Employed by the Royal Society of England, Captain James Cook made his third voyage of exploration in search of a Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific. He arrived in Tahiti in 1777 and left in late December. His
Employed by the Royal Society of England, Captain James Cook made his third voyage of exploration in search of a Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific. He arrived in Tahiti in 1777 and left in late December.
His ships, the Discovery and Resolution, sighted Oahu on Jan. 18, 1778. The wind blew the vessels toward Kauai and canoes full of natives paddled out to greet them. The Hawaiians spoke Tahitian, which the sailors understood. Food was exchanged for metal. Cook sought a safe harbor and was directed to Waimea. The natives called their island “Atooi.”
Although friendly, the Hawaiians believed they could take anything they saw. The English called them thieves but, in reality, the native people lived communally, shared everything, and had no concept of private property.
This tendency led to the first tragedy. Lieutenant Williamson and some men went for fresh water. Before the English could land, a host of natives strode into the sea, lifted the boat, and carried it toward the beach. Matters worsened. The porters grabbed at anything in the vessel including Williamson’s musket. He shot the thief. The natives fled.
Williamson reported the incident to Cook who took a contingent of armed marines to the island. The Hawaiians prostrated themselves and offered no trouble. They did not worship him as god Lono.
The Captain trekked inland to visit mysterious white towers. They proved to be burial sites for chiefs. He noted skulls arrayed on racks and realized that the Hawaiians practiced human sacrifice.
On returning, Cook forbade his men from fraternizing with women. But keeping his sailors under control proved difficult. The females offered themselves willingly and taunted the men when they refused to be seduced.
In need of supplies, the English traded for hogs, sweet potatoes, and fish with pieces of iron. After three days, a rising wind forced Cook out to sea. He took refuge on the lee side of Niihau. Sending a boatload of men to the island in search of water, stormy weather prevented them from returning.
When they came back the Captain flogged sailors for sleeping with females and spreading disease. He left Niihau for America, naming his discovery the Sandwich Islands after his patron, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu.
When Cook returned to Hawaii in November he saw native men exhibiting disease. They claimed infection from women of Atooi. Cook was killed by angry Hawaiians on Feb. 14, 1779, at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii.
• Bill Fernandez is president of the Kauai Historical Society.
