Kanaka: The Untold Story of Hawaiian Pioneers in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest

by Tom Koppel

Mention Hawaii and most North Americans picture palm trees and beaches. It is difficult to imagine that people would willingly leave the sunny islands of Polynesia to live in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Yet during the nineteenth century, hundreds of Hawaiians did just that, mainly to serve the Hudson's Bay Company at fur trading posts from Oregon to Alaska. By the 1880s Kanakas (the Hawaiian word for "human beings") were living in the Vancouver area, Victoria, the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands and in scattered communities along the coast of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. Kanakas included both heroes and villains. Some became esteemed members of their communities while others were hanged for murder. Mainly, however, they were gutsy survivors who worked hard and adapted remarkably well to their chosen home. Their descendants still live in British Columbia and the American West, remain proud of their unique heritage and celebrate it in gatherings and seaside luaus. The story of this extraordinary migration has long been overlooked. Through archival records, personal letters, photographs, and interviews with descendants of the original settlers, Tom Koppel chronicles the lives of the brave and hardy Kanakas and their offspring, and recognizes the contribution these people have made to British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

Genres: History

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the idea that Hawaiians (Sandwich Islanders) were on the Pacific coast as early as 1811 on the ship Tonquin.
They were called Owyhees and the Owyhee river in Oregon is named after them.
In 1818 at Fort Walla Walla, Wa there were 25 Canadians, 38 Iriquois and 32 Kanakas. What an amazing cultural mixture of peoples.
It is surprising to me how many Kanakas came to the Pacific Northwest and worked for Hudson Bay Company.
Catastrphic depopulation occured on all the Hawaiian Islands. Declining birth rates and high infant mortality rates. Young men took to the sea and never returned.
In 1860 land was made available for settlement in Canada and Kanakas were seen as equals to whites. Kanakas fought for their rights and in 1899 a Supreme Court upheld their rights.
Kanakas had homes on Burrard Inlet, Maple Ridge, Hastings Mills at the edge of Gastown and Moodyville and Salt Spring Island.

[Laura Roden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful in that there are very few other sources of information on the subject of Hawaiian emigration to the Northwest US and Canada. However, there is little structure that would help the historian: it's a jumble of names and anecdotal snippets; one needs to create one's own chronological or genealogical schedule to get something helpful out of it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawaiian Pioneers moving to San Francisco to Prince Rupert 1880