In 1811, 2 dozen native Hawaiians from Honolulu signed on with captain Thorn and boarded the Tonquin to explore the Northern parts of the Pacific. I found an article from the Papers of the Hawaiian Historical Society that spoke of the long standing relationship between Northwest explorers and local islanders.
These documents quote a member of the Tonquin saying in reference to the Hawaiians that they "were remarkable for their skill in managing light craft and able to swim
and dive like waterfowl." For the explorers, they were cheap labor, they signed on for 3 years for food and board, and $100 in "merchandise" at the end of their service. This seems like a pretty unfair trade considering their level of experience in the marine field, but exploitation of native people is nothing new in history!
and dive like waterfowl." For the explorers, they were cheap labor, they signed on for 3 years for food and board, and $100 in "merchandise" at the end of their service. This seems like a pretty unfair trade considering their level of experience in the marine field, but exploitation of native people is nothing new in history!
Interesting post, April. I'm impressed that you did some research while in Hawaii! But were these Hawaiians oppressed? Were they forced into these journeys? Why did they come? Hey, maybe this story would make a good final project.
ReplyDeleteI will get back to you on these questions. It appears they chose to go, but the trade off for thier labor didn't seem very fair. Much like Native Americans were "traded" alcohol and trinkets for hundreds of acres of land at a time.
ReplyDelete