The History of the overthrow told by Hawaiians

[seekir]

It seems to me that Hawaiians, and I suppose polynesians in general, have uncommon respect for na koa. Perhaps this warrior worship is a dominant trait that arose from some special island life survival requirement for battle prowess? Just consider the remarkable percentage of polynesians who have succeeded in the NFL compared to other ethnicities enjoying far larger populations. In any case, I've also wondered about the popular admiration for Kamehameha's exploits and person amongst modern Hawaiians. A cursory examination of his life suggests that he fostered and instigated terrible violence and destruction upon the people of the islands during the era of his rule. Likewise Kalakaua's despoiling of the sandalwood and exhaustion of the resources of the nation to finance rather frivolous luxuries like the construction of Iolani palace (and its electric lighting system—rumored to have cost as much as the palace structure itself) are overlooked in favor of his revival of hula and other more palatable aspects of his rule. I wonder what the islands would be like now if Kalakaua had forsaken the trappings of royalty and instead focused his efforts on securing the future welfare of the kanaka maoli.