Kanaiolowalu Truths

While there are many great benefits from using the internet, the internet can also be mis-used to spread mis-information like wildfire.  Once mis-information spreads like wildfire, it is often difficult to contain and truths are hidden. 

I previously raised credibility issues about a blogger who wrote about Kanaiolowalu and incorrect Hawaiian history regarding King Kamehameha.  That original posting was dated as July 24, 2012. 

Two weeks later, that bit of mis-information was then spread on Facebook.

Below is another screen capture of another blogger who is also helping to spread

mis-information and historical inaccuracies by re-posting the original blog. 

By re-posting the first historically inaccurate blog onto another blog, mis-information continues to spread.   As the mis-information spreads, people become confused if they believe that mis-information.  Once people believe the mis-information, they start making choices based on mis-information, rather than good information. 

Kanaiolowalu and other peoples' credibility

As you decide for yourself whether you want to be a part of the thousands of Native Hawaiians who want to come together and work towards self-governance, make sure the people against Kana’iolowalu are credible.  Someone may have good intentions, but that does not necessarily mean they are credible or even qualified to help you make a decision.

For now I have a simple question for you, “if a blogger who professes to know Hawaiian history can get something basic like this wrong, what else could he be wrong about?”  

Below is a screen shot from a blog that basically discusses the name of “Kanaiolowalu” and the blogger’s thoughts on the word. 

Unfortunately, in explaining one meaning of Kanaiolowalu, the blogger’s posting is drenched in mis-information.  More worse, the mis-information is about Kamehameha the Great. 

You will notice above that the blogger wrote, “Kamehameha massacred the crew (of the Fair American).”   This is a really bad and a wrong version of history.  How do we know this?  For starters, the blogger didn’t cite any sources for this. 

The truth is, Kamehameha did NOT kill anyone on the Fair American.  Not only did Kamehameha NOT kill anyone on the Fair American, in fact he was very upset when he found out that the crew of the Fair American was killed. 

Stephen Desha gives the details of this story in the book, “Kamehameha and His Warrior Kekuhaupio".  In Chapter 9, there is a section titled, “Attack on the Fair American.”  Kame’eiamoku (NOT Kamehameha) is recognized for killing those people on The Fair American (page 235 of the paperback book).  “Kame’eiamoku seized the young Metcalf, the son of Captain Metcalf of the ship Eleanora, and threw him overboard.  Others sprang to kill those foreigners.”

But wait, there’s more.  On page 237, “Jarves, the historian, wrote in his history of Hawai’i Nei of the disapproval by the ali’i Kamehameha of Kame’eiamoku’s actions in plundering that ship and killing the foreigners on board . . . .”   Contrary to what this blogger wrote, the blogger is wrong about Kamehameha’s involvement in that murder. 

Again, if a blogger who professes to know Hawaiian history can get something like this wrong, what else could he be wrong about?

Stephen Desha is recognized as a credible historian and an advocate of Native Hawaiians.  Desha was a Native Hawaiian and a Territorial Senator.  He was also a reverend.  Over a period of 4 years, he wrote a newspaper series called,”Story of Kekuhaupio” for the Hawaiian-language paper called, Ka Hoku o Hawaii.  Desha wrote 174 articles during this period. 

First Kanaiolowalu post

It's astounding how much mis-information about Native Hawaiian issues plagues the internet.  What's worse is the amount of mis-information produced, developed, and then spread about Native Hawaiian issues by well-meaning often justice-seeking Native Hawaiians.  My mission here is to clear-up as much of the mis-information as possible. 

One of the most pressing issues right now is Kana'iolowalu, so I will spend a lot of time examining and writing about what other people are saying.

Here I will cover a number of issues about Kanaiolowalu.

The first entry after this one is titled, Kanaiolowalu and Other Peoples' Credibility.  In this posting I discuss credibility by examining an inaccurate historical fact about Hawaiian history and I rip that statement apart by using a credible source.  Credibility is important to examine especially when people put themselves "out there"and take strong positions for or against something.  So, we examine credibility.

Kanaiolowalu Truths is the next post and it's somewhat of a continuation of the post before it.  Here I expose how information from non-credible sources can spread almost exponentially like wildfire.  There is a danger when mis-information on important issues spreads like wildfire and infects the minds of Native Hawaiians.

A few days later, I wrote, "Don't be Fooled: How some people will try to fool you!" I expose how bloggers may use a bait and switch technique to fool you.  Essentially, I show an example of a blogger who made a statement in her subject heading about Kanaiolowalu but then avoided actually discussing the subject at all.  In other words, she baits readers with her subject heading, then tries to fool readers by not discussing that topic.