Connecting the Kingdom: Sailing Vessels in the Early Hawaiian Monarchy, 1790-1840

Peter Mills' work explores the emergence of the Hawaiian nation-state from the perspective of sixty Hawaiian-owned schooners, brigs, barks, and peleleu canoes. He argues that these vessels were crucial in promoting a diverse revenue base for the monarchy and developing greater international parity in Hawaiʻi's foreign diplomacy. Mills' meticulous documentation of each ship's itinerary provides valuable insights into the movement of chiefs and commoners between islands as they engaged in building a newly interconnected Hawaiian nation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 31 December 2022
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press

In this groundbreaking work, Peter Mills unveils a wealth of insight into the emergence of the Hawaiian nation-state from sources mostly ignored by colonial and post-colonial historians alike. By examining how early Hawaiian chiefs appropriated Western sailing technology to help build their island nation, Mills presents the fascinating history of sixty Hawaiian-owned schooners, brigs, barks, and peleleu canoes. While these vessels have often been dismissed as examples of chiefly folly, Mills highlights their significance in Hawaiʻis rapidly evolving monarchy, and aptly demonstrates how the monarchys own nineteenth-century sailing fleet facilitated fundamental transformations of interisland tributary systems, alliance building, exchange systems, and emergent forms of Indigenous capitalism.

Part One covers broad trends in Hawaiʻis changing maritime traditions, beginning with the evolution of Hawaiian archaic states in the precontact era. Mills argues that Indigenous trends towards political intensification under the predecessors to Kamehameha I set the stage for Kamehamehas own rapid appropriation of Western sailing vessels. From the first procurement of a Western-style vessel in 1790 through the beginning of the constitutional monarchy in 1840, these vessels were part of a nuanced strategy that promoted a diverse revenue base for the monarchy and developed greater international parity in Hawaiʻis foreign diplomacy.

Part Two presents the histories of the sixty vessels owned by Hawaiian chiefs between 1790 and 1840, discussing their significance, origin, physical attributes, ownership, procurement, and purpose. Using newspapers and other concurrent sources, Mills uncovers little-known details of more than 2,000 voyages around and between the islands and to distant parts of the Pacific.

These voyages were not only crucial for the development of Hawaiʻi as a maritime power but also played a significant role in shaping the islands' cultural and social landscape. The vessels facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and people between Hawaiʻi and other Pacific islands, as well as with the United States and Europe. They also helped to establish and maintain alliances between Hawaiian chiefs, which were essential for the monarchy's survival in the face of external threats.

In addition to their economic and political significance, the sixty Hawaiian-owned vessels also had a profound impact on the development of Hawaiian sailing and navigational skills. The chiefs who owned these vessels were skilled sailors and navigators who had learned their trade from the West. They adapted Western sailing techniques to suit the unique conditions of the Hawaiian archipelago, and their innovations helped to improve the safety and efficiency of Hawaiian voyages.

The history of the sixty Hawaiian-owned vessels is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the Hawaiian people and their ability to harness Western technology to achieve their goals. It also highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of Hawaiʻi's relationship with the West, which was characterized by both cooperation and conflict.

In conclusion, Peter Mills' work on the sixty Hawaiian-owned vessels is a groundbreaking contribution to the history of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region. By examining the role of these vessels in the emergence of the Hawaiian nation-state, Mills sheds light on the complex and multifaceted nature of Hawaiʻis relationship with the West and provides a valuable insight into the development of maritime technology and trade in the Pacific.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780824891893