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Spirit
of Aloha | Articles
| Island Chronicles | November/December 2003
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By:
Carol Silva
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Island Chronicles
Literacy's
Champion
By the 1840s, Hawaiians were among the most literate people
in the world
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Hawaiian
primers. (Courtesy of Hawaiian Mission Children's
Society Library)
Watercolor
sketch of Pua'aiki, circa 1840, by Clarissa Chapman
Armstrong.
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Pua'aiki
was unlike any Hawaiian of his time. He possessed remarkable
natural talents that were further enhanced by a rare and unforgiving
sense of discipline. These facets of his character transformed
him from a humble court jester to a powerful leader who was
loved and remembered generations after his death.
He was born in Waikapu, Maui, about 1785, and his mother abandoned
him shortly after birth, perhaps because of physical defects
that resulted in his very short stature and partial blindness.
Luckily, the infant's plight was noticed and he was rescued
from certain death by a relative. Pua'aiki ("little pig"
in Hawaiian) grew to be a surly and strong-willed youngster
who nursed a habit of drinking 'awa, more for recreational
than for ritual purposes.
He struggled to survive and somewhere along the way, this
young man learned to perform a popular and provocative kind
of dance called hula pahua. The high chiefess Kamamalu (wife
of Kamehameha's sacred son and successor, Liholiho) took particular
notice of his performance and decided to ask him to join her
court as an entertainer. Kamamalu was further intrigued by
Pua'aiki's general appearance-his diminutive height, poor
vision and hirsuteness. It was common practice for royalty
to take certain persons with unique skills, features or even
disabilities as wards of the chief's court. The ali'i believed
that the ancient gods blessed such individuals by giving them
spiritual powers to compensate for physical or mental handicaps.
Thus, Pua'aiki was fed, given a ration of 'awa and sheltered
as a member of the royal household. His intimate association
with the chiefly line gave him an opportunity to learn a secret
language spoken only by the ali'i, as well as to study a time-honored
form of martial arts known as lua. Through dedication and
practice, he became an expert in these three traditions of
dance, language and self-defense.
Pua'aiki was part of Liholiho's royal retinue when the first
New England missionaries arrived in the spring of 1820. At
about that time, a debilitating illness confined him indoors
in darkness and eventually claimed what little was left of
his vision. The virtually blind dancer became disenchanted
with his former life and refused to entertain the chiefs;
instead, he turned to Christianity. He began to memorize each
of the Hawaiian sermons, and it was said that, even many years
after, he was able to repeat each of the discourses verbatim,
complete with scriptural passages.
There were rare periods when he was able see a glimmer of
light. Given such an opportunity, he wasted no time or pride
in sitting in children's reading classes, primer in hand,
in an attempt to capture this new and elusive skill. Pua'aiki
quickly came to appreciate new techniques of learning and
teaching as complements to traditional methods of conveying
and preserving information. When the various books of the
Bible were printed, he would have his wife or a friend read
passages aloud, which he committed perfectly to memory. Then,
when revised editions were printed, he would memorize each
edition in its entirety, noting the differences in text between
editions. He was able to relate how many times a certain noun
appeared in a text and he would recite faithfully each passage
where it was found. He became a charismatic speaker as a result
of his familiarity with Biblical texts and his deep understanding
of ancient and modern ways. "The Blind Preacher of Maui"
constantly promoted the benefits of education to eager congregations
on different islands.
At the time of Pua'aiki's death in 1843, the literacy rate
in Hawai'i had surpassed that of New England. By 1845, schools
were being established for every community where 15 or more
children resided, and the Hawaiian language was the official
and only medium of communication in government, education
and in the home. Pua'aiki's efforts had paid off handsomely
in souls, as well as in students and teachers.
Carol Silva is a teacher of Hawaiian language and culture.
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