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How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

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  • How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

    In the days before there were blogs, and youtube, and international press required a telegraph, or notes attached to...pigeons (shudder), Hawaii was preeminent! It held this international reputation. I mean, did anybody back 100 years ago get this dreamy look in their eyes when they heard the name of ...Guam? </dissing Guam>.

    Two whom do we thank for writing about these isles way back then? I know of only a few names and even fewer of their examples:
    -Mark Twain (I only remember some paragraph about him thinking that either Chinatown or Honolulu was overrun with cats)
    -Jack London (I read "Chun Ah Chun", which was unusual for the time, because of the multi-racial composition of that family, which JL found exotic)
    -Robert Louis Stevenson (how did this guy come up with Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde? Is it a coincidence that the character shares the name with a real-life person, the Rev. Dr. Hyde, who had the gall to malign Father Damien, recieved the best smackdown I've ever read from that era? If you have 1/2 hour, do spend it on "An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu"

    Are these the cats who inspired people to pine for the tropics? Who else, popular in their day, wrote of the isles?

    pax

  • #2
    Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

    Isabella Bird is another one. She was one of those adventurous single Victorian British ladies, in her forties, travelling the world, and she stayed for half a year or so in Hawaiʻi in (I think) the 1860s. Her writings about Hawaiʻi are fascinating.

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    • #3
      Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

      Here's her stuff on Hawaii:

      http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6750

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      • #4
        Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

        I'll try to ignore the gratuitous and totally predictable swipe at Guam (is this the only way people in Hawaii have of making themselves feel superior?) and offer the opinion that one of the major factors in promoting Hawaii around the world was all of the letters sent from those who settled here - you know the ones - the missionaries, business types and others who wrote about the islands to loved ones at home.

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        • #5
          Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

          I would also credit James A. Michener. His book Hawaii really made people long for here. I wonder if Michener's "golden man" will ever come to be? From Hawaii:
          "For us there is only one name," the old man insisted in a burst of rhetoric. "Havaiki of the manifold riches, Havaiki of the brave canoes, Havaiki of strong gods, and courageous men and beautiful women, Havaiki of the dreams that led across the endless oceans, Havaiki that has lived in our hearts for forty and fifty and sixty generations. This is the island of Havaiki!"






          LINKto news of his death in 1997.
          Last edited by alohabear; March 21, 2007, 01:03 PM.
          Listen to KEITH AND THE GIRLsigpic

          Stupid people come in all flavors-buzz1941
          Flickr

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          • #6
            Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

            Having absolutely less knowledge of Hawaii and Hawaiiana than my own children who get a good dose of Kupuna on a weekly basis, I think we can also credit the travels of Hawaii's royalty to England and other points around the globe in the 19th Century. I can only imagine the elegance, grace, dignity and aloha spirit that they conveyed.

            And I would also think that the earliest cruise liners and passenger jets did what they could to market the Islands.

            Elvis probably helped a little, too.
            Aloha from Lavagal

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            • #7
              Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

              Originally posted by glossyp View Post
              I'll try to ignore the gratuitous and totally predictable swipe at Guam (is this the only way people in Hawaii have of making themselves feel superior?) and offer the opinion that one of the major factors in promoting Hawaii around the world was all of the letters sent from those who settled here - you know the ones - the missionaries, business types and others who wrote about the islands to loved ones at home.
              Chill, Glossy. I didn't mention Guam to ((feel superior)), it was mere light employment of humor....I coulda said Maldives or Corsica or Sri Lanka other places that don't have the similar reputation of 100 years' worth of travel cachet.

              Hawaii, for better or worse or like it or not, has that. I wish to understand how it earned such reputation, and the rest of the participants are naming specific authors/writings, of which I was previously unaware, and for which I am grateful.

              I want to read those books and writings and understand how they travelled the world, and influenced a few generations.

              pax

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              • #8
                Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                Don't forget Herman Melville. Though probably not as influential in letting the world know about Hawaii as Stevenson, Twain, and London, he did live in Hawaii for a short time and made a living on the lecture tour on the mainland talking about his Pacific travels. I believe he did mention Hawaii in his early novels, Typee and Omoo.

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                • #9
                  Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                  One important place in the popular mind occupied be Hawaii may be auditory - radio and the phonograph. I can still hear Aurthur Godfrey's morning show from Waikiki (does that date me, er wot ??! We're talking the post-War years here!) and he always appeared in an Aloha shirt toward the end of his life. He may not have been the sweetest guy on earth when he lost his famous temper, but he was, for better or worse, the unofficial Voice Of The Islands for millions. And did I forget to mention Hilo Hattie and Hawaii Calls? These radio shows conjured up images of swaying palms trees and sandy beaches for a whole generation and more, for millions who would never actually go to Hawaii, as long as they lived.

                  And, before the radio era, we have these - http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/browse.php Please check out the Hawaiian music portion of this collection. These anciant recordings had the same effect as Godfrey, Hilo Hattie and others would have later. Imagine sitting in the parlour of a remote farmhouse in Minnesota or British Columbia on a cold winter night in the late 1800's, with Aloha O'e playing on the ol' phonograph. Those were the days.

                  Aloha!

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                  • #10
                    Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                    Originally posted by Pua'i Mana'o View Post
                    -Robert Louis Stevenson (how did this guy come up with Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde? Is it a coincidence that the character shares the name with a real-life person, the Rev. Dr. Hyde, who had the gall to malign Father Damien, recieved the best smackdown I've ever read from that era? If you have 1/2 hour, do spend it on "An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu"
                    Oh, whoa. I did spend that half-hour, with great appreciation to Ms. Pua'i Mana'o, I might add, reading Mr. Stevenson's letter.

                    Wow. What powerful writing. I would have been jelly on the floor had that been directed at me. I was going to say, "Hyde must have been crushed!," until I got to the end to find the guy didn't give a rip.

                    It just proves what a putz Hyde was. What an idiot. He was crushed, slam-dunked, and he didn't even understand it.

                    Reading that was FUN! Boy, they don't make English like that any more.
                    Well I am just a monkey man, I'm glad you are a monkey woman too.

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                    • #11
                      Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                      Originally posted by MonkeyMan View Post
                      Oh, whoa. I did spend that half-hour, with great appreciation to Ms. Pua'i Mana'o, I might add, reading Mr. Stevenson's letter.

                      Wow. What powerful writing. I would have been jelly on the floor had that been directed at me. I was going to say, "Hyde must have been crushed!," until I got to the end to find the guy didn't give a rip.

                      It just proves what a putz Hyde was. What an idiot. He was crushed, slam-dunked, and he didn't even understand it.

                      Reading that was FUN! Boy, they don't make English like that any more.
                      Thank you for reading it, MM. That letter never fails to impress me, down to the very last sentence, where I impulsively have to reply, "OoooOOooooh snap!" I believe every junior in high school should read it; a bit of Hawaiian history, antiquated American English prose, and all tied into a smackdown. Completely relatable material.

                      RLS could have just said, "there but for the grace of God go I", but why be pithy when he can write 5000+ words and sear one's conscience over his hypocrisy?

                      Somewhere out there is a response to RLS, defending the Good Rev. Dr. Hyde. Before I die I will get my hands on a copy and read it.

                      pax

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                      • #12
                        Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                        Originally posted by MonkeyMan View Post
                        Oh, whoa. I did spend that half-hour, with great appreciation to Ms. Pua'i Mana'o, I might add, reading Mr. Stevenson's letter.

                        Wow. What powerful writing. I would have been jelly on the floor had that been directed at me. I was going to say, "Hyde must have been crushed!," until I got to the end to find the guy didn't give a rip.

                        It just proves what a putz Hyde was. What an idiot. He was crushed, slam-dunked, and he didn't even understand it.

                        Reading that was FUN! Boy, they don't make English like that any more.
                        When I read the letter I didn't realize that it was written by THE Stevenson!!! Duh... I kept thinking this guy is an amazing writer. Thanks for posting this article I guess the truth re: Damien is diluted by legend ~ I do know one thing that saints are not always saintly and Damien was an incredible person no matter how one sees his legacy. Growing up Catholic reading the lives of the Saints was one thing I loved about the church and Father Damien was a favorite. Excellent read....
                        "When you dance there are two of you, your spiritual self and your physical self. The spirit has to dance." ~ Aunty Mae Ulalia Loebenstein

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                        • #13
                          Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                          Originally posted by greentara View Post
                          ... Thanks for posting this article I guess the truth re: Damien is diluted by legend ~ I do know one thing that saints are not always saintly and Damien was an incredible person no matter how one sees his legacy. ...
                          huh? Hyde maligned Father Damien ad hominem in print. RLS came back and slammed Hyde, point by point, countering with his own personal experience and rightly questioned the Good Rev. Dr. Hyde's own record of public service in comparison with FD.

                          pax

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                          • #14
                            Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                            Originally posted by Pua'i Mana'o View Post
                            huh? Hyde maligned Father Damien ad hominem in print. RLS came back and slammed Hyde, point by point, countering with his own personal experience and rightly questioned the Good Rev. Dr. Hyde's own record of public service in comparison with FD.
                            Hyde made some slanderous insinuations against Father Damien. That’s what I meant by two sides to every story. From what I’ve read FD was a truly devoted and compassionate man, (although a bit eccentric).

                            This is the first time I have read the letter by RLS ~ if he was responding to Hyde clearly Hyde had another opinion, (not that his opinion was based in truth). I'm sure there were some people that believed what Hyde had to say. What was the climate like between the Catholic and Protestant people at that time??? Could that be a factor in the slanderous comments against FD? I too would love to see the response defending Hyde's opinion.


                            What about the film South Pacific, (not 100 years ago but before the time of blogs and youtube)it was not about Hawaii but it was filmed there and most people were aware that the incredible scenes in the background were filmed on Kauai. Of course that's not "print" but it did contribute to Hawaii's reputation of being one of the most beautiful places in the world.
                            Last edited by greentara; May 23, 2007, 07:23 AM.
                            "When you dance there are two of you, your spiritual self and your physical self. The spirit has to dance." ~ Aunty Mae Ulalia Loebenstein

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                            • #15
                              Re: How did Hawaii earn her acclaimed reputation?

                              Originally posted by greentara View Post
                              What was the climate like between the Catholic and Protestant people at that time???

                              An interesting question. Damien went to Hawaii during the height of Christian missionary movement worldwide. The mainly American missionaries in the Islands always considered the Catholics to be interlopers, and although rather successful ones, judging by the number of converts made amongst the Hawaiian population. Anti-Catholic sentiment there was a residue of European and American Protestant attitudes, especially amongst the Congregational missionaries (now United Church of Christ) who were the direct spiritual descendants of the New England Puritans in their religious thinking.


                              Interestingly, this “competition” is still very much alive today, with mainly fundamentalist and evangelicals working in South and Central America, who regard it as one of their goals to convert the people there from the “Romans” (they actually use that word !!) and into the true fold. Anyone who thinks that the anti-Catholicism of the early Reformation years in Europe or the Know Nothing movement in America in the 1800’s is dead and only a part of history, should talk to any recent graduate of Bob Jones University for their opinion on the matter. It’s just a little depressing how far we haven’t come in these matters.

                              Aloha!

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