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Christmas 1819 As Celebrated Aboard the brig Thaddeus from Sybil Bingham’s Journal

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Sybil: Early on the morning of the 25th we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and entered the southern temperate zone. The northern, the region of our birth, we shall probably never enter again.

But, distant climates need not look strange to us, for if we are the children of GOD, and live near to Him, we can never be far from home. [Christmas] was noticed by us as the Anniversary of the blessed Saviour’s birth. Mr. B preached from Luke 2, 14th. [Glory to God in the Highest] …It was peculiarly adapted both to the day and the circum- stances of most of the hearers,—on our way, as we are, with the glorious news of this most glorious event, to heathen sinners.


A CHRISTMAS HYMN By W. G. Conan [Sailor aboard the Thaddeus]
Sung at Sea by the Mission family – Tune – “The Hermit”

May Religion’s blest Star, as we traverse the Ocean,
Illumine our way, and its comforts impart,
While our fond lingering thoughts, we back with emotion,
To the country that holds the dear friends of each heart.
JEHOVAH— assist, in the soul-trying hour,
The Mission of Peace, to a far distant land,
By them, may the Priests of Idolatry learn,
That their Morais and Taboos and offerings are vain,
Let the Nation, from Idols and violence turn,
And the joy of Salvation perpetual reign.
Now swell the loud anthems of praise to the Lord,
From whom streams of Mercy incessantly flow,
Be the Father, the Son, and the Spirit adored,
By all nations, and kindreds, and realms here below.

January 11th, 1820 – What can I say to my sisters, this morning?
I can tell them, could the eye glance across the great waters and catch the little bark, ascending and descending the mountainous waves, which contains their dear sister, their hands would be involuntarily extended for her relief, and their cry would be save her! The sea runs very high, while the wind roars through the naked riggings as you may have heard it, in a November’s day, through the leafless trees of a majestic forest. The dashing of the waves on deck, the frequent fall of some thing below, the violent motion of the vessel, going up and then down, would seem to conspire to terrify and distress; yet I feel my mind calm as if by a winter’s fire in my own happy land. Is it not of the mercy of GOD? I feel it is. But, O, the poor returns I make ! We are approaching Cape Horn. What terrific scenes await us there, we know not.

“Sufficient for us, our Pilot is divinely wise, divinely good.”

Tahitian Mission to Hawaiʻi 1822 Bicentennial Events

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The home and schoolhouse of the Tahitian missionary Auna and his wife Aunawahine at the Sandwich Islands Mission village in Honolulu c. 1823. These hale were located mauka of today’s King Street east of Punchbowl Street, across the street from the Hawaiian Mission Houses museum and archives. This illustration appeared in the London Missionary Society’s monthly “Missionary Sketches” sent to its contributors. This issue, No. XXVII / October 1824 featured a report on the Sandwich Islands Mission.

The Hawaiian Mission Houses in Honolulu is commemorating from April 26-April 30, 2022 the 1822 arrival in Hawai‘i of Tahitian and London Missionary Society Protestant missionaries. A full schedule of events will be poste soon.

A highlight of the Tahitian commemoration is a concert at Kawaiaha‘o Church honoring Na Himeni Hawaii, the first hymnal printed in the Hawaiian language, as well as the first book printed in the Hawaiian language. The public is invited to the concert in person, and a webcast will be available online.

I will be speaking during a Tahitian mission bicentennial web seminar to be presented on Tuesday, April 26 by the Hawaiian Mission Houses at noon HST. I will update this notice once the web seminar link is listed online. I am scheduled to give a background to the foreign missions movement behind the sending of Protestant missionaries to Tahiti and Hawai‘i during the Second Great Awakening of the late eighteenth century, and the early nineteenth century.

Renowned Hawaiian languge linguist Albert Schütz – 1936-2020

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Albert Schütz photo courtesy Puanani Anderson-Fung

Albert Schütz, professor emeritus of linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa died early in the morning of Sunday, August 23, 2020, at his home in Mānoa.

Al provided insights for me into the pioneering Hawaiian language efforts of Henry ‘Ōpūkaha‘ia, enlightening me on this subject which appears in Voices of Eden, his comprehensive and interesting history of the creation of a written Hawaiian language.

voices of eden

Hawn language past and present

In his recently published book Hawaiian Language Past, Present, Future Al “presents aspects of Hawaiian [language] and its history that are rarely treated in language classes.”

I can hear Al’s voice as I read Hawaiian Language Past, Present, Future. The book takes readers from the origins of the Polynesian language group into futuristic looks at how digital technolgy is allowing users worldwide to better study and understand the Hawaiian language. Though a considerable amount of scholarly material on the Hawaiian language is presented in this book, the book features a very readable narrative with a flavor of storytelling running throughout. Many informative color and black and white images add to this interesting account of the Hawaiian language.

Both books are published by the University of Hawai‘i Press.

 

 

A New Look at the Memoirs of Obookiah – My Kawaiaha‘o Church Bicentennial talk

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me and leonard

My close Kaua‘i friend Leonard Mahoe (r.), the CRU City Neighbors ministry representative on Kaua‘i, joined me at Kawaiaha‘o Church in Honolulu on July 28, 2020 for the filming of A New Look at the Memoirs of Henry Obookiah. Leonard grew up attending Kawaiaha‘o Church in the 1950s and 60s. The 40-minute talk is one of the Kawaiaha‘o Bicentennial Speaker series and is set to first air on Sunday, August 16 at 4 p.m. HST

 

The Kawaiaha‘o Church Bicentennial Committee graciously invited me to be the August 2020 speaker in their ongoing Bicentennial Speaker series. I presented A New Look at the Memoirs of Henry Obookiah inside the historic Kawaiaha‘o sanctuary on July 28, 2020. The talk is scheduled to air on Sunday, August 16 at 4 p.m. HST on the Kawaiaha‘o TV YouTube.com channel.

Kawaiahao Talk front screen

My talk on Henry Opukaha‘ia aired on Sunday, August 16, 2020 on the Kawaiaha‘o Church TV Youtube.com channel. A Q&A time aired on Zoom followed the broadcast of my talk, which was taped in the Kawaiaha‘o sanctuary in late July. My talk is scheduled to be rebroadcast, watch here for an exact date and time.

Coincidentally, August 16, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of my arrival in Hawai‘i in summer 1970 to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Looking back I am very thankful for the many blessings I have enjoyed in the islands of Hawai‘i where I have spent most of my adult life. The invitation to speak at Kawaiaha‘o is especially special to me.

In A New Look at the Memoirs of Henry Obookiah I present new details about the life and times of Ōpūkahai‘ia – Henry Obookiah, the first Native Hawaiian Christian. The 40-minute talk offers a preview of material appearing in my new book Preparing the Way, a 160-page full-color pictorial book created to mark the Hawai‘i Mission Bicentennial. The talk is also based on material I first presented in my 2015-released biography of Ōpūkahai‘ia, The Providential Life & Heritage of Henry Obookiah.

Mahalo to Haunani Hendrix who produced the segment, and Malia Ka‘ai-Barrett who introduced me to begin my talk, both on behalf of the the Kawaiaha‘o Bicentennial Committee. I joined Malia and Kahu Ken Makuakane on the stage at Park Street Church in Boston in October 2019 during the Hawai‘i Mission Bicentennial commemoration held in New England to mark the departure of the pioneer Sandwich Islands Mission company to Hawai‘i. Malia is a premier vocalist in Hawai‘i, I was honored by her introduction, and by Haunani’s production skills.

Following the first airing of A New Look at the Memoirs of Henry Obookiah  I will be fielding questions about my talk via Zoom at the Kawaiaha‘o TV channel on YouTube.com. The questions will be combined with the video of my talk and will be available for viewing at the Kawaiaha‘o TV channel.

The July speaker in the Kawaiaha‘o Bicentennial series was Kaipo‘i Kelling. Kaipo‘i is a fantastic teller of mo‘olelo of Hawai‘i, ask anyone who has listened to his talks. He is a Hawaiian language instructor and historian, in addition to being an elementary school teacher, with a focus on missionary era Honolulu. He  presented What Makes Kawaiaha‘o A Wai Pana (famous place). Kaipo‘i’s interesting and intriguing talk focused on the historical setting of the church in Honolulu in an area considered sacred in pre-‘Ai Kapu overthrow days.

Kawaiaha‘o historian Keiko Denbeau presented in June, using the historic plaques that grace the walls of sanctuary at Kawaiaha‘o to tell the story of interesting chapters in the historic church’s history.

Additional speakers in the series are posted at the Kawaiahao TV channel.

Mahalo to former Kawaiaha‘o pastor Kahu Curt Kekuna and his wife Becky Kekuna for their kokua in this project.