‘Here is my message’
The bicentennial of the arrival of the first missionaries to arrive on Kauai is being commemorated on May 2-3, 2020 at Waimea. The event is being organized by local churches and community organizations, in partnership with the Hawaiian Mission Houses in Honolulu.
On May 3, 1820 two missionary teachers from Connecticut sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Samuel Ruggles and Samuel Whitney, landed in Waimea, returning George Prince Kaumualii, Humehume, to his father King Kaumualii of Kauai.
Kauai was the last stop for the brig Thaddeus, which arrived in Kailua, Kona on April 4, 1820. On board were seven missionary couples, along with five children, and four Native Hawaiians: Thomas Hopu, John Honoree, William Kanui, and Humehume.
Their mission was to bring the Good News that will bring great joy to all people. This ancient biblical message, of divine origin, came through faithful and obedient men, from the Hebrew tribes of Abraham, Isaac, Israel, King David, down to Jesus and his disciples.
The pioneer Kauai missionaries believed they were ambassadors of God’s love for all of mankind. They proclaimed Immanuel, God with us. These missionaries sailed over 160 days. From Boston they took the southwest passage down and around Cape Horn, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to bring the Good News to the people of Hawaii.
By the time this Pioneer Company arrived, Kamehameha I had died and the centuries-old ai kapu system had been abolished; through the actions of King Kamehameha II (Liholiho,) with encouragement by former Queens Kaahumanu and Keopuolani (Liholiho’s mother,) the Hawaiian people had already dismantled their heiau and had rejected their religious beliefs.
While the Hawaiians prior to 1820 spent over 40 years adjusting to being a supply and trading port in the world of international trade between England, France, Russia and the United States, the missionaries brought a new revelation from the western world.
They came to serve and are credited with working with the alii in developing a written Hawaiian language, spreading literacy and opening schools around every island, the promulgation of a constitutional government, western medicine, choral music and Christianity.
Within five years of arrival a dozen chiefs sought Christian baptism and church membership, including the king’s regent powerful Kaahumanu who then ruled the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian people followed their native leaders, accepting the missionaries as their new priestly class.
The Ali‘i and the Missionaries Worked Together
The Hawaiian alii nui’s frustration with the early foreign traders and support for the missionaries is illustrated in comments made by chiefs of that time, including KKaumualii (King of Kauai) and Kalanimoku (chief councilor and prime minister to Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III.)
An 1826 letter written by Kalanimoku to Hiram Bingham (written at a time when missionaries were being criticized) states, “Greetings Mr Bingham. Here is my message to all of you, our missionary teachers.” …“I am telling you that I have not seen your wrong doing. If I had seen you to be wrong, I would tell you all. No, you must all be good. Give us literacy and we will teach it. And, give us the word of God and we will heed it … for we have learned the word of God.”… “Then foreigners come, doing damage to our land. Foreigners of America and Britain. But don’t be angry, for we are to blame for you being faulted.” …“And it is not you foreigners, (it’s) the other foreigners.” (Kalanimoku to Bingham, 1826).
Ali‘i Asked the Missionaries for Christianity, the Missionaries Collaborated
Kalanimoku continues: “Here’s my message according to the words of Jehovah, I have given my heart to God and my body and my spirit. I have devoted myself to the church and Jesus Christ.”
“Have a look at this letter of mine, Mr Bingham and company. And if you see it and wish to send my message on to America to (your President,) that is up to you. Greetings to the chief of America. Regards to you all, Kalanimoku.”
Kaumualii and his wife, Kapule, reiterated appreciation of the missionaries in letters transcribed on July 28, 1820 to the American Board, and to the New England mother of a recently-arrived missionary wife.
“I wish to write a few lines to you, to thank you for the good Book you was so kind as to send by my son. I think it is a good book — one that God gave for us to read. I hope my people will soon read this, and all other good books …”
“When your good people learn me, I worship your God. I feel glad you good people come to help us. We know nothing here. American people very good – kind. I love them.” (Kapule to the mother of Mrs Ruggles)
Missionary Samuel Ruggles notes in in his Journal entry on May 10, 1820, “This afternoon the king (Kaumualii) sent to me and requested that I would come and read to him in his Bible. I read the first chapter of Genesis and explained to him what I read as well as I could.”
“He listened with strict attention, frequently asking pertinent questions, and said I can’t understand it all; I want to know it; you must learn my language fast, and then tell me all. No white man before ever read to me and talk like you.”
Biggest mistake for native Hawaiians to accept the fallacy of these greedy missionaries who started downfall of Hawaii’s sovereignity to finally plan its overthrow by their descendents of the greedy racist white sugar plantation owners.
Kaumuallii should have throw these missionaries over the cliff and if they survived, then maybe they should have been accepted as was requested by Kamehameha.
Agreed, they came with bibles when Hawaiians had a self sustaining lifestyle for centuries, they gave the Bible and stole the land, brought disease and financial disparity. I am amazed that ANY Hawaiian would ever receive any of this. Its also not an event to be celebrated here on Kauai. In fact if you compare it to the ISIS of today, it was the ISIS to the Hawaiian race. Whats interesting is the descendants of these people live here in luxury with extremely large trusts, , all living off the plunders of christianity parading about like they love Hawaiians.
Thanks to the missionaries and their wives for coming and devoting their lives to the natives; thanks to Lon Malapit for writing this essay; and thanks to this newspaper for publishing it. How wonderful to see that this important event from two centuries ago is being remembered and celebrated. Today we see the old Hawaiian religion being revived for political purposes in service to an agenda of race nationalism. Sovereignty activists apply Marxist analysis to reject Christianity as the religion of the colonizers, thrust upon the natives as an instrument of oppression. Mr. Malapit reminds us that the old religion was abolished by the native leadership before the missionaries arrived, and the native leaders eagerly embraced Christianity as a matter of spirituality, not for political gain. Thank you for this much-needed history lesson.
Very sharp white christians who thought using the manifest destiny for whites was the lords intent, used trickery to over throw Hawaii. Interesting how these “christians” who failed to follow the Bible and sinned in their treatment of Hawaiians and their theft of the land can be supported by you. Those people were like catholic priests who took advantage of kids. Hawaiians were not Akamai to whiteys treachery, but they are now. Christianity like all religions has crooks who masquerade as being faithful, its unfortunate for Hawaiians that the ones who landed here loved money, not their “god” and saw it fit to pry the land away by any means, and putting them under the ether of christianity was one of those means and it still exists today.
History is what it is. Twisting it to justify hate is wrong.
This article points towards the truth. The Hawaiians had a hand in their destiny.
But it also points to the fact that diversity is a double edged sword. It cuts both ways. We’re told diversity and immigration make us stronger. Really? Was that the outcome for the Hawaiians?
We need truth. Not perpetual lies and platitudes.