opposed French efforts to introduce Catholicism into the islands and
ordered the priests that arrived in 1827 to be taken away, but later
they were allowed to remain. She strongly opposed the divisive efforts
of Boki and Liliha. Kaahumanu received the first Hawaiian translation of
the New Testament from Bingham shortly before her death on June 5, 1832.