Samuel Kamakau
Samuel Kamakau was a significant figure in Hawaiian history, known for his extensive contributions to the documentation and scholarship of Hawaiian culture and history. Born in the village of Mokuleia on Oahu's north shore, he received his education at the Lahainaluna School, where he was encouraged by his teacher, Reverend Sheldon Dibble, to document his observations. After completing his studies, Kamakau took on the role of a teacher's assistant and later became a school principal, also serving as a district judge and commissioner.
Kamakau's most notable works include "The Ruling Chiefs of Hawai'i," published in 1961, which provides a detailed history of native Hawaiian political leadership, and "Ka Po'e Kahiko: The People of Old," published in 1964, focusing on early Hawaiian society's spiritual and domestic life. Through over two hundred articles published in Hawaiian newspapers, he preserved essential cultural narratives and historical accounts. His writings are now integral to Hawaiian education, and in recognition of his legacy, October 29 is celebrated as Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau Day in Hawaii. Kamakau passed away in 1876 in Honolulu, leaving behind a rich legacy as a historian and cultural educator.
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Samuel Kamakau
Hawaiian-born historian and writer
- Born: October 29, 1815
- Birthplace: Mokuleia, Hawaii
- Died: September 5, 1876
- Place of death: Honolulu, Hawaii
Samuel Kamakau was an eminent nineteenth-century Hawaiian historian, writer, and educator. He is credited with preserving some of the most intricate details of ancient Hawaiian domestic, commercial, and political history. It is a widely held belief among Hawaiian historians and cultural advocates that without Kama-kau’s efforts, much of the contemporary knowledge of ancient life in the islands might have been permanently lost.
Areas of achievement: Scholarship, social issues
Early Life
Samuel Kamakau was born to a middle-class family in the village of Mokuleia on Oahu’s north shore. Little is known of his childhood. Historians believe his family’s status contributed significantly to his opportunity to travel to Maui and enroll at the Lahainaluna School in 1833 at the age of seventeen, where Kamakau was educated under the tutelage of the missionary Reverend Sheldon Dibble. Like many of his contemporaries, Dibble kept extensive records of his travels and observations throughout the Hawaiian Islands. He strongly encouraged his students to do the same.
After his completion of a four-year term as a student, Kamakau remained at Lahainaluna for three more years as a teacher’s assistant, further aiding the school in their archival work centered on folk tales, religious ceremonies, and genealogical surveys. Kamakau and several of his Lahainaluna peers were a pivotal force in the foundation of the Royal Hawaiian Historical Society in 1841.
Upon his departure from Lahainaluna, Kamakau served as a school principal in Waihee, where he also spent time as a district judge and member of the board of commissioners of that village and its surrounding communities.
Life’s Work
After his foray into civic life, Kamakau reimmersed himself in historical scholarship in his later years. He wrote over two hundred historical works that were published in the numerous Hawaiian language newspapers then in existence. Nearly a century later, these articles would be compiled into two of the most important works on the history of ancient Hawaii.
The first, The Ruling Chiefs of Hawai’i, was published in 1961. Drawn largely from primary, firsthand accounts, the book provides an in-depth history of eight generations of native Hawaiian political rule. It also discusses the arrival of the first explorers in the Hawaiian Islands and documents the slow proliferation through the Hawaiian kingdom of both European and American political forces in addition to Christian missionaries.
Kamakau’s second major work, Ka Po’e Kahiko: The People of Old, was published in 1964. This compilation focuses on the spiritual, religious, and domestic aspects of early Hawaiian society. Kamakau also explores the class structure of ancient island villages and discusses the traditional medical practices of the day. Several lesser-known but equally valuable compilations followed Kamakau’s major volumes, notably The Works of the People of Old and Tales and Traditions of the People of Old.
He died at his home in Honolulu in 1876 at age sixty-one.
Significance
Samuel Kamakau’s works have become invaluable to historians and a staple of Hawaiian cultural education, which is today mandatory for all students enrolled in the state’s public school system. In honor of his contributions to Hawaiian historical preservation, the Hawaii State Legislature in 2005 declared October 29 to be Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau Day.
Bibliography
Gordon, Mike. “Samuel Kamakau.” Honolulu Advertiser 2 Jul. 2006, n. pag. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. A brief summary of Kamakau’s work.
Kamakau, Samuel. The Works of the People of Old: Na Hana a ka Po’e Kahiko. Trans. Mary Kawena Pukui. Ed. Dorothy B. Barrère. Honolulu: Bishop Museum. 1976. Print. Kamakau’s follow-up to Ka Poe Kahiko: The People of Old.
Thrum, Thomas G. “Brief Sketch of the Life and Labors of S. M. Kamakau, Hawaiian Historian.” Annual Report of the Hawaiian Historical Society. Vols. 21–30. Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society, 1918. 40–61. Print. A summary of the life and work of Kamakau.