Polynesian confederation

Kingdoms of Hawaii and Tahiti that were supposed to confederate

The Polynesian Confederation was a hypothetical confederation planned mainly by the king of Hawaii Kalākaua. The aim was to protect the Polynesian peoples from European and American imperialism since when the United Kingdom took over Fiji, there were only three independent archipelagos: Hawaii, Samoa and Tonga.[1][2]

Previous Attempts

In 1829, the Hawaiian Kingdom, looking to expand its sandalwood trade sent an expedition of two armed brigs named the Kamehameha and the Becket to Vanuatu under the command of Chiefs Boki and Manuia. The ships brought along around 800 Hawaiians and supplies intended to build a settlement. The ships arrived at Erromango and began settling with the intention of colonizing it. The Becket later ventured to find the Kamehameha who had gone missing, it was later discovered it had actually sank. The locals at Erromango resisted the Hawaiians and destroyed the settlement. When the Becket returned, it picked up the surviving Hawaiians and returned to Hawaii, however, most of the Hawaiians died on the return voyage, including Manuia. [3] [4]

Reign of Kalākaua

On June 28, 1880, a Hawaiian government minister by the name of Walter M. Gibson initiated a resolution, which stated that due to its geographical and political status, the Kingdom of Hawaii would be entitled to lead a confederation of Polynesian countries. The government of the Kingdom voted unanimously to pass the resolution six months later, and Gibson was named the person responsible for the operation.[1]

In addition to the still independent states, Kalākaua also tried to get countries already colonized by the European along with his confederation. Pōmare V, the king of Tahiti, was planning to visit Honolulu in 1882. However, the monarchy was abolished in 1880, and the French colonizers didn't want the two island groups to be in contact with each other. Kalākaua was planning to visit Tahiti in 1887, but after he was forced to sign the so-called Bayonet Constitution, the trip was cancelled.[5]

In 1884, the Hawaiian Kingdom employed Captain Alfred N. Tripp to command the schooner Julia in order to find workers in Polynesia. At the same time, Tripp was commissioned as the Special Commissioner for Central and Western Polynesia. The Julia also had a second mission of increasing relations between the Polynesian nations of the South Pacific and the Hawaiian Kingdom.[6]

In 1886 Kalākaua founded the Royal Order of the Star of Oceania that was used to award people who contributed to the creation of the confederation. The Grand Cross, the number of which was limited to 15, was given to the king of Samoa Malietoa Laupepa when he agreed to join the confederation.[7]

Commanded by John E. Bush, Kalākaua sent a ship named Kaimiloa to sail around Polynesia in order to recruit local leaders to join the confederation. This caused anxiety in Europe and America, and for example the German ambassador to the United States worried about a rumor that Hawaii planned to annex Samoa.[8]

Bush stayed in Samoa as an ambassador and started to formulate a constitution for the confederation, which was approved by the Hawaiian legislature in March 1887.[9]

The confederation was never officially founded. A potential partial reason for this was the fact that the founding process would have required too many changes, most of which were based on the Western system of government.[9] The Imperial German Navy then arrived to Samoa, overthrew Malietoa, and forced him into exile. Later on, the attempt of creating the confederation was named as a reason for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "Polynesian Confederacy". Images of Old Hawaiʻi. 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  2. ^ "Kealani Cook: Kalakaua's Polynesian Confederacy: Teaching World History in Hawai'i and Hawai'i in World History". World History Connected. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  3. ^ Shineberg 1967, Ch. 11.
  4. ^ "Hawaiian Colonization and Conquest!". The Daily Bulletin. Honolulu. August 23, 1883. p. 2.
  5. ^ Gonschor, Lorenz (2019). A Power in the World: The Hawaiian Kingdom in Oceania. University of Hawaii Press. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-8248-8001-9.
  6. ^ Kuykendall, Ralph S. (1967). The Hawaiian kingdom, vol. 3, 1874-1893, The Kalakaua dynasty. University of Hawaii Press. p. 314. ISBN 0-87022-433-6.
  7. ^ "The Royal Order of the Star of Oceania - Medals of Hawaii". Identify Medals. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  8. ^ a b Kuykendall, Ralph S. (1967). The Hawaiian kingdom, vol. 3, 1874-1893, The Kalakaua dynasty. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 327 & 338. ISBN 0-87022-433-6.
  9. ^ a b "Early Stages to the Overthrow – Challenges with Kalākaua". Images of Old Hawaiʻi. 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2024-09-01.