Then There Were None

by Martha H. Noyes

Then There Were None, by award-winning Honolulu writer and artist Martha H. Noyes, is a personal and emotional account, in words and pictures, of the effect of Western contact on the Hawaiian population. Drawing from a variety of sources, Noyes chronicles the effects, from the arrival of Capt. Cook to the present, of disease, written language, the missionaries, landownership, the overthrow of the monarchy, and the suppression of hula and Hawaiian language, concluding with a look at present-day activism. Photographs vividly contrast tourist images with scenes from the real Hawai‘i and highlight the contrast between a culture rooted in cosmology and the material culture of those who made Hawai‘i their own.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Historical

120 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Then There Were None reads almost like a picture book for adults - which is not to suggest that the material inside is childish or insubstantial, but rather that the combination of words and pictures is something I haven't experienced in a long time, nor to such powerful effect. Noyes' book is based upon a documentary of the same name by Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey Buyers, and does not attempt to tell what professional historians might call history. This is the tale of the Hawaiian people - not imagined, but real; told in poetry and well as prose; mixing spiritual explanations for the actions of place and humanity with political detail. As a primer on Hawaiian history from a Native Hawaiian perspective, the book is excellent - short, searing, and to the point. It prompted dozens of questions in me, and I'm happily off to read more.

[Kate Mackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking subjective history of the colonization/cultural genocide of Hawaii, told through poems, pictures, quotes, and stories. Rethinking the narrative I’ve been sold about what Hawaii is and represents. An important context as I spend a little time in Hawaii.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Then There Were None is a perfectly structured book; it knows what it wants to do, and executes it through a remarkable balance of photographs, quotes, poems, and historical information. This is a quick, concise, and substantial little book that packs one solid punch.

Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey Buyers states in the book's forward that the book "is not a tale of blame or victimization." Well, it doesn't need to be. The devastation of the Hawaiian people and their culture hardly needs to be told through finger-pointing and victimization. Simply recounting the history and showing their culture is enough, as this book proves.

I also quite like the preface, which asks:

"Has any history text, however objective, quelled the troubles between [warring cultures:]?

No, because history isn't what divides them. what fuels the division is emotion.

It is an emotional voice we wanted to offer. If the heart's wounds, the spirit's ache are laid bare, healing balm can reach the injury and ease the pain."

It makes a lot of sense to me. The book does elicit an emotional response, but through a controlled, leveled presentation that doesn't seem negatively manipulative or entrenched in hateful bitterness. Any anger I felt while reading this book is a product of my own rash behavior and not the wishes of the author.

The archival photos are effective both as visual documentation as well as additional narration. They aren't extraneous, but rather work in tandem with the text, using photography's strengths to enhance the narrative beyond what text can do. Since Martha H. Noyes first told this story through a documentary film of the same title, the skillful use of photos comes as no surprise.

What a lovely little book. The cover photo is excellent, the size is great, the length is just right, and the information is substantial throughout. A sad, but wonderful little book.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional account of some of the history of native Hawaiians. Having done a bit of online reading and visiting Hawaiian museums, not much of the historical content was new to me. What did stand out to me was the bitter and personal account of assimilation in to a dominant culture. This resonated with me on a very real level.

What I found personally distasteful was the focus on counting only "pure-blooded" Hawaiians throughout the book. I also found this particularly strange because the book itself points out the damage done to the community by the 50 percent blood quantum rule by the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

[Karen Levi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent small picture book regarding history of Hawaiian people. It is based on a documentary film by Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey Buyers, Ph.D. A must read for tourists who enjoy the beautiful islands.

[Briana Grenert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I am super haole.
This was poignant, but written with a slightly incredible degree of personal conviction. I appreciated the disclaimer at the beginning.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not sure where this particular book came from although I am guessing it was something that appeared out of a free library since the first two pages before the inside title page have been roughly torn out. At least once of these appeared to have been a photograph like those that illustrate this book.

In this version of Then There Were None, readers are taken on a journey to see Hawaiʻi not from a historical context, which is there, but from an emotional context that is meant to pull on the heart strings. As such the story's Foreword and Preface strongly imply this isn't a story of blame and or victimization but one that is meant to be a cathartic experience.

The rest of the book has a two-page spread entry for each thought with a photograph on the left side and a small part of the tale on the opposite pages. Some of this text includes history, some includes information taken from cultural "chants" or expressions, some from other writings and others are copies of actual letters. At the same time various Hawaiʻian words are provided in a format taken from the dictionary so that way the reader has a bit more deeper meaning of some of the words they are reading about such as the make-up of hula.

And although the book isn't meant to be a blaming book it does read off like one, especially when it throws in every once in a while the statistics of how many actual pureblood Hawaiʻians there now were after such-and-such event. But unlike other stories that do actually look to victimize their subjects this book does a great job of allowing you to read in-between-the-lines with such comments re-structured on my part as: "We welcomed the technology...." yet "bartered for women and goods with with cannons, muskets, swords and the tools of and trinkets of their own culture" thus showcasing there was a bit of a two-street even though one can argue they didn't have a choice about it.

Furthermore not much is given about the Hawaiʻian royalty and their effects on the islands....

What really bothered me the most about this book and it wasn't the book in general was the fact that it did include so much Hawaiʻian in it. I love when books do this but also there is no translator within the pages to know how to pronounce these words correctly, which does bite. For those curious about this Google translate will allow you to know what the Hawaiʻian words mean but they don't have a vocal pronunciation guide nor do so many other interpretation sites. And to correct the issue I was led to an Android app called Hawaiʻin Translator, which I am still trying to figure out.

The book itself is illustrated with mono-colored photographs and art replications that I am guessing are suppose to be in black-and-white but looks somewhere between grayish green. As such for those photos that are meant to be photos of Hawaiʻian scenery it does leave a bit more to be desired. The rest either capture portraits of actual Hawaiʻians, their culture/lifestyle at the time these photographs were taken and the slow arrival of foreign influence mixed with the Hawaiʻian culture that continues even now.

Out of all the books I have read this year already this one was rather thought-provoking, quite interesting and definitely one I wouldn't have believed myself to have read given any other chance in passing but I am glad I did. Furthermore I am also rather much more curious now to see if I can find a copy of the documentary and see how the two compare side-by-side, especially when it comes to the Hawaiʻian pronunciations that were so lacking.

[surfurbian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my on going effort to educate myself on Hawaiian history. I wanted to like it and I wish I liked it more.

It is moving and emotional account of the loss of the Hawaiian land and culture. The forward notes that this was not a tale of blame or victimization but the overall tone of the book seems to be just that. The tone of the book clearly paints the Hawaiian people as victims and the foreign interests as to be blamed
for their victimization. This is not without justification. There was plenty of conniving on the part of the English and the Americans. There was a belief on the part of the same in their superiority that gave them justification for what they did. Segments of English/American society believed the Hawaiians and their culture needed to be “civilized”. They needed Jesus and the English language. They were going to get just that whether they wanted it or not.

But the book does not mention the role of the monarchy in the loss of the culture. For example it touches on the unification of the islands but does not mention that this was accomplished by conquest using English muskets. It does not mention the enrichment of the Hawaiian monarchy or their intentional courting of foreign favors to support their own interests in power and wealth.

Today in the aftermath with so much lost, the damage to the culture at the cost to the Hawaiian people is more fully understood. It is perfectly reasonable then to want to regain that which was lost. I think a more complete view of how we have gotten to this point may help accomplish just that.

Moving forward into the future I hope the Hawaiian people can find the sovereignty and autonomy they want.

[Diogenes Grief · Rating 5 out of 5]

While spending two blissful weeks on the Big Island, off the grid as best I could, I found this book at the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park and devoured its stark and dark poetry, to constantly be reminded of what Euro-Americans have done to the indigenous peoples of just about everywhere, especially here, as I enjoyed the serenity of the island. At least, one could say, the Hawaiians are surviving and fighting the good fight to preserve their language and culture as best they can, but they are few in number. We should all endeavor to help them, supporting local businesses, advocating against corporate greed and exploitation, and defending the environment and ecosystems there will full effort.

This book is a companion to a film of the same name made in 1996. PBS has it.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad history of the Hawaiian people and the annexation of the islands by the US.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much I didn't know about the colonization of Hawaii by Americans. Interesting read for sure.

[Bernice Sheram]

This book is only 100 pages long. It tells the history of Hawaii and how it was taken over by the US. It's sad, it has a few poems in it. Very nice read.

[Amber Page]

Prompt Pacific Islander author

[Mary Tkach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but informative overview of the annexation of Hawaii and the US government's and Americans disregard for Hawaiians and their native land. Fully supportive of Hawaiian sovereignty

[Barb Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad account of the Hawaiian people and how they and their culture were almost totally forced out of existance.