by J. Kalawaiʻa Nunies
Moʻorea
Aloha nō mai kāua e kuʻu hoa heluhelu, e aloha ʻana aku au iā ʻoe me nā wai, nā limu a me nā manu ma Moʻorea: ʻo ia hoʻi ka nani o Maohi nui, na wai e ʻole kēlā? Aloha nō ʻia mākou e ua wai, makani, manu nei. ʻO Kalawaiʻa Nunies kai kākau i kēia blog post nō hoʻi. A ma mua o kō kāua neʻe ʻana aku i mua, makemake nō au e mahalo aku i nā mea ā pau e kākoʻo mai iaʻu, aloha nō iaʻu me ke ʻano he kalo i ka wai ʻo Kānewai.
We recently finished our travels from Rāʻiatea to Tahiti and are now traveling to Moʻorea. Unlike our previous travels, we went via ferry. I will say, it is not my preferred mode of transportation. Throughout the ferry ride, I felt motion sickness. However, it was not as bad as the ferry I once rode going from Maui to Lānaʻi.
After landing in Moʻorea, we did some sightseeing of the wahi pana, where we saw Mouʻa Puta: a mountain resembling a wahine, yet also a lele point for ʻuhane in Moʻorea; Rōtui: which is a mountain said to be the pū of a heʻe, and the valleys being the ʻaweʻawe. Very similar to Hawaiʻi, we were greeted by Manu o Kū (White Fairy Tern), ʻIwa (Great Frigate Bird), and the Koaʻe kea (White-tailed Tropicbird).
After seeing these mauna, we traveled to Te Pū ʻAtitiʻa, which is also the place we spent the night. The hale(s) located at Te Pū ʻAtitiʻa are also named. The hale where we ate dinner is called “Fare Matarau,” and the hale we spent the night is called “Fare Kimo.” Te Pū ʻAtitiʻa describes their work best:
“Te Pu atiti’a is a cultural association working from the island of Moorea. Te Pu atiti’a works in close relation to Gump Station, a Berkeley University research facility located in the Pacific. Te Pu atiti’a has developed an original approach that consists of combining ancestral knowledge with modern scientific methods with the objective of sustainable development.”
At Te Pū ʻAtitiʻa, we had the amazing opportunity to speak with Hinano Tevai-Murphy, who is the president of Te Pū ʻAtitiʻa. We talked story with her and learned more about their work with Gump Station and how to ethically bridge community and higher education. My biggest takeaway was that trust is the foundation for collaboration and community-based science. Hinano also mentioned that science can be intimidating to community members. A way to combat this is to encourage younger students to be exposed to these places, elders, and the sciences. Figuring out how to “translate” scientific data to be digestible to community members is the best way to create trust and maintain collaboration.
Later, our hui huakaʻi enjoyed the waters of Temae, which are some of the clearest waters I have ever seen. The reef was full of marine life, from limu kala, limu kāhili, and limu pepeiao. The fish were plentiful, including a white-banded triggerfish, which I call a “Humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa wannabe” because they are very similar in appearance. While swimming with one of my hoa papa, Alicia Reyes, we found an empty cone shell (I was unable to find its exact name) in pristine condition. The tip of the shell was quite sharp.
A lesser-known fact about the missionaries is that Native Hawaiians participated in their missions, becoming missionaries themselves. Another lesser-known fact is that a gold watch was given to a Hawaiian missionary by the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. In this blog post, I will share information I’ve gathered about one of the first Hawaiian missionaries, James Hunnewell Kekelaokalani.
Although Kekela never traveled to Moʻorea, he wrote about this beautiful place in one of his letters during his three-day stay in Tahiti. For context regarding missionaries in Hawaiʻi/Hawaiian missionaries in the Pacific, Kealani Cook’s “Return to Kahiki: Native Hawaiians in Oceania” and Nancy Morris’ “Hawaiian Missionaries Abroad, 1852-1909,” PhD thesis are great starting points.
Kekelaokalani was born in Mokūleʻia, Oʻahu, on May 22, 1824. His parents were Awilinui and Kauwanui, who were of aliʻi lineages. His mother, Kauwanui, came from an Oʻahu-chiefly lineage. The Kekela family composed a mele inoa that refers to Kekelaokalani as “the high chiefs of Molokai.” As described by Mary Kawena Pukui, the name Kekelaokalani means “Excellent of the Highest.” According to Kekelaokalani, his name was given to him in a dream, an inoa pō.
Kekela was educated at the Mission High School at Lahainaluna, where he was baptized. His counselor, Rev. J. S. Emerson, encouraged his education at the Mission High School, where he studied under Rev. Dibble and Rev. W. P. Alexander. He graduated in 1847. That same year, he married his wife, Naomi, who received her education at Wailuku Female Seminary. The two lovers served at Hauʻula and later Kahuku. Mr. Kekela was the first Native Hawaiian to be ordained as a minister in Hawaiʻi, ordained at Kahuku on December 21, 1849, and settled as pastor of the Hauʻula church. He served as pastor for two or three years until he was called to foreign missionary work. In 1853, the Hawaiian churches decided to unite to support a mission to the Marquesas Islands, sending out missionaries from among their own ranks.
On May 25, 1853, Matunui, the principal chief of Fatu Hiva, requested the aid of the missionaries for his people. A month later, native Hawaiian Christians sailed from Honolulu to the Marquesas. Some of the people included Samuel Kauwealoha, Isaiah Kaiwi, and Lota Kuaihelani; all their wives were in attendance.
Before Matunui’s request, there were two other missions done by the London Missionary Society: one in 1797 and another in 1831.
The boat that these Native Hawaiian missionaries traveled on from Honolulu to the Marquesas was called “The Royalist,” which anchored in the bay of Omoʻa between August 25 and 26, 1853, ending their seventy-two-day voyage.
Due to the failures the missionaries were experiencing in the Marquesas, in 1856 the Hawaiian missionaries removed themselves from the shores of Omoʻa, where Kekela was later assigned to Puamaʻu, Hiva Oa. Out of the original cohort that left Honolulu, only Kekela and Kauwealoha remained until 1872.
An article titled “A Day Among Cannibals: Or Adventures of a Whaleman at the Marquesas” was published on February 20, 1864, in the newspaper “The Pacific Commercial Advertiser.” It covered the adventures of an American salesman and Kekela. Before I continue, I want to mention that I will be summarizing this story; for further context, I highly recommend reading the article. This article has been reprinted in other newspapers, such as “The Friend” (March 1, 1864) and “The South Australian Advertiser” (November 10, 1864).
On January 13, 1864, Jonathan Whalon landed in the harbor of Puamaʻu; he was traveling with the American whaling ship “Congress.” Their intention was to cruise the North Pacific. Mr. Whalon came to the shores to trade and met up with the natives of Puamaʻu. The newspaper summarizes the upcoming events best:
“The natives then proceeded to tear up his clothes into small pieces, and cut the buttons off, making a distribution among the crowd.” For context, this article was written after the events of Mr. Whalon and his time in Puamaʻu; the interview was done by Henry Martyn Whitney, the same person who created The Pacific Commercial Advertiser (later to become the Star-Advertiser) and Ka Nūpepa Kūʻokoʻa.
After tearing up his clothes, he was later tied up as a pig. Further torment faced Mr. Whalon as the natives of Puamaʻu struck his limbs with weapons, barely missing him. Other forms of torture included bending his fingers, pinching, and wrenching his nose. However, it is important to mention that the intentions of the natives were not ill-intended. “It was done out of revenge for the kidnapping of Marquesans by the Peruvians, who had stolen a cargo of men and women from this and the neighboring islands.”
After three hours of torment, Mr. Whalon was placed in the chief’s house, where he stayed the night. It was assumed that when the sun rose, he would be eaten by the natives. During these events, Kekela was not on the island; he was out on another island. He soon arrived at the scene with the chief. From there, negotiation started for the release of Mr. Whalon.
It was negotiated that a whaleboat and six oars were needed to release Mr. Whalon. Kekela offered his boat to fulfill the trade, yet Kekela’s chief demurred; this would deprive them of their only boat. In the newspaper, Kekela’s character is well documented by Whitney: “Kekela declared that he was ready to give up anything and everything he possessed if he could but save the foreigner’s life––– an instance of disinterested philanthropy.”
Kekela, this Hawaiian missionary, was ready to give up everything to save this foreigner; someone he had never met before, nor knew anything of. He was willing to give up his boat, potentially his only way back home to Hawaiʻi… Mr. Whalon was released for a musket and other tradeable items (the article does not disclose the other items). After the exchange, Kekela housed Mr. Whalon. Three days later, on January 16, Mr. Whalon returned to his ship.
Before Mr. Whalon left, Kekela wrote a letter to Rev. Lowell Smith, dated January 15, 1864. In this letter, Kekela explained the events of Mr. Whalon in detail. “The news here in Puamau: A certain white man was almost killed here in Puamau. He was the mate of the whaling ship Congress, commanded by Captain Straburg.” (This is an English translation of Kekela’s letter; the original is in Hawaiian; I have not found these letters…)
Although it is unclear how these events reached Lincoln and the U.S. government, the “Morning Star,” which was a ship that left Honolulu for the Marquesas in February of 1865, delivered many gifts to Kekela and the people who assisted in Mr. Whalon’s aid. Out of all these gifts, the most iconic was a gold watch, inscribed: “MAKANA na ka Presidena o Amerika Hui pu ia ia Rev. J. Kekela no kana hana ana i mahalo ia no kona hoopakele ana i ka make Ka Haole Amerika ma HIVOA 14th Januari 1864.” For a full list of what the American government gifted the parties involved, reference “Lincoln and the Cannibals,” written by Justin G. Turner.
This blog post is just the tip of the iceberg into the life of the first Hawaiian missionary, James Hunnewell Kekelaokalani. There is more to his life, including his interesting response to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. Kekela also ended up in jail in his later years; while in jail, he yelled at the security guards that he would rather die than lose his watch. For further information and research, the resources I’ve listed include newspapers, articles, pictures, and other primary documents.
Kekela’s final resting place is at the Mission Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. His tombstone is chiseled with his achievements, and at the bottom is a proverb: “O ke aloha, oia ka mole o na mea pono a me na mea oiao a pau.”
Mahalo nō au iā ʻoe inā ua pau i ka heluhelu ʻana mai i koʻu blog post nō hoʻi. ʻO ʻoe ka ʻiwa ma Moʻorea i hoʻopumehana i kuʻu puʻuwai. Naʻu nō me ke aloha mai kēia ʻāina home, Kalawaiʻa Nunies.
1. Kealani Cook. Return to Kahiki: Native Hawaiians in Oceania. Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, Ny, Cambridge University Press, 2019.
2. Nancy Morris, “Hawaiian Missionaries Abroad, 1852-1909,” PhD thesis, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 1987.
3. “N-0936 – Rev. James Kekela family. Photograph.,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed June 26, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/4115
4. “N-F0086 – Kekela watch, open. Photograph.,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed June 26, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/3274
5. Kekela, James, “HMCSL – Marquesas Collection – Kekela, James – 22,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed June 26, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/13874
6. “N-3230 – Rev. James Kekela and family: Puamau, Hivaoa, Marquesas Islands, Oct. 1896 / photo by Annie Alexander. Photograph.,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed June 26, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/5943
7. Oscar Edward Maurer. Three Early Christian Leaders of Hawaii. Honolulu, The Board of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association Honolulu, T. H, May 1945.
8. Turner, Justin G. “Lincoln and the Cannibals.” Pacific Historical Review, vol. 31, no. 1, 1962, pp. 31–39. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3636648 Accessed 27 June 2024.
9. Morris , Nancy J. The Hawaiian Journal of History . Vol. 13, Honolulu, Hawaiian Historical Society, 1979, core.ac.uk/download/pdf/5014766.pdf Accessed 27 June 2024.
10. “The Friend – 1864.03.01 – Newspaper,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed June 28, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/1286
11. “The Friend – 1866.05.01 – Newspaper,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed June 28, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/1312
12. Whitney, Henry Martyn. “A Day among Cannibals: Or Adventures of a Whaleman at the Marquesas.” The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, 20 Feb. 1864, www.newspapers.com/image/143827867/?terms=cannibals&match=1. Accessed 27 June 2024.
13. “The Friend – 1864.02.05 – Newspaper,” Hawaiian Mission Houses Digital Archive, accessed July 4, 2024, https://hmha.missionhouses.org/items/show/1285
