the laterwriting of abraham fornander, 1870-1887 a thesis submitted to the graduate

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UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'llIBRARY
"A TRUSTWORTHY HISTORICAL RECORD":
THE LATERWRITING OF ABRAHAM FORNANDER, 1870-1887
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF EDUCATION
IN
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS
MAY 2004
By
Pamela Haight
Thesis Committee:
Eileen Tamura, Chairperson
Gay Garland Reed
Vilsoni Hereniko
ABSTRACT
Usingapost-colonial framework, this thesis examines the laterresearchand writing
ofAbraham Fornander. The paper addresses the politics, religion, and societythat
informed Fornander's research and writing, thenfocuses more closelyonhis book,An
Accountofthe Polynesian Race and international response to it. Fornander's tenacity in
promotinghis Westernworldviewand his effortsto advance his careerinfusedhis
writings and, inthe end, servedto overshadowexisting indigenous language andculture,
hastening deteriorationofboth. Utilizing correspondence, earlywriting for newspapers,
and otherarchival information, the paperdemonstrates his attempts to attainauthentic
status for himselfand his work. Thoughinconclusive interms ofproving Fornander's
complicitywith colonialism, the thesis presents anotherviewing ofoneman's work and
begs apreviouslyhidden discussion.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Purpose ofthe study 7
Methodology 10
Backgroundto the study 13
Language andColonization , 15
RepresentingOthers 17
CollectingCultures 21
19th CenturyHawai'i 25
Abraham Fomander 30
Fomander'sNewswriting 34
Fomander's Philological Research 50
Response toAnAccountofthe PolynesianRace 61
Discussion and implications 75
Postscript 78
Appendix A: Letterfrom Rollin Daggettto AbrahamFomander 82
Appendix B: Letterfrom Abraham Fomanderto Rollin Daggett.. 83
Appendix C: Letterfrom Samuel Clemensto Charles Webster 85
Bibliography 86
IV
Introduction
An excerpt ofa letter from Rollin Daggettto Abraham Fornander in 1884 exemplifies
some ofthe strategies used by haole 1translators and writers who translated and/orretold
traditional Hawaiianhistory and literature inthe late 1800's. It speaks ofapproaches
used by Westernwriters to representindigenous peoples and their cultures to apublic
readership inAmericaand Europe.
While following the general line oftradition, minorevents are introduced
which it seems most reasonable traditionhas lost, and the addition ofdates
assists in liftingthem from the misty realm ofdoubt. Thus, to make
Kaikilani a more attractive heroine, Ihave relieved herofall suspicion of
infidelity inMolokai. While tradition does notwarrantthis, itatleastdoes
notdisallowit, and it istherefore done. I simple (sic) add whatmight
have happened to whattradition saysreally did happen, and by so doing
manypretty stories may be writtenofancientHawaii byone versed inits
mythology and customs. Partlyto amuse myself, and partlyto assist my
friends ofthe SanFranciscan, Ihave startedto write a few ofthese stories,
whichhave the meritoffreshness to the Easternreader, ifnothing more.2
Writers like Daggettand Fornanderforaged through, elaborated on, andreconstructed
indigenous myths based ontheir Westernperceptions and prejudices, using their workto
further theirparticularcareers. Fornander's response to the letterfurther illustrates this
approachto representing indigenous peoples' lives and beliefs.
Iheartily andjoyfullyappreciate the work you have setyourselfto do in
bringing Hawaiian Legends andancient loreto the attention ofthousands
ofreaders who otherwise, would neitherhave known, noreverdreamt of
the fund ofpoetry, ofdevotion, orromance which inoldertimes stirred
the souls and illuminedthe lives ofthose ofwhom the world knewnothing
1White,EuropeanorEuro-American: "Whiteperson,American, Englishman, Caucasian; ...formerly, any
foreigner". MaryKawenaPukuiandSamuelH. Elbert,HawaiianDictionary(Honolulu: Universityof
HawaiiPress, 1986).
2DaggetttoFomander, May23, 1884,PinaoG. BrickwoodHoustonCollection, Hawai'iStateArchives.
SeefulltextofletterinAppendix lofthisdocument.
1
until ahundred years ago and whose modern savants are evennow lothto
acknowledge. Iamdelighted withthe mannerandthe style with which
you popularise those legends. They deserveda Walter Scott, and I am
gladthat theyhave found him.3
The manner in whichthe two menundertooktheir writing was not unique to them or
their contemporaries inthe Westernworld. Ward Churchill describes elements sharedby
anactive literary imagination in colonial America, components that included ignorance of
the actualities ofnative culture and the use ofimaginative invention and stereotypeto
representindigenous life.4 Combinedwiththe primacy ofEnglish as the colonizing
language, the approachwas instrumental inassuringperpetuation ofcolonial power in
previously self-governing countries.5 The letters cited above illustrate Fornander's
influence onthe representation ofNative Hawaiians inthe 19thcentury. Despite his
concernfor awaningNative Hawaiianpopulation and culture, Fornander's laterresearch
activity supported amodel highly influential in establishing and promoting a European
and Americancolonial effort inHawai'i inthe mid-to late 1800's.
Itis the focus ofthis thesis to examine Fornander'sresearchfor and writing ofAn
Accountofthe Polynesian Race, Its Origin andMigrations, andtheAncientHistory of
3Fomanderto Daggett, May31, 1884,PinaoG. BrickwoodHoustonCollection,Hawai'iStateArchives.
SeefulltextofletterinAppendixB,this document. SamuelClemens(MarkTwain),aclosefriend of
Daggett'swas laterinstrumentalingettingDaggett'sbookpublished. SeeAppendixCfor aletter
describingintricaciesofitspublication.
4WardChurchill, FantasiesoftheMasterRace: Literature, Cinema, andtheColonization ofAmerican
Indians(SanFrancisco: CityLightsBooks, 1998).
5SeeBillAshcroft, GarethGriffiths, andHelenTiffin, TheEmpire WritesBack: TheoryandPracticein
Post-ColonialLiteratures(London: Routledge, 1989)forextensivediscussiononcolonialandpost
colonialliterature.
2
the Hawaiian People to the Times ofKamehameha6 and to explore the contextinwhich
he wrote. Investigationwill shed light onhis role inthe colonizing ofHawai'i.
Fomander's writing has yetto be scrutinized using apost-colonial lens. This paper
attempts to do so, examining motivations for and influences onhis translations of
indigenous texts. The following questions direct the inquiry. Howdidthe times and
culture inwhich he lived influence Fomander's research and writing? What was the
u.s.
response to his writing, inHawai'i, inthe and inEurope? Didthe developing
disciplines ofphilology and folklore inEurope and the United States influence
Fomander's laterwriting ofAnAccountofthe Polynesian Race? Did Fomanderand his
writing further the colonizingefforts oftheUnited States inHawai'i inthe 19th century?
Did Fomandermanipulate his research and his writings for his ownpurpose? These
questions direct an analysis thatjoins otherpost-colonial researchinchallenging 19th
centurynotions andpractices that are atthe heartofthe work ofwriters like Abraham
Fomander.
Itisthe intent ofthis writerto questionand challenge Fomander's research effort as
more thanabenevolent attemptto preserve the remnants ofthe Hawaiian culture. The
paperbeginsby addressing the politics, religion, and societythatinformed Fomander's
researchand writing, and then focuses more closely onhis particularwork and finally,
responses to it. Ipropose that Fomander's motivation for his research and scholarly
efforts was founded primarilyon adesireto be anacclaimed scholar, inadditionto
6AbrahamFomander,AnAccountofthePolynesianRace, ItsOrigin andMigrations, andtheAncient
History oftheHawaiianPeopletothe Times ofKamehamehaI, (3 vols., 1878-1885;reprint, Rutland, Vt.:
CharlesTuttleCompany, 1969). Laterinthispaper,thebookwillbereferredtoasAnAccountofthe
PolynesianRace.
3
empathy for Native Hawaiians. His tenacity in promotinghis worldviewand his efforts
to advance his career infusedhis writings and, inthe end, servedto overshadowthe
indigenous language and culture, hastening deterioration ofboth. In his attempts to attain
authentic status for himselfand his work, FornandereclipsedNative Hawaiianwritten
accounts for almosta century.
When Swedishwriter AbrahamFornandercame to Hawai'i in 1844, he broughtwith
him aparticularEuropean culture and worldview. As editor ofand writer for three
newspapers between 1850 and 1865, he presented thoughts and opinions to ahighly
literate communitythatincluded bothNative Hawaiianand foreign readers.7 A supporter
ofNative Hawaiians, his voice challengedthe predominantmissionary views that
degradedthemand theirculture. His articles on Hawaiianhistory and mythology
appeared inhis newspapers and injournalspublishedbythe young Hawai'i Historical
Society.8 Fornandermaintained closeprofessional relationships withthe Hawaiian
monarchy as they attempted to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiiantraditions in face of
growing U.S. capitalismand colonialism. They awarded himassignments as circuitcourt
judge and ministerofeducation, bothofwhichrequired him to make extensive visits
throughoutthe islands. Coupledwithhisfluency inthe Hawaiianlanguage, these visits
7KeKuamo'0 0 Ke'elikolani, (Hilo: UniversityofHawaii,Hilo), Vol. 8No.2 (Summer 1999):2.
"1841 TheKingdomofHawaiiestablishesformalpubliceducationinthe islandsandincludesthefirst
highschoolwestofthe RockyMountains. HawaiiantextsarepublishedandNativeHawaiianliteracyrates
soartohigherthan90%,placingtheHawaiiannationamongthemostliterateintheworld."
8Amos Leib,HawaiianLegendsinEnglish:AnAnnotatedBibliography(Honolulu: UniversityPressof
Hawaii, 1979),9.
4
offeredhim opportunities for learning aboutcontemporary conditions ofNative
Hawaiians and hearing the histories and myths ofa culture that fascinated him.
Inthe late 1800's,the growing European-based discipline ofcomparative linguistics,
with its search for a single source for all languages and cultures, piqued Fomander's
interest. His pursuitofan Aryan origin for PolynesianandNative Hawaiian languages
and cultures captivatedhim for much ofhis laterlife. Atthe age of65, he beganwriting
a series ofthree manuscripts thatlaterbecame the comprehensivebook,AnAccountof
the Polynesian Race, Its Origins andMigrations andtheAncientHistory ofthe Hawaiian
People to the Times ofKamehameha, published in 1878.
The first volume ofthe book asserted his theoryofthe originofthe Polynesianrace.
Inithe laid outa model tracing the developmentofthe languages and cultures of
Hawaiians and otherPolynesians. Ina letterto Ljungstedthe wrote: " ... the
Polynesians are no kindred ofthe Malays, as has been so gratuitously assumed for a
hundred years ....the Polynesians descend from a white race .... Ithinkthey came
through Deccaninto the [Indian] Archipelago after having more or less amalgamated
withthe Dravidians in South-India."g The secondvolume described the history and
culturalpractices ofHawai'i: " ahistory ofits progress from heathenismto Christianity,
from Despotismto Constitutional liberty."10 Fomander includedHawaiiantraditions,
legends, genealogies, and chants.
9AbrahamFomander, ThirteenLetterstoErikLjungstedt, ed. ChristianCallmer(Lund: Humanistiska
Vetenskapssamfundet, 1973),38.
Ibid,23.
IO
5
Thethird providedmuch ofthe linguistic research, inthe form oflists ofwords that
substantiated his claims inthe first volume. He compared lists ofHawaiianwords with
those ofdiverse languages: Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Gothic, Javanese, Swedish, Gaelic,
Persian, Samoan, Maori, Tahitianand others. A secondbook, The Fornander Collection
ofHawaiianAntiquitiesandFolklore, was edited andpublishedposthumously in 1916,
as a compilationofthe Hawaiianmythology, history andculturalpractices Fomander
collected andtranslatedbetweenthe time ofhis arrival inthe islands in 1846until his
death in 1887.11
AnAccountofthe Polynesian Race, which included Fomander's theory ofPolynesian
origins and supporting data, was bothaccepted andridiculed injoumal reviews in
London, New York, and Honolulu. Itnow stands as anexample ofpractices of19th
centurycomparative linguistics. His detailed collections ofHawaiian genealogies,
myths, and cultural practices inbothofhis books continueto bereferenced by
contemporary writers. BothofFomander's works have endured overtime as authentic
textual monuments ofHawaiianculture and history and continue to be referenced in
modem and contemporary literature and history.12
11 AbrahamFomanderTheFornanderCollection ofHawaiianAntiquitiesandFolklore, trans. revisedand
illustratedwithnotesbyThomasG. Thrum(Honolulu: BishopMuseumPress, 1916).
12Seeforexample: ElizabethBuck,ParadiseRemade: ThePolitics ofCultureandHistoryinHawai'i
(Philadelphia: TempleUniversityPress, 1993),TeuiraHenry, VoyagingChiefsofHavai'i(Honolulu:
KalamakuPress, 1995),LilikalaKame'eleihiwa, TheLegendaryTradition ofKamapua'aTheHawaiian
Pig-God(Honolulu: BishopMuseum, 1996),DennisKawaharada, StoriedLandscapes:: Hawaiian
LiteratureandPlace(Honolulu: KalamakuPress, 1999),KingDavidKalakaua, TheLegendsandMyths of
Hawai'i, ed. R.M. Daggett (NewYork: C.L. Webster&company, 1888),PadraicColum, TheBright
Islands(London: OxfordUniversityPress, 1925),MarthaBeckwith,HawaiianMythology (Honolulu:
UniversityofHawai'iPress, 1970),DavidGuard,Hale-mano: aLegendofHawai'i(Millbrae, CA:
CelestialArts, 1981),AbrahamFomander,AncientHistoryoftheHawaiianPeopletotheTimes of
6
Purpose ofthe study
Two instancesprompted researchfor this paper. In2001 IlearnedofFomander's
workwhile writing a paper for a Hawaiianmythology class. Various translations and
retellings ofaparticularmyth Ihad chosento research lackedthe detail described by
LilikalaKame'eleihiwaas characteristic oftraditional Hawaiianliterature. The
13
different versions were all writtenbyhaole writers and citedFomander's work as source
orreference.14 Atthecompletionofmy paper, Iwas curiousto explore the times and
workofFomander. Giventhe extensive repository ofwritings byNative Hawaiians
themselves inHawaiianlanguagenewspapers during the 1800'sand recently accessed by
Native Hawaiian scholars, Iwas puzzledto find thatpast andcurrenttranslations ofthe
myth Ihad chosento researchall came from haole and English sources.
Laterthat year, inaphone conversationwith Bishop Museum bookstore staff, I
learnedthat theircurrently top-selling book ofHawaiianmyths was apublicationof
Rollin Daggett's Legends andMyths ofHawaii, referenced inthe introduction.IS Itwas
KamehamehaI,withanintroductionbyGlenGrant(Honolulu: MuturalPublishing, 1996),and James
Rumford,Kahalaopuna: Ka U'i 0 Manoa, (Honolulu: ManoaPress,2001).
13LilikalaKame'eleihiwa, TheLegendaryTradition ofKamapua'a TheHawaiianPig-God(Honolulu:
BishopMuseum, 1996),VIII-IX.
14Versionsincluded: WilliamWestervelt,HawaiianLegendsofOldHonolulu(1915;reprint, Tokyo:
CharlesE. TuttleCompany, 1963),204-245;PadraicColum, "Le-petheBird-Maiden,andHowHer
BrotherSoughtforHerandFoundHer,"inTheBrightIslands(London:OxfordUniversityPress, 1925),
187-196;EricKnudson, "Le-Pe, TheBirdMaiden," in Teller ofHawaiian Tales (Honolulu: W. H. Male,
1945),46-49;andMarthaBeckwith,LegendofLepeamoa," inHawaiianMythology(1940; reprint,
Honolulu: UniversityofHawaiiPress, 1970),428-429.
15KingDavidKalakaua, TheLegendsandMyths ofHawai'i, ed. R.M. Daggett (NewYork: C.L. Webster
& company, 1888). Phoneinterview.
7