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The
second Monday in October is a national holiday in the U.S.,
but one that Hawai'i does not currently recognize as a state
holiday. Christopher Columbus never knew the Hawaiian Islands
existed, so we don't have much reason to remember him! There's
been talk of a "Discovery Day", as celebrated in
some states, but it doesn't seem to get much attention.
Discovered
by whom?
One
choice would of course be
James Cook, the first European credited with the discovery
of Hawaii and much of the Pacific in several voyages during
the late 18th century. He is recognized as the greatest explorer
and navigator of all time, and might prove worthy of a holiday
in his honor. Cook sailed past the Hawaiian Islands on his third
voyage of discovery, searching for a Northwest Passage, which
we now know does not exist. He returned to the islands seeking
fresh water and food for his return journey to England.
After being warmly welcomed in the islands during makahiki,
perhaps mistaken as a representative of the god Lono, Cook set
sail for home, but didn't get far before a storm severely damaged
one of his ships. He returned to the islands and the place of
his death at Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1779.
But there
was a welcoming party!
Just
as there were people inhabiting the Americas when Columbus arrived,
the Hawaiian islands had been settled by
Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years before Cook's
"discovery". They too had navigated the vast reaches
of the Pacific, though probably not all in one lifetime. To
honor the true discoverer of the islands, we must rely on legends
and myths. One legend holds that
Hawaiiloa was the first Polynesian to "fish up the
islands" (because fishermen were the most likely discoverers
of unknown islands), another claims the demigod Maui, and
one from Tahiti credits Tafai.
A twist
in the story?
Recently
I was chatting with a paddler from the mainland. He mentioned
that there is a tribe in the Northwest whose legends say their
ancestors came from the sea to the west in canoes. We were
speculating that the Polynesian navigators had the ability
to sail the Pacific, sure enough! And, in the documented
navigational methods of following migratory birds and marine
life, it is possible that this tribe's ancestors came from...
HAWAII! Well, it's possible. And something
interesting to ponder. That perhaps, after all this
time and anguish over who discovered what, it was the Hawaiians
who actually discovered America. ; - )
~Aunty
Kat~
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More
Information
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Christopher
Columbus
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| Columbus
Day - an exhaustive index of links, activities
and other resources from Kid's Domain, including balanced
articles on the Columbus Controversy. |
| James
Cook |
| Voyages
of Discovery - short biography of Captain Cook
with information on his three Pacific voyages. |
| Polynesian
Voyaging |
| Island
Hopping, Polynesian Style - information on the
earliest known voyagers in the Pacific, the Polynesian
Triangle, and current day voyaging and wayfinding. |
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