Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 3, 1 April 2009 — Kēlā Mea Kēía Mea [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kēlā Mea Kēía Mea

Within the dozens of Hawaiianlanguage newspapers published during the 19th and early 20th centuries were often found engaging columns titled Kela Mea Keia Mea. These features carried small tidbits of news and interesting happen-

ings from places throughout the islands. With that same mana'o, this modern-day eolumn is published with the idea of bringing to the readers brief bits of interesting and sometimes less-er-known histories. These "news bites" have been collected during the course of research in newspaper, manuscript, correspondence and other archival collections around Hawai'i. The sources are both Hawaiian language and English. It is hoped that, like its many predecessors, this eolumn might inform, entertain and perhaps even spark discussion. Me ka ha'aha'a no. ■ Honolulu. December 20, 1869. Nui ka hauoli ! We are heartened that so many Native sons of Hawai'i

have returned home safely from this season's whaling excursions. Last week's Nupepa Kuokoa reports, "Aia maluna o keia mau moku, he mau haneri luina Hawaii i kepaia aku mai keia awa," (On these ships are hundreds of Hawaiian sailors eontracted from this port.) They later count 488 Hawaiians returning aboard ships, whieh constitutes almost one-third of the fleet. ■ Honolulu. July 3, 1873. Yesterday's Ko Hawaii Ponoi eontained a thorough description of Monday's "Halawai Makaainana ma Kaumakapili." The crowd of several hundred at the church was in vehement opposition to any idea of ceding Pu'uloa to the Americans for the sake of reciprocity. They ended the meeting by passing a list of resolutions, the first of whieh stated that they were opposed because "1. He keehina mua keia no ka hoohui aupuni." (This is a first step for annexation.) ■ 'Iolani Palaee. January 1883. His Majesty King David Kalākaua has recently welcomed an honored delegate sent by the Emperor Meiji of

Japan to attend the upcoming coronation at 'Iolani Palaee. The delegate carries with him an hononhe letter from the Emperor in whieh is expressed the sincere hope that the happiness of the King's subjects may increase and the relations of the two countries may eontinue to grow even closer.

■ Washington. February 1893. The text of annexation commissioner W.R. Castle's interview in the Capitol has reached us here in Hawai'i and we must at least compliment him on his bluntness. In regards to holding a vote of the people in Hawai'i, Castle is quoted as saying that the provisional government very mueh desires one condition of any agreement to annexation: "...and that is that the right to suffrage shall be restricted. We don't want a Territorial government in whieh there shall be a Legislature elected by the votes of all the people." ■ Honolulu Harbor. September 7, 1906. What great excitement eame from the grand event

put on yesterday . by Prince Kūhiō A His crew

■i | Prince Kūhiō I -Photo:KW0 ' I Archives

fĒr from Kailua, ^ Kona, in the specially crafted 40-foot koa racing eanoe " 'Ā." was victorious over two O'ahu crews racing in the "Hanakeoki" and the "Alabama." The Prince has taken a special interest in reviving this glorious sport, and his beautiful eanoe, built four years ago, has been called "The most perfectly built and fastest racing eanoe in Hawaii." ■

Ronald Williams Jr„ a graduate of. and teacher at the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH Mānoa. is currently working on a Ph.D. in Hawaiian History at UH Mānoa. Cont.act. him at. ronaldwi@hawaii.edu.

— KE AU I HALA ■ FR0M ĪHE ARCHIVES —

By Ronald Williams Jr.