Thomas Cummings - Hawai'i Stories
Lots of stories in books about Hawai`i. About the first settlers who organized into families of kings and queens, priests and subjects – warring with and loving each other. While living well off the bounty on the islands they’d discovered and sea they expertly sailed upon. And of later arrivers: explorers, merchants, missionaries, laborers. Each with their stories of giving to the well being of the islands, and of those who behaved badly. I’ll share anecdotes about them. Then hope you’ll blog to say how you feel.
I love the stories of Hawaii nei and its people, especially of my Hawaiian ancestors. But as well the history of my Haole and Chinese forbearers; and equally, the many folks from other places.
I’m Thomas C. Cummings, Jr., a classroom teacher of Hawaiiana and English and storyteller for 50 years. Although, my education began at birth in 1937 on Maui – nurtured by family, friends and neighbors. All of them marvelous teachers.
Ben, Under Maui Skies, voted Top Books of the Year
May 1st, 2010Under Maui Skies, a book of short stories by Wayne Moniz, won the hearts, minds and votes of more than 1500 HawaiiReaders.com readers as the readers' choice book of 2009. The award was given as part of the Ka Palapala Po'okela awards at a gala event on April 30. Ben: A Memoir, from Street Kid to Governor by Benjamin J. Cayetano received the prestigious Samuel Kamakau award as best book from the members of the Hawai'i Book Publisher's Association. More about the awards.
Comment on this entry »
The Warrior-King Teacher & Shark Killer
December 11th, 2009I last blogged that Kekuhaupi`o trained Kamehameha to be the excellent fighter he’d become – all detailed in a book. So, you’d assume this master teacher stood eye-to-eye to the future king, who was over 6’2” – as were many of the other warrior-kings.
Nope…`A`ole! Kekuhaupi`o was about 5’8”. But, stocky, with “…square shoulders and strong, long limbs and fingers.” (pg. 6) I conclude he was body-builder muscular, having great strength and endurance – had to be.
More, he’s the pint-size, who was ordered take a short spear and use it in a deep-sea battle to kill a 20` feet niuhi (tiger) shark; i.e., if he wasn’t chewed to bits first. Then eat its eyeballs. All as a final test to prove his bravery and skills.
Gosh, why wouldn’t you want to re [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Pig God Stories Galore & More
December 7th, 2009There’s a full course of tales about Kamapua`a, the pig god. Since they’re all mythical, where’s the historical angle asked for in this blog? It’s in the footnotes – a wealth of them to enjoy in two books about the rascal. Below, a citation from each book.
[1] A greeting of “aloha” was customary anciently -- still endures in 2009. But back then, failure to say so to a stranger “…was taken as a nonverbal indication of evil intent.” You’ll have nui (big) difficulty reading that factoid elsewhere.
[2] ‘Opu aloha: (Lit. loving stomach) Refers to “one’s center of compassion”. Or, to have the heart of a chief, possessed of love, especially kindness and generosity. For me, this old saying, with meaning, explains the ali`i acceptance that they were obli [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Unique Hawaiian Cultural Practices
December 4th, 20091778. From Captain Cook’s journal, some little known facts about Hawaiian manufacture and living.
Hair Style. Ordinarily black hairs of natives were stained with a mix of gray clay and powdered shells, and made into balls. Later chewed into a soft paste. Then smeared over the hair, rendering it yellow and smooth. Men also wore wigs of human hair, twisted into several inch-thick tails that reached to the lower back. [Bishop Museum has a sample]
Houses. Were like “oblong corn stacks.” Their doors so low, to enter folks bent over into a near crawl. Since hale or houses were dark indoors, a hole was pushed open in the thatched wall, but later closed as needed. Floors were covered with “dry hay” (likely pili grass) layered over with mats for sleeping. [Bishop Museum ha [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Warrior Chief & Teacher of Kamehameha
November 30th, 2009It’s a given, Kamehameha gained the skills of weaponry use and man-to-man fighting. Credit to his instructor, Kekuhaupi`o, expert at dodging and catching spears aimed to kill, a bone-breaking technician of lua wrestling, and master of parrying and thrusting in fencing with a staff. Competent in all that by age 15-years!
Kekuhaupi`o, who proves his ultimate warrior skills and bravery by jumping into the sea with a dagger to battle a full-sized tiger shark. A captivating feat told in several chapters of KAMEHAMEHA AND HIS WARRIOR KEKUHAUPI`0 by Stephen L. Desha.
There are also chapters of Kamehameha’s birth and early secret upbringing. Of his first encounter -- when only a young knight -- with Capt. Cook. And accounts of poisonings and battles and political i [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Great Gift Book for Lovers of Hawaiiana
November 27th, 2009TALKING HAWAI`I’S STORY: ORAL HISTORIES OF AN ISLAND PEOPLE is a must read book for its wealth of talk-story reminisces by local folks. Great as a Xmas gift.
It’s a given that Queen Lili`uokalani looms large in Hawaii’s history. But in The Rascal of Waikiki by Lemon “Rusty” Holt we learn of her down-to-island style when she visited Rusty’s mom in Waikiki, early 1900s. How she loved to eat coconut meat, soft enough to spoon out – from trees on Rusty’s family place…trees he climbed to fetch the nut then husk for her. Or the manini fish, caught by Rusty, with his shorts as the trap, off Waikiki beach, for the deposed queen to eat raw; as well lipoa seaweed.
Rusty also tells how he alone, of all the jealous neighborhood kids, regularly surfed tan [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Lands Begets Power & Money
November 25th, 2009What’s the connection between land and power? It’s the central question in LAND AND POWER IN HAWAII. The potent answer: Land – the ownership, control and use of it – is power. The book begins earnestly in the 1950s. Democrats then control the territorial legislature and most of the county government offices. There is no Representitive or Senator, yet, in D.C. elected by Hawai’i folks. The Governor is picked by the U.S. President.
From that scenario, there are intriguing details that address the question above. With the mention of big-time Hawai’i names – John A. Burns, Dan Inouye, and the Dillingham’s…it’s a very long list. And agencies – ILWU, Bishop Estate, the “Underworld”…on and on. And economic events: Tourism and hotel construction, and suga [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
"Day of Conquest" -- Lana`i Island
November 23rd, 2009The island of Lana`i gets little written attention compared to the others of Hawai`i. But in the book cited below that’s resolved.
In it are loads of stories about the tiny 13-miles long and wide island. Take its meaning. “La” for day – and “na`i” for conquest. Which memorializes the day mythic chief, Kaulula`au, defeated the evil ghosts there.
And about Walter M. Gibson’s crooked handling of the Mormon settlement between 1850s-60s. And of ranching in the 1890s: 45,000 mutton producing sheep; 500 cattle, goats, hogs; and 600 horses (why more cattle than horses?) Also in the 1920s, the biggie: 16,000 acres of Dole pineapple; and the increase from a miniscule100 or so Hawaiians to several thousand ethnically diverse field-hires.
Ironically, Lana`i is still [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Hands Off the Godlike King
November 20th, 20091778. How godly were Hawaiian chiefs treated at the time? Captain Clerke, an officer of Captain James Cook, felt native attendants were way too protective of their Kaua`i “chief of note,” Tamahano. Bodyguards carefully lifted him into the English ship. But, they stopped the native king from going an “inch” beyond the gangway. And attendants protected him by surrounding him with hands locked.
At least Clerke could approach the ali`i – but no one else. And the Brit was even let to kiss him nose-to-nose as was native custom. The chief’s hands-off kapu was absurd Clerke thought. And Clerke was ‘…very desirous of laughing them out of these ridiculous fears; I said all I cou’d, then took him by the hand, and clap’d him upon the Shoulder; upon which they [body [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Neat Photo Stories of Hawai'i's Past
November 18th, 2009Pictures are excellent for seeing Hawai`i’s past, while you imagine yourself in it. That’s what HAWAI`I 50 – FIVE DECADES OF PHOTOGRAPHS has. The “…best and most representative photos, arranged by decades.”
I choose 1959 (Hawai`i statehood) through 1969. Leafing those pages I enjoyed the image of the younger Kingston Trio – I remember “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley”, the #1 folksong of that time?...sung by Punahou School graduates, I seem to recall. There’s a photo of James Michener autographing his book “Hawai`i” – I loved reading it, but the movie version was junk. There’s the one of Frank Sinatra in front of an old-fashion mike in concert – so precious, his role in the movie “From Here to Eternity”…so was that chicken-skin, love-sce [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
A Head Blow A New Law
November 16th, 2009That Kamehameha the Great got smacked dizzy and bloody on the forehead has been told. A common fisherman swinging his paddle did it. In that attack the warrior king was immobile cause his foot was stuck in the crevice of lava rocks.
There’s more that’s not often told. That before delivering the blow, the fisherman cast his lay net over Kamehameha to ensure that his hands were tangled. Otherwise, Paiea or Crab – his nickname – would have grabbed the paddle, and with one blow killed the fisherman. That’s how powerful and fearsome Kamehamameha was.
Then when enemy warriors came to support the fisherman, Kamehameha had to further defend himself while still stuck. He’d regained consciousness and threw the net off his body. Then he caught in mid-air or [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Scanty Clothing & Natural Body Wear
November 13th, 2009“These people are scanty in their clothing, very few of the Men wear any thing more than the Maro [loin wrap], but the women have a piece of cloth wraped round the waist [kihei], so as to hang down like a petticoat as low as the knee; all the rest of the body is naked. Their ornaments are braclets, necklaces and Amulets, which are made of shells, bone or stone; They have also neat Tippets [hand-held kahili] made of red and yellow feathers, and Caps and Cloaks covered with the same or some other feathers; the cloakes, reach to about the middle of the back, and are like the short cloakes worn by the women in England, or like the riding cloaks worn in Spain. The Caps [mahiole] are made so as to fit very close to the head with a semicircular protuberance on the crown exactly like the helme [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Short Sweet Stories Of Hilo
November 11th, 2009A must read, 68-page, short story book of HILO LEGENDS, by Francis Reed.
Loved the book’s first article, “How Hilo Got Its Name.” Hilo or Hiro, the famous mythical navigator who sailed throughout the Pacific to discover other Polynesian islands. That Hilo who likely ranked high enough in the Polynesian/Hawaiian pantheon to be named after the first night of the all-important lunar month. But wait, says the article, Hilo also means to twist – done when braiding ti-leaves into rope. So, from that making is also a true episode about Kamehameha the Great.
There’s “The Hala`i Hills,” telling of the goddess Hina’s adventures at three remnant craters up slope of Hilo: Pu`uhonu, Ope`ape`a, and Hala`i – these days, mere, large hills. Did those large m [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
He Who Rejects Servants -- Kanaka`ole
November 9th, 2009For sure the chiefs of old Hawai`i – the highest born, especially – were surrounded by loads of servants to care continuously for their every need including cooking, entertainment of every sort, medicine, traveling, tool-making. You name it. All this privileged attention: even when such a child was still in the womb; then throughout that life; even after death, somewhat.
There’s at least one exception. He was Kanaka`ole (“Without Man”), meaning that he accepted no servants. Instead, he did his own work, which explains why he was called the Laboring Chief. (pg. v)
There’s more fascinating explanations about the family system and customary ways practiced in Ka’u, Hawai`i. The primary informant being Mary Kawena Pukui, a direct relative of KANAKA`O [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Capt. James Cook's Hawai`i Visit -- Islands of Plenty
November 6th, 20091778. Cook’s first contact with Hawaiians lasts 40-days. Between January 20 to March 2. Enough time to describe the landscape and the “Indians”. There, he easily trades for food: pork, fowl, sweet potatoes (large as a man’s head), yams, kalo, plaintains. So, he loves Kaua’i and Ni’ihau (the two islands he steps on – O`ahu is a mere outline on the horizon).
Some examples. He’s ecstatic to get large quantities of rock salt to cure his pork – not so elsewhere in Polynesia, since only Hawaiians made it. As the highest priority, he daily collects the plentiful water ashore, quantified by the tons collected in casks instead of gallons (as much as 9 tons in one instance); barrels, not always easy to get aboard ship because of the dangerous surf. He likes that he [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
