Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 7, 1 July 1989 — Book Review [ARTICLE]

Book Review

Before the Horror: The Population of Hawai'i on the Eve of Western Contact By David Stannard Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawai'i University of Hawai'i Press $10.95 This is a controversial book. At least that is how other reviewers in various loeal newspapers have made it out to be. And the controversy has been increased by author Stannard's responses back in the press. The "controversy" concerns the estimated population of Hawaiians before and at the time of the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. Stannard takes to task previous estimates from the accounts and journals of early western explorers and traders to the estimates of present day archaeologists and demographers. He says their estimates have been too low. Stannard has concluded that the estimates should be 800,000 to a million people, whieh is roughly the present population of the State of Hawai'i. His conclusions are based upon his research, readings, and answers to "three crucial questions" whieh are: Is it possible for the population to have grown to such size from the time of the first tiny Polynesian settlements? Can the Hawaiian islands have fed and otherwise supported this many people? And what happened to the people? It is the high estimate whieh is the center of the controversy Stannard's critics are astounded by such a figure. But, the controversy seems to be devoid of any Hawaiian involvement, although the subject of the count are Hawaiians. Jn the first plaee the interest in knowing how many natives there have been in the islands has been the interest of

non-Hawaiians since the time of Captain Cook, as has been the usage of such figures. This whole affair in the loeal press between reviewers and Stannard is reminiscent of the "controversy" between two anthropologists, Derek Freedman and Margaret Mead over whether Samoans are violent or gentle loving people. What made matters worse in this case was that Mead had died before Freedman's book eame out. The problem in this controversy is that very little, if anything, was asked or heard from the Samoans. In the reviewers vs. Stannard controversy it is sad that the points being argued are like the question "How many angels ean dance on the head of a pin?" We will never know for certain how many Hawaiians lived in these islands before Cook. However, Hawaiians should take note that such numbers are very important for non-Hawaiians to have so that they ean "prove" things. The devastation and depopulation of the Hawaiian people is a well-known fact to Hawaiians, recorded in the accounts of Hawaiian scholars like Davida Malo and Samuel Kamakau. It is unfortunate that the current controversy in the press does not touch upon these facts. As for reading Before the Horror, it is somewhat technical and at times Stannard's vocabulary makes one reach out for a dictionary, nonetheless his style of writing is very mueh like listening to a story teller — it ean become very beguiling. But if it takes a shock to get more non-Hawaiians to recognize and understand the destructivqpess of foreign illnesses upon Hawaiians, as has also been shown with the North American Indians, then perhaps they may better understand why better health , care and wellness for Hawaiians is so needed today. Maleolm Naea Chun