Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 35, Number 1, 1 January 2018 — “The First Ship that Arrived in Hawai'i” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

“The First Ship that Arrived in Hawai'i”

MO'OLELO HIST0RY

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH.D„ R.D. Makahiki 1778... "Arrival of Lono (Captain Cook)" This story is taken from "Ka Mooolelo Hawaii," a co!lection of essays written in the 1830s by Native Hawaiian students at Lahainaluna School for Reverend Sheldon Dibble. Dibble published them in book -form in 1838. These essays were translatedfrom Hawaiian to English by Dorothy M. Kahananui, who republished tlie book in 1984.

I ono ( C aptain Cook) anchored I off Waimea, Kaua'i. He

Larrived in January, in the year of our Lord, 1778. Kaneoneo and Keawe were the ruling chiefs of Kaua'i at that time. They arrived at Waimea at night. When daylight eame, the people on land saw the remarkable thing floating offshore and they shrieked loudly. They said to eaeh other, "What in the world is that large branching thing!" Someone said, "It's a forest whieh has moved into the oeean (sea)." And there was great excitement. Then some chiefs bade some men set sail out in a eanoe so they could see that wonderful spectacle better. They sailed till they were close to the vessel. They saw the iron sticking to the ^ outside of the vessel. They were ^ overjoyed at seeing so mueh

iron. They had seen iron before that, on wood whieh washed ashore, but

A painting of the HMS Resolution and Discovery off the Coast of īahili. Circa 1 800. - lmage: Wikipeilia

that was nothing compared to this. There was so mueh iron.

They went on board and saw people with white foreheads and glittering eyes, with wrinkled clothing; and the heads were angular and spoke a foreign language, Then they thought the men were women, since their heads were like that of women of that time. They saw there was a great deal of iron on board. They stared at it in amazement. And they returned and reported on all that they had seen and about the large amount of iron. One of the warriors heard the report. He said, "I'll go and gather that treasure because that's how I make my living, merely scooping up whatever I ean." The high chief agreed. Then said warrior sailed and went on board, helped himself to the iron and he was shot, and

said warrior died. His name was Kapūpu'u. The eanoe fleet retreated and reported that Kapūpu'u had been shot to death. And that night guns were fired and fire leaped skyward. The people thought it was a god. They named it Lonomakua - Father Lono. The natives thought they should fight. A certain chiefess - Kamuali'i's mother - whose name was Kamakahelei, said, "Don't urge war against our god, placate him so the god will be kind to us." Then Kamakahelei gave her own daughter as eompanion for "Lono," Captain Cook. Lelemahoalani was the name of said woman and the foreign men slept with the women of Kaua'i who gave themselves for iron. Later venereal disease broke out among the women and afterwards the men became infected and this awful disease spread and became the refuse pit of these islands. The first things whieh were spread here in Hawai'i were sin and death. Shame on the people who spread this awful disease here. ■