Hawaii History:
(from “History of the Catholic Mission in the Hawaiian Islands” by Father Reginald Yzendoorn, SS.CC., Honolulu Star-Bulletin Ltd., Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, 1927)
(continued from yesterday)
This history was told in 1823 by Governor Kuakini at Kailua and by other natives at Honuaula and Puuepa that the memory of the foreign priest is likely to have been kept more faithfully.
When years rolled by, and more white scholars began to show an interest in Paao, the native historians appear to have felt ashamed for knowing so little about one of the most important personages of their past. Perhaps someone has asked them where Paao hailed from, and in 1866, S.M. Kamakau, whilst relating the Paao-legend proper in but a few lines, spins out a long story of how and why the famous priest came to Hawaii.
There are no grounds to believe that Paao hailed from Samoa.
Another witness to Hawaiian tradition, David Malo, declares the arrival of Paao to have taken place during the reign of Lonokawai, Laau’s predecessor.
Now, one historian shows that Paao’s reign ought to be assigned not to the 18th, but to the 14th generation previous to Kamehameha I, which according to the average length of a generation we have fixed upon, will bring us 210 years earlier than 1780, i.e. 1570, or thereabouts.
(to be continued tomorrow)
Blessings, pono and pule!
Fr. Brian Guerrini, ss.cc.
Priest
Molokai