The Kingdom and the Republic: Sovereign Hawaiʻi and the Early United States

by Noelani Arista

In 1823, as the first American missionaries arrived in Hawai'i, the archipelago was experiencing a profound transformation in its rule, as oral law that had been maintained for hundreds of years was in the process of becoming codified anew through the medium of writing. The arrival of sailors in pursuit of the lucrative sandalwood trade obliged the ali'i (chiefs) of the islands to pronounce legal restrictions on foreigners' access to Hawaiian women. Assuming the new missionaries were the source of these rules, sailors attacked two mission stations, fracturing relations between merchants, missionaries, and sailors, while native rulers remained firmly in charge.

In The Kingdom and the Republic , Noelani Arista (Kanaka Maoli) uncovers a trove of previously unused Hawaiian language documents to chronicle the story of Hawaiians' experience of encounter and colonialism in the nineteenth century. Through this research, she explores the political deliberations between ali'i over the sale of a Hawaiian woman to a British ship captain in 1825 and the consequences of the attacks on the mission stations. The result is a heretofore untold story of native political formation, the creation of indigenous law, and the extension of chiefly rule over natives and foreigners alike.

Relying on what is perhaps the largest archive of written indigenous language materials in North America, Arista argues that Hawaiian deliberations and actions in this period cannot be understood unless one takes into account Hawaiian understandings of the past—and the ways this knowledge of history was mobilized as a means to influence the present and secure a better future. In pursuing this history, The Kingdom and the Republic reconfigures familiar colonial histories of trade, proselytization, and negotiations over law and governance in Hawai'i.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Indigenous, United States

312 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2018

Reviews

[Heather Salonga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for this book for a while but it had not been written yet. What needed to happen was the Hawaiian newspaper and other primary material in archives needed to be digitized and a generation of Hawaiian scholars needed to have access. This is one of the histories based on the Hawaiian writings and not what outsiders wrote. It is not a survey but focuses on a handful of topics. 1) Political Economy 2) The origin of the American idea of Hawaii 3) The early missionaries 4) Hawaiian women 5) Libel law and Justice.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommend

This book covers just about a decade, starting in the early 1820s. It’s covers a very specific time in Hawaiian history with starting to trade with USA and missionaries coming over. It was interesting to read about something I don’t recall learning about in school. This has gotten me excited to read more hawaiian history books.

[Josh Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant — anyone aspiring to write Hawaiian history needs to read this book and consider not only her historiographic argument but also her methodological approach.

[kingsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5