As the story goes — on Feb. 14, 1779, Capt. James Cook of the British Royal Navy set up a blockade at Kealakekua Bay after the theft of one of his boats. To prove his point, he tries to take hostage the high chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu.
Confusion ensues and a chief is shot by Cook's men for not obeying the blockade.
"Word is being shouted from the ocean that this chief has been shot and killed," said Hawaiian historian Kēhau Abad.
"And in this one tense moment, the chiefs are not having it, they’re not going to let Kalaniʻōpuʻu take another step forward and anybody who tries to move him is going to get it. And that’s when Cook is killed," she continued.
Abad said this was a symbolic moment for Native Hawaiians. Cook's arrival brought with it infectious diseases that devastated the Native Hawaiian population.
"There’s a growing sense that we can no longer tolerate the big and small incursions upon our land and our people and our culture and our language," Abad said. "And James Cook represents some of the worst of what has happened."
She said when Cook's continued behavior ended that day, it was a relief to Native Hawaiians. "It’s something in some areas that might even be a source of pride."
The anniversary of the death of Captain Cook may not be replacing Valentine's Day celebrations in Hawaiʻi any time soon — but there is a growing awareness of this history and what it means to the Native Hawaiian people.
