Native Hawaiians at School

A 1912 The New York Herald article describes students in “different countries,” including Hawaii. It says the Hawaiians were quick learners, especially when they learned to speak English:

“Their native language, Hawaiian, is not taught at all in these schools, and they do not desire that it should be, as they are very anxious to learn English well, but the Hawaiian language is such a beautiful one that is seems a pity it should fall into disuse…”

Do you think the Hawaiian students did not want to learn the Hawaiian language? Read more about it in “School Boys and Girls of Different Countries.”

Note: This article does not represent HDNP’s views.

“School Boys and Girls of Different Countries”
The Washington herald, September 29, 1912, MAGAZINE SECTION, Image 38
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1912-09-29/ed-1/seq-38/

Opium Dens in Chinatown

Today, people go to Chinatown, Honolulu, to shop for produce. In 1908, opium users went there for the opium dens.

A Pacific Commercial Advertiser reporter visited one. Smelling the opium, he walked by people lying on wooden mats, inhaling white fumes from pipes or sleeping.

The reporter tried to take photographs of the opium users. Fifty people were using opium on the lanais (balconies). But when they saw the reporter’s camera, they were gone in less than a minute and “piling helter-skelter behind the slammed doors.”

Read more about it in “Honolulu’s Highways and Byways.”

The Pacific commercial advertiser., March 16, 1908, Page 5, Image 5
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85047084/1908-03-16/ed-1/seq-5/

How Mosquitoes Arrived in Hawaii

Mosquitoes are not only annoying, they’re bad for native species: they carried diseases that wiped out native bird species in Hawaii. Nobody invited the mosquitoes here. So how did these invasive species get here?

Reportedly, the ship “Wellington” from San Blas, Mexico, brought the first mosquitoes in 1826 when it anchored in the port of Lahaina, Maui. The “singing” of the mosquitoes were heard, and soon many native bird species would meet their end.

Read more about it in “How the Mosquito Came to Infest These Islands.”

The Hawaiian gazette., April 17, 1903, Image 6
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025121/1903-04-17/ed-1/seq-6/

Hawaiians on the Mainland Pine for Ukulele and Poi

In 1918, homesick Hawaiian engineers in Camp Humphrey, Virginia, missed their poi, ukulele, and guitars. They believed a Hawaiian man was “not a real Hawaiian unless he plays the ukulele and dances the hula.” They could live without the poi, but still wanted their ukulele and guitars.

Read more about it in “Hawaiians Pine for Ukuleles in Camp on Mainland.”

“Hawaiians Pine for Ukuleles in Camp on Mainland”
The Hawaiian gazette., July 30, 1918, Page 4, Image 4
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025121/1918-07-30/ed-1/seq-4/

Intermarriages in Hawaii

Hawaii has been known for intermarriages even in 1921. The Oklahoma Miner called part-Hawaiians a “new racial group.” The newspaper noted they tend to marry other part-Hawaiians and the pure Hawaiians were dying the quickest out of all ethnicities in Hawaii. Read more about it in “Hawaiian Race Being Reborn.”

The Oklahoma miner., May 19, 1921, Image 7
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95063969/1921-05-19/ed-1/seq-7/

Street Riots Over a Stolen Bicycle

Has race relations always been harmonious in Hawaii?

In the Portuguese quarter of Honolulu, a drunken ex-policeman snatched a bicycle from a boy, and women came to his aid after hearing his cries. Then a mob formed and started attacking the ex-policeman. When the policemen came, the mob started attacking them, too.

Read more about it in “Street Riots in Honolulu.”

The San Francisco call., April 20, 1896, Image 1
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1896-04-20/ed-1/seq-1/