The first visit
On Jan. 18, 1778; Cook first found out the Hawaiian islands (Or 'sandwich islands') Because the natives attached religion to the first stay of the Europeans, they welcomed cook and his ships. The Hawaiians; being fascinated by cooks men and the ships, only by the usage of their iron. Cook had provisioned his ships by trading his metal, while his crew traded iron nails for only sex.
Cook's ships then headed to Ni'ihao and headed back North to find the Northern passage from North atlantic, all to the Pacific, only returning to the safe harbor at Kealakekua bay after half a year. |
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/captain-cook-killed-in-hawaii
"This island looked to be both well-wooded, and watered; and running rivers were seen falling to the sea in different directions."
-Excerpt from James cook
Second visit
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/4/9/45497607/3474512.jpg?307)
Because the first stay of the Europeans, the hawaiians were in the middle hosting a festival dedicated to the natives god "Lono" [The fertility god of the Hawaiians] in Kealakekua bay (Kealakekua bay was considered as the sacred harbor of Lono). The Hawaiians was now thinking that Cook was the onlygod 'Lono'. Cook and his compatriots were welcomed as gods, and for the next month, exploiting the Hawaiian's good will. After one of Cook's crewman died (Showing that cook's crew was only mere mortals) the Hawaiian's relationship with them became strained.
"One of the chiefs made me a present of two or three small pigs; and we got, by barter, from the other Hawaiians, a native little fruit."
-Capt. James Cook
Third and last visit
After Cook's failure by his ship being beaten and almost destroyed by the waves, sailing from kealakekua bay, Cook and his crew was forced to return to the Hawaiian islands, only to be greeted by the natives throwing and hurling the rocks; stealing a small cutter vessel from the ship named 'discovery'.
Cook had demanded for the natives to return what they stole, only to being answered to negative results. Negotiations with the Hawaiian leader "king kalaniopuu" for the return of the cutter collapsed after one of the lesser Hawaiian chiefs got shot and killed, Causing a mob of Hawaiians to descend on Cook's party. The captain and his crew fired at the angry Hawaiian mob, but more and more came, and soon over numbered them. Only a few number of his crew escaped, while the rest was killed by the mob, one of them being captain cook. |
"At first, only a few of the natives visited us; but towards noon, we had the company of a good many"
Capt. James Cook
After cOOK'S dEATH
Following Cook's death; 5 british soldiers,4 Hawaiian chiefs, and 13 commoners have been killed, before cannons shot fire at the shore, forcing them at a draw, telling the natives to leave the beach. Captain clerke (apprentice to captain cook) had repeatedly ask for Cook's body, learning from the Hawaiian priests had told them the body had been cut into pieces, and the flesh ripped off of the bones, for it was the hawaiians customs to the treatments of the remains of a high chief. (Islanders believed that the keeper of such bones inherited the mana; spiritual power of the deceased.)
Hawaiians was still by the shore, taunting the British until, 3 days later (February 17); the Europeans had returned to greet them by shooting cannons ordered by Captain clerke. 2 chiefs had came by their boats for peace, only to have the british pelted with rocks when they came on the shore for fresh water. The crew had burned a small, unprotected village, cutting off the heads of 2 hawaiians, sticking their heads on poles for the display, until clerke forced them to deposit the heads in the ocean, telling the hawaiians they were not cannibals. The following day, the returns of captain Cook was returned back to the Europeans, clerke ordering the crew to deposit him in a weighted box, and leave him at kealakekua bay. Kalaniopu'u is said to keep the long bones and jaw, while Kamehameha had kept Cook's hair. |