Hawaii - Myths - Legends - Kings - Queens - History - All The Stuff Tolkien Loved! - a podcast by Christy and Garry Shriver

Hawaii - Myths - Legends - Kings - Queens - History - All The Stuff Tolkien Loved!

 

Hi, I’m Christy Shriver and we’re here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us. 

 

I’m Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit podcast.  This week we are going in a totally different direction – literally and figuratively- doing something we’ve never done before.  Inspired by Tolkien’s love of mythology and genealogy, his fondness for names and the combination of all these put together, we are going to spend a week talking about one of the most enchanting and remote places on earth- the islands of Hawaii.  Christy, from a historical perspective, Hawaii’s history is fascinating, and in some ways a micro-expression of a lot of what has happened all over the world.  It is a place of immense beauty, incredible tragedy- a place where people have been exploited and brutalized, but also a place that starts and ends every conversation with a greeting of love- aloha.  I went there for the first time years ago and lived for a short while.  As a teacher, I was on summer break and I spent every day in the sun with my beautiful three year old daughter, Emily.  We played on the sand of the beaches and watched the surfers- mostly just soaking in the sights, sounds and smells of a place that felt so far away from the MidWest of my birth or Memphis.  I had hardly ever even flown on an airplane up to that point in my life.  It was the only time in my life where I had a tan I could be proud of.  I’m one of those people that burns and not tans.  I was mesmerized by much of it. 

 

I was always enchanted with it as well- without ever having been.  I remember when my grandparents went there on their 50th anniversary.  My grandmother, who married my grandfather at the age of 15, who never went to high school, who worked for the telephone company all of her life, came back gushing from Hawaii talking about how beautiful and magical it was.  She also talked about meeting Tom Selleck, but that’s another point.  Today, though, we’re going to explore just a little bit about the stories that make up this amazing place.  We also want to put Hawaii into the larger context of the Polynesian islands.  It’s a part of the United States as a state, but that is only its most recent history.  The history of Hawaii is rich and old; its language and culture deep, charming and connected to a much larger story.  If you go to Hawaii, one of the must do’s is to participate in a Luau.  It might feel like a touristy thing, but it’s more than that really- it’s a story.   The Luau started in 1819 when  King Kamehameha II  ended the taboo system that forbade men and women from eating together.  It’s a feast.  There is always music, food, hula dancing and stories.  They might be a family story celebrating a rite of passage, but it can also be the story of the island.  Today, we are going to look at the stories of Hawaii: a few ancient myths- a true story turned myth, but we’re going to end with an inspirational true story of a great and inspirational woman- Queen Lili'uo-kalani . Her legacy lives and is most definitely not a myth as we understand that word, but enduring fact. 

 

Sounds like we have a lot to get through…. 

 

I know- it may be too much, but let’s see how it goes.  First, let’s start with the big picture- what is Polynesia?  We know Hawaii is a Polynesian island but what is that.   

 

Well, it’s certainly not one place- so dispel that myth- pardon the pun- the word poly means many and there are over 1000 islands scattered over 800,000 square miles.  What is interesting is that even though there are many different indigenous people that live quite separately on these different islands, there are actually many things they have in common- including their DNA- they share a common origin.  When James Cook first landed in Hawaii, one of the things that shocked him was that the language of the Hawaiians shared cognates with languages used in  other islands thousands of miles away.  He thought he was a discoverer, an explorer, and he was in the sense that he was discovering and exploring what he didn’t know- but he was not uncovering something formerly unknown or unconnected.  There were connections of language, of culture, of religion that were far-reaching.  The Polynesian islands of Hawaii makes up a triangle and Hawaii is the top of the Triangle. - Easter Island off the coast of Chile makes up one end of the triangle, and new Zealand is the third point in the triangle- so – if you can imagine just a gigantic triangle across the Pacific ocean, that’s Polynesia. If we look at a globe instead of a map, we can see just  how much space this triangle covers.  In fact, it’s actually incredible to think that well before the Vikings and the Europeans were making ships to cross the Atlantic ocean, Polynesians had already developed the technology to travel over thousands of miles of water- and were doing it for thousands of years using the stars and even the oceans currents- that’s a very interesting story in and of itself, but for another podcast. 

 

Well, Disney cashed in on the story of Polynesia, although I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t watched the movie, although I know it’s popular.  I just kind of quit watching cartoons when my girls grew out of them.  I probably should have watched it before this podcast, but I didn’t, so I did the second best thing and googled about it.  What I wanted to know was  how well-received  the movie version was to people who love the real story of Polynesia.  And unsurprisingly, I g got mixed reviews.  On the plus side, Disney picked a good name for the heroine of their story.  The word “moana” means Ocean.  For Hawaiian people- not just Hawaiian people, but we’ll center our focus on Hawaii, the ocean is  not  something that divides the world, but something that connects it- which I think is a nice idea.   So, Moana is a nice choice of a name for your protagonist.  One inaccuracy that annoys people is with the demi-god called Maui.  Now, Disney’s Maui is an orphan- and even though there are 20 something slightly different versions of the Maui story across Polynesia, an orphan is in none of them.  .  Hawaiian tradition has four Maui brothers.  The  Maui stories are very important and are one of those links between the islands that lets modern people see how connected these people were culturally- as technologically impossible as that seems.  But another point of annoyance with the movie is that Hina is missing.  

 

Who’s that?   

 

A Goddess- Maui is just a demi-god.  But Hina is different things in different islands, but in all of them she is a god connected to Maui.  She is The wife or sister or even mother of Maui, depending on the version of the legend.  But in all cases, she’s a powerful female deity, why would we want to delete that?   

 

HA!  I’m sure you wouldn’t have had you been the Disney executive in charge. Did you really read that a lot of people are upset she’s not in the movie, or is that just your opinion? 

 

No, that’s a real thing… but let’s get to the legend of Maui.  There are lots of myths we could tell, some probably more important than the ones we’re going to tell, but Maui is the most recognizable name of Polynesian legends- in part because of the movie, but also because of the island named Maui.  First of all, the Hawaiian word  Mo’olelo can be translated as legend, story or history- which an important point to start with as we talk about myths, legends and histories in general.  And it’s interesting to point out the distinctions that are NOT being made by using the same word for history as you use for myth-  these things intermingle in Hawaiian culture- they would definitely agree with Tolkien that myths are true.  And histories may be legends.   

 

Well, I want to point out that and I’ll point it out very specifically later in the podcast, but history and myth intermingle in all cultures and with all peoples- we just don’t highlight that the way the Hawaiian language does.   

 

I also think it’s interesting how there are protocols about how important  stories, histories, legends should be told.  There were specific highly skilled people trained to remember the tales- for the sole purpose to make sure the stories were kept intact and authentic.    The Hawaiian people, called Kanaka Maoli, have an incredibly strong oral tradition.  Their language was an oral one for most of its history.  In fact, the Hawaiian language did not even have a written alphabet until 1826 when Christian missionaries created one and then went on to develop the written form of the language.  

 

Doing that is Something that has gotten mixed reviews from historians and cultural critics as time has passed- Print culture as well as missionary influence.  Next week we will introduce Chinua Achebe and Things Fall Apart, I want to get into a little more about the controversy of Christian missionaries and local cultures because in Africa that is a large part of the narrative, but in Hawaii, the Christian influence has been, although checkered at times, more well received by indigenous people, and definitely not the most controversial part of the story we are going to tell today.  However, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  Let’s go back in time to Maui. 

 

Okay..one version of his story goes like this, one day Maui realized that people were being held down by the sky.  They couldn’t stand up.  The sky had flattened leaves and was keeping plants and trees from growing.  People were suffering.  He realizes he needs to help.  So, he visits a Kahuna, a Hawaiian priest or healer.  The Kahuna tattoos Maui with a magical symbol on his forearm giving him great powers.  He also went to a Kapuna, an elder, and she gave him a drink for her gourd.  This made him supernaturally strong and he was able to push the sky above the mountains where it is today.   

 

At another time, Maui’s mother, Hina complains that her kapa cloth doesn’thave time to dry because the days are too short, so Maui climbs to the top of the Haleakala volcano and waits at the top for the sun to rise.  He uses a. magical lasso made from his sisters hair andsnares the the sun’s rays.  The sun agrees to slow its pace across the sky increasing the growing season. 

 

And here’s another one- probably the most widely known, one day Maui pulls p the Hawaiian islands by tricking his brothers into paddling their canoes with all of their might to haul up each island.  He then went on to hook them using a great and magical fishhook called Manaiakalani.  The brothers thought they were pulling up massive fish, but really they pulled up all the Hawaiian islands. 

 

These stories are really fun.  Lots of them are short.  But if you just want to look for some literary stylistic things that are distinctive- you will see that lots of them glorify the hero of the tale, who in Polynesian cultures corresponds to the chief, of course, as these groups are all non-democratic groups led by chiefs.  The myths use a lot of hyperbole and metaphor to enhance his attractiveness and his deeds.  There is a rich use of personal names- names are very important in these cultures.  Natural things like rocks, valleys, even the sun have been modified by the hero and nature is anthropomorphized- in another words, is its own character- like the sun.  Nature is beautiful and spectacular but engages the characters as its own character. 

 

Well, there are some things that cross over with the Greek myths we’re more familiar with, but some that are definitely unique. 

 

For sure.  

 

 Before we leave Maui and the ancient myths, I think we should share the one where he discovers fire.   

 

Okay,  again Maui is out fishing one day with his brothers and he sees a very small plum of white smoke.  He goes over to see what it is and discovers an hen stamping out and trying to hide the fire.  Maui hides and watches the hen start another fire.  The next day, the hen goes out to make her fire but sees that Maui isn’t in the canoe with his brothers, so she doesn’t make the fire.  Maui realizes the hen is on to him, so the next day, he puts a large human-shaped thing in the canoe and tricks the hen into thinking he’s gone.  The hen makes the fire rubbing limbs together.  Maui jumps out, grabs the hen by the neck and demands to be taught how to make fire.  At first the hen lies to him telling him to rub water plants together, but eventually she shows him how to rub the dry sticks together.  Maui, as punishment for lying to him, burns the crest on the top of the bird head- and that is why the adult alae-‘ula or Hawaiian hen has a red crest.  There you go. 

 

Well, let’s transition from ancient myths to more modern ones.  And this is where the Hawaiians are on to something by using the same word for myth and history and the point I was making earlier.  The next story I want to share is not a myth, but something that actually happened, but over the years, because of how we record history, the events have been exaggerated not too differently than the Maui stories, really.   

 

So, On January 19, 1778, the Hawaiians welcomed a British explorer, Captain James Cook.  He is considered the first European to ever visit the islands, although that’s not undisputed.  I mentioned him before.  He’s a very famous person in British history during this time period.  .  He sailed all over the world up and down the coasts of Canada, three expeditions into the Pacific islands, to Antarctica, ,He was very successful in terms of what he was setting out to do and the things he was learning about the world made a huge impact in his home country.  He was disciplined with his crew, kept them alive by keeping an eye on their behaviors and their diets, and just this made him very successful.  But one reason history remembers him so well, is the same reason we remember Florence, Italy so well.  We talked about this during the Machiavelli episodes.  Cook kept copious records, not just about what happened but what he was learning.  He recorded scientific discoveries, cultural discoveries, language discoveries.  Lots of things that were new to Europeans, and as I’ve said before- history belongs to the one who records it.  So, since we have so much written by him, he gets to frame a lot of the record.  

 

 What we know about that encounter was written down eventually by both native Hawaiians as well as in the record log of Captain Cook himself.  However, even though there is some direct record, over the years, the narrative of the events that took place has evolved based on people’s interpretations afterwards, and many would argue were mythologized likely inaccurately for a variety of different reasons.  So, in some form or fashion, the long and short of it, Captain Cook showed up and as circumstance would have it, it was during a holiday event where local islanders were celebrating the Polynesian god, Lono. Lono is one of the four gods in Hawaiian mythology- ironically the god of peace and agriculture. 

 

Let me point out the that’s different than Maui who was a demi-god-.  

 

 In the mythologized version- which was accepted as fact for many years, the locals believed that Captain Cook WAS the god Lono and treated him like a god because he arrived during this celebration in a sacred bay dedicated to Lono.  Apparently, the ship was well received and they had a wonderful time with the natives- some of these activities introducing diseases to the island- again another story for another podcast.  But they stayed a month before leaving to hunt for the Northwest Passage.  The part that historians have come to question over the years is if the locals really think he was a god, or is that just something that has grown out of the story because of cultural misunderstandings of what was going on and what was being said?  We know the Hawaiians were impressed with some of his iron because Cook mentioned in his log they recognized it.  He made note of it because they had seen it before which struck him.  Is there enough evidence to support the whole god- thing? There is some, but it’s not clear cut, and that’s not the end of the story.  Captain Cook and his crew leave Kealakekua Bay, but unfortunately they get into a storm and have to come back because their ship, the Resolution is messed up.  This time when they come back into the bay, there’s a brawl of some sorts for reasons that are not entirely clear.  Captain Cook actually was killed in the altercation as well as 30 plus Hawaiians.  Now, the part of the original versions that  has been questioned over the years as to why Captain Cook was killed.  The original story states that the Hawaiians realize he’s not a god and kill him for that because in the Lono myth, he’s not supposed to come back.  But honestly, more recent scholarship that reads the first hand accounts of both Cook and the Hawaiians who later recorded the story, tell a story that is less dramatic and more humanized- maybe even accidental.  Of course, what actually happened, we can never know for sure.  But Captain Cook’s name is heavily associated with the history of Hawaii especially as it begins to interact with the Western Colonizing world.  In fact, when we end the podcast, reading an introduction to a translation of an Hawaiian ancient text, Captain Cook’s name and this story is mentioned.   

 

So, why did the story become fact that the native Hawaiians thought Cook was god. 

 

It’s interesting, at least for us who are interested in how history is recorded.  We believe it because that is how a Hawaiian named Kamakau wrote this history in 1866.  

 

Well, that sounds definitely and clear cut.   

 

But it isn’t.  Culture is never clear cut.  The events happened in 1778- that’s 88 years previously and Kamakau wasn’t a witness.  He was recording in written form what had been passed down orally, and what have we just learned from reading the Maui legends, Hawaiians often use hyperbole when describing the chief- in their oral tradition.   They also use a lot of metaphors.  That’s cultural.   If a Hawaiian used the word Lono to describe Cook later, it’s possible it was a comparison like what they were thinking when he showed up- not a literal interpretation.  Also, as the leaders of the Hawaiians spoke to Cook, isn’t it likely they used flattery in order get what they wanted.  They may have called him Lono, the person who told the story heard it as such, but it wasn’t because the Chiefs thought that is who they were actually talking to.  We know for a fact that Cook gave them a knife during their first meeting.  So, there are many possible explanations as to the encounter.  It’s just one of the many problems historians have- and so that’s why I say, making the word myth and history the same, in some sense, is likely a smart thing to do.  That way, everyone knows, that some things are potentially questionable or at least open to multiple interpretations. 

 

Well, I want to end with a story that is very very documented about a real person- and this person history inarguably is a great American hero- although, she was never American-at least not by choice.  Queen Lili‘uokalani,  

 

As a little girl they called her Lydia.  She was born on September 2, 1838, attended missionary schools and was highly highly educated- notice also that is only 60 years after Cook shows up in Hawaii for the first time.  That is not long. 

 

No, it isn’t.  HOW she became the Queen of Hawaii is interesting in itself- genealogy and names are such an important part of Hawaiian culture, but that is a story for another day.  Long story short, she became queen after her brother died and she was the heir apparent.  This again will show you how inglorious history is.  Hawaii, after being discovered by Western people, quickly became a popular spot in the Pacific.  It was geographically in the middle of the Pacific ocean.  The weather was perfect.  Growing conditions were perfect.  So, obviously financial interests, specifically American financial interests saw an opportunity to grow sugar cane, among other things.   

 

Long story short, and this happened not too long before Queen Queen Lili‘uokalani began her reign, Her brother King David Kalakaua signed what today we “the Bayonet Constitution” which basically limited the power of the monarchy and disenfranchised the native population.   

 

Why would he do that? 

 

He did it because the businessmen on the island literally forced him to at gun point.  That’s why it’s called the Bayonet Constitution.  This constitution linked voting rights to land ownership which cut out local people who did’t own land, and allowed non-native immigrants to vote just because they did.   

 

When Queen Liluokalani became queen, her first order of business was to amend the bogus constitution, restore her own power and re-enfranchise the native Hawaiians.  Local businessmen, afraid of the influence of the queen and how it would affect business, basically conspired with the American media/technology industries of their day to use their influence to run a dis-information campaign about what was happening in Hawaii.  They villainized her, got the House of Representatives in the United States to get involved, and were able to bring in the US Marines to force Queen Lili‘uokalani to surrender the Hawaiian Kingdom to the United States in 1893.  Ironically, the person who was proclaimed the president of the Republic of Hawaii was a man by the name of Sanford B. Dole- yes, as in Dole Pineapples- he was the son of the most influential businessman on the island.   

 

It’s a terrible story.  Queen Liluokalani was imprisoned for 8 months at the Iolani Palace which you can visit to this day.  Those were dark days for her and she really had no assurances she would be released.  She was and actually went to Washington DC to advocate for her people and for herself.  She met with President Cleveland, held a reception for reporters and members of congress and their families.  She also attended the inauguration of President McKinley and then made a formal appeal to the US Government. Let’s read it: 

 

I declare such treaty to be an act of wrong toward the native and part-native people of Hawaii, an invasion of the rights of the ruling chiefs, in violation of international rights both toward my people and toward friendly nations with whom they have made treaties, the perpetuation of the fraud whereby the constitutional government was overthrown, and finally an act of gross injustice to me. 

Because, the official protests made by me on the 17th day of January, 1893, to the so-called provisional government was signed by me and received by said government with the assurance that the case was referred to the United States of America for arbitration. 

Because, that protest and my communications to the United States government immediately thereafter expressly declare that I yielded my authority to the forces of the United States, in order to avoid bloodshed and because I recognized the futility of a conflict with so formidable a power. 

Because, the President of the United States, the Secretary of State and an envoy commissioned by them reported in official documents that my government was unlawfully coerced by the forces, diplomatic and naval, of the United States, and that I was at the date of their investigations the constitutional ruler of my people. 

Therefore, I, Liliuokalani of Hawaii, do hereby call upon the President of that nation to whom alone I yielded my property and my authority, to withdraw said treaty (ceding said lands) from further consideration. I ask the honorable Senate of the United States to decline to ratify said treaty, and I implore the people of this great and good  nation, from whom my ancestors learned the Christian religion, to sustain their representatives in such acts of justice and equity as may be in accord with the principles of their fathers. And to the Almighty Ruler of the universe, to Him Who judgeth righteously, I commit my cause. 

Done at Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, this seventeenth day of June, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-seven. 

(Signed) 
LILIUOKALANI. 

 

Well, it just wasn’t ever going to happen.  All of world history, not just American history, world history is the story of these kinds of conflicts.  In 1898, William McKinley signed into law a joint resolution of Congress to annex Hawaii to the United States, although, the legality of doing something like this is obviously disputed to this day.  This was just a few weeks before Queen Liliuokalani turned 60 years old.  She would never be queen again.  On Queen Liliuokalani’s 73rd birthday, she gave a birthday present to her people.  She had her trustees set aside a piece of property to create the Liliuokalani Garden, then when she died, in her will she created an estate to provide for orphan children of Hawaiian blood.  It’s since been amended to include other races of children as well.  But her legacy lives through the ongoing Liliuokalani trust which is still active today supporting orphans.   

 

Her story is so intermingled with the story of Hawaii which is shocking looking back, but it’s also encouraging on a personal level.  She didn’t win her battle, but she never stopped advocating for her people- the ones she loved.  In spite of all that was so discouraging, losing her country- she still made her life count in a significant way and has improved the lives of many years after her death.   

 

She also left an important literary legacy- and that’s the last thing I want to talk about.  While she was locked up imprisoned she used her time to do two things: first she made a quilt- an important Hawaiian tradition- but in her case, besides just a piece of art, she was making an important political document.  She wanted to document the overthrow of her government.  You can see the quilt today in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.  

 

And of course, in 1894, when the Hawaiian flag came down and the American flag went up, many many people began making quilts out of the Hawaiian flag, as a form of protest.  Often they would hide them under their bed, but they had them.  They wanted to remember the monarchy.   

 

The second thing that Queen Liliuokalani did while locked away was to translate a sacred Hawaiian text- called the Kumulipo.  It’s a creation chant.  She transcribed over 16 eras that incorporate the emergence of sea creatures, insects, land plants, animals and eventually humans.   

 

We’ll end the episode today by reading the preface to the chant…allowing Queen Liliuokalani to speak directly to use.  The chant itself reads like a genealogy and would be difficult to read, but you can look at it online.  Her translation is also an important historical document.  Let’s read her introduction, remember, she is writing this while imprisoned.  

 

THERE are several reasons for the publication of this work, the translation of which pleasantly employed me while imprisoned by the present rulers of Hawaii. It will be to my friends a souvenir of that part of my own life, and possibly it may also be of value to genealogists and scientific men of a few societies to which a copy will be forwarded. The folk-lore or traditions of an aboriginal people have of late years been considered of inestimable value; language itself changes, and there are terms and allusions herein to the natural history of Hawaii, which might be forgotten in future years without some such history as this to preserve them to posterity. Further, it is the special property of the latest ruling family of the Hawaiian Islands, being nothing less than the genealogy in remote times of the late King Kalakaua,--who had it printed in the original Hawaiian language,--and myself. 

This is the very chant which was sung by Puou, the High Priest of our ancient worship, to Captain Cook whom they had surnamed Lono, one of the four chief gods, dwelling high in the heavens, but at times appearing on the earth. This was the cause of the deification of Captain Cook under that name, and of the offerings to him made at the temple or Heiau at Hikiau, Kealakekua, where this song was rendered. 

Captain Cook's appearance was regarded by our people then as a confirmation of their own traditions. For it was prophesied by priests at the time of the death of Ka-I-i-mamao that he, Lono, would return anew from the sea in a Spanish man-of-war or Auwaalalua. To the great navigator they accordingly gave a welcome with the name of Lono. 

She goes on to list the geneology of the monarchy and makes historical connections that consist of a lot of names, we might get lost in if I read them, but I want to pick back up her words at the end where she says this… 

It will be seen, therefore, that as connecting the earlier kings of ancient history with the monarchs latest upon the throne this chant is a contribution to the history of the Hawaiian Islands, and as it is the only record of its kind in existence it seemed to me worthy of preservation in convenient form. 

I have endeavored to give the definition of each name as far as it came within my knowledge of words, but in some cases this could not be done because the true signification has been lost. The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers, and the terms used appertained to the heavens, the stars, terrestrial science, and the gods. Curious students will notice in this chant analogies between its accounts of the creation and that given by modern science or Sacred Scripture. As with other religions, our ancient people recognized an all-powerful evil spirit: Mea was the King of Milu as Satan is of the infernal regions, or hell. 

I hope that to some interested in all that pertains to Hawaii, this may give one-half the pleasure which it gave to me in the translation and preparation of the manuscript. 

 

And that is our hope with this podcast as well.  We hope we’ve introduced you to just a small part of the long and complex story of a wonderful people – the Hawaiian people- a people that greet and send off everyone they meet with aloha- a way of life where you share your essence of love and friendship at every coming and going.  Oh, and if you recognize the song that we’re playing on at the beginning and at the end, it was written by Queen Liliuakalani herself, and even Elvis Presley has recorded it. 

 

This week instead of saying peace out- we say aloha! 

 

Further episodes of How To Love Lit Podcast

Further podcasts by Christy and Garry Shriver

Website of Christy and Garry Shriver