New Children's Book Filled with Historical Falsehoods

Kingdom of Hawaii coat of arms at Iolani Palace rear entrance gateway

A new children's book filled with racially inflammatory historical falsehoods should be recalled -- Kim Hunter (author) and Patti Carol (illustrator), "Ka Pu'uwai Hamama — Volunteer Spirit"

by Kenneth R. Conklin, Ph.D.

A book published in May 2010 seems intended to serve three noble and benevolent purposes: show well-deserved appreciation to an elderly volunteer, Mrs. Anne Jurczynski, who has given 24 years of service to Iolani Palace; celebrate the importance of the Palace in Hawaii's history; and help children learn Hawaiian language by telling a story in simple words where every page has a paragraph in English and the same paragraph in Hawaiian.

But the book "Ka Pu'uwai Hamama — Volunteer Spirit" contains some commonly repeated historical falsehoods which serve the purpose of arousing resentment, anger, and racial hostility. In an essay-length book review, the worst falsehoods are quoted and disproved with explanations of what is true and citations where proof can be found.

Here are the most flagrant historical falsehoods or distortions found in the book (either directly stated or implied by innuendo) and disproved in this book review.

When reading these falsehoods, remember that one of the major purposes of the book is to use it as a primer for elementary school children to learn Hawaiian language and Hawaiian history.

TWISTED: When King Kalakaua's dead body unexpectedly came home from San Francisco to Iolani Palace in 1891, the evil (haole) sons and grandsons of the missionaries took advantage of Liliuokalani's grief and confusion to force her to take the oath to support the Bayonet Constitution of 1887 that had been forced on her brother Kalakaua. (pages 11 and 12)

TWISTED: Kalakaua signed the reciprocity treaty with the U.S. only under pressure from the (haole) sugar plantation owners. And when a new reciprocity treaty was needed to extend the old one, and Kalakaua didn't want to give Pearl Harbor to the U.S., the (haole) missionary boys forced the bayonet Constitution on Kalakaua. (pages 13 and 14)

TWO MAJOR FALSEHOODS THAT INFLAME RACIAL HATRED: The Bayonet Constitution stripped most native Hawaiians of the right to vote and/or hold high office; and Kalakaua signed it only because otherwise the (haoles) were going to kill him. (page 14)

TWISTED: Queen Liliuokalani's (haole) cabinet ministers betrayed her and publicly humiliated her by refusing to agree to a new Constitution she was planning to proclaim -- they did this at the very moment she was ready to proclaim it, when foreign ministers were waiting in the throne room and thousands of natives were eagerly waiting in front of the Palace. (page 16)

THREE MAJOR FALSEHOODS PLUS ADDITIONAL TWISTING: "On January 17th, 1893, 162 U.S. marines invaded Hawaii at the request of the U.S. Minister. With guns and cannons pointed at 'Iolani Palace the group of American businessmen proclaimed a new government and ordered the Queen to resign. Fearing bloodshed on both sides, the Queen surrendered to the U.S. and not to the provisional government." (page 18)

TWISTED: U.S. President Grover Cleveland sent his personal representative James Blount to Hawaii to investigate the U.S. role in the overthrow of the monarchy, and Blount wrote an unbiased report saying it was wrong for the U.S. to invade Hawaii in support of the overthrow of the monarchy by white businessmen. (page 23)

ONE MAJOR FALSEHOOD PLUS ADDITIONAL TWISTING: Liliuokalani discouraged Hawaiians from attempting a counterrevolution because she didn't want bloodshed, but when it happened in 1895, the Sheriff went to her home and arrested her, (falsely) accusing her of knowing about the plan. (page 25)

TWISTED: Liliuokalani, imprisoned and on trial under threat of a death sentence, gave up her throne and said the monarchy was finished. (page 27)

MAJOR FALSEHOOD: In 1897 "Nearly all Hawaiian people signed petitions opposing annexation." (page 29)

MAJOR FALSEHOOD WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE IS TO INFLAME RACIAL HATRED: In 1898, at the ceremony of annexation, "The Hawaiian flag was lowered from above the former Palace and cut into small strips to be given away as souvenirs" (to the haoles who had overthrown the monarchy). (page 31)

If the book's author Kim Hunter was innocently repeating commonly heard myths, then he should promptly recall the book and either refund the purchase price or else replace the book with a revised second edition, in the same way Tylenol capsules with cyanide were recalled in 1982 and Toyotas with accelerator problems were recalled in 2010. Otherwise the book will poison the souls of innocent readers as surely as cyanide killed seven Tylenol consumers, and the book's author will be deserving of a Goebbels Award for Outstanding Use of Media for Propaganda Disguised As Fact.

A webpage has quotes from the book to show that each of the falsehoods and twistings listed above is an accurate statement of what's in the book, plus detailed analysis, internet links, and citations of documents proving that each item is false or distorted. There's also further explanation of why books like this are poisonous to the souls of innocent children, and why books like this should be regarded as defective products that should be recalled in the same way as all Tylenol was recalled in 1982 when several people died from cyanide-laced capsules, and Toyota vehicles with sticky accelerators were recalled in 2010.

For the detailed analysis of the falsehoods in the book "Ka Pu'uwai Hamama -- Volunteer Spirit" see http://tinyurl.com/2d9brvf

Kenneth R. Conklin's book "Hawaiian Apartheid: Racial Separatism and Ethnic Nationalism in the Aloha State" has 27 copies available in the Hawaii Public Library system, and can also be viewed and purchased through http://tinyurl.com/2a9fqa