How Did They Ever Survive?

How Did They Ever Survive? was Originally Posted on December 7, 2013 by lavarock

While searching for some information on a port here on the Big Island, I came across a book, “A Residence of Twenty-one Years in the Sandwich Islands” By Hiram Bingham. As you may know, he was leader of missionaries in Hawaii. His story somewhat parallels that of the novel “Hawaii”, having to be married before being sent here.

He was recalled when it was found he was messing too much in local politics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Bingham_I

To skim his novel, written after he returned to the states is difficult. Based upon his views (if he believed them) how could the Hawaiians ever have traveled across the Pacific as they did, start a civilization here and have survived more than a few years? because they did not share the common missionary views they were (of course) heathens, barbaric and so on. Of course religious people tend to forget that being a practitioner of an organized religion meant that you also were associated with people who killed others because they did not believe as you did. It is said that more people have died in the name of religion than any non health or age related condition.

I send you to this copy of his book and wonder who can actually read it after the first chapter or two? http://books.google.com/books?id=T1VFAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

At one point he speaks of the islanders not even keeping Jewish tradition with respect with food, because, well, they weren’t Jewish.

“The principal animals found among them were the unclean dog hog both of which they used freely for food This might nave been the effect of necessity or arisen from aversion the Jewish restriction had they descended from that stock”.

Since he was part of the first missionary group to visit and convert the islands, how would they have known about Jewish tradition? In fact, he did his best to force out Catholicism in favor of Protestantism.

You have to compare his discussions with those of Isabella Bird and the book “Ancient Hawaiian Civilization” to know that he is wrong and just because the Hawaiians had not known other religions, they DID practice their own religion. Yes, there was killing for crimes and laws that did not make sense to the missionaries, but in the grand scheme of things, they did.

Hawaiians had elders, kapuna, who would tell them if today was a good day to fish. Visitors would call them “soothsayers” who read tea leaves, but in reality they were like fish and game wardens who used their skill in looking at many conditions like rainfall effects on plants and fish counts to determine if the ocean would be fished out.

During one time of year, you could not war with your neighbors. All fighting was set aside and only competitions could be held. This was the makahiki or celebration time when each village would gather their crops and lasted 4 months! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makahiki

Word is that if the king came by, you were supposed to be lying prone on the ground. If your shadow crossed his, you would be put to death. Although that sounds bad, if your shadow crossed his it meant you were standing and might attack him. Thus in a time when people rose to power by killing those in power, it made sense to have laws to protect the leaders. Talk badly about our leaders today and you could be in jail.

All in all, I decided to not read his book but rather direct people to books about ancient Hawaii that do NOT have a slanted point ogf view.

My suggstions are:

Ancient Hawaiian Civilization: http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Hawaiian-Civilization-Kenneth-Emory/dp/1566472806/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386449688&sr=1-1&keywords=ancient+hawaiian+civilization

Isabella Bird’s Six Months in the Sandwich Islands (my review) http://www.amazon.com/review/R37KHB7KOZCU9Q/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

You can read that book online for free as it is not copyrighted: http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/vwwp/view?docId=VAB7074

Anyway, I think there is a lot more to the story besides Hiram’ view. remember that not long after the missionaries came, they started acquiring lots of land from the Hawaiians and never looked back.

Here is a list of the massive numbers of missionaries that flooded the islands, all wanting to “help”. It almost seems that there was a missionary for each resident

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Missionaries_to_Hawaii