Tahiti, Host of the 4th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Cover Image: Masthead of Ka Nonanona published on February 4, 1845.
Aloha Nūhou Monday!
This week’s post honors Tahiti which, in 1985, became the 4th nation to host the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, under the theme, “My Pacific.” The festival was originally scheduled to take place in New Caledonia in 1984, but the venue and date were changed for political reasons.
Over the coming months, we will continue to honor each of the previous FestPAC hosts with posts featuring those island nations and their connections to Hawaiʻi’s own history.
The Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture is the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous Pacific Islanders, bringing together artists, cultural practitioners, scholars, and officials from member nations of the Pacific Community (SPC).
This traveling festival is held every four years and was first launched by the South Pacific Commission in 1972 to halt the erosion of traditional practices through ongoing cultural exchange. In June of 2024, Hawaiʻi will host the 13th festival on Oʻahu.
Image: Tahitian dancers; Papeete, Tahiti. Photo by Andrew Drollet, ca. 1895. Bishop Museum Archives. SP 79866
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org, Bishop Museum Archives.
On September 25, 1844, Queen Pōmare IV of Tahiti wrote a letter to Kamehameha III Kauikeaouli, requesting that he correct misinformation circulating out of a Hawaiian government newspaper, titled the Polynesian, and that he publish her letter and accompanying documents in the same publication. Kamehameha III receives the letter on February 4, 1845, and on that day, grants her request. He responds to Queen Pōmare with a letter, in which he gives his condolences, and even goes so far as to offer her asylum in his kingdom.
Image: “KA PALAPALA A KE ALII WAHINE O POMARE IA KAMEHAMEHA III.” Ka Nonanona, February 4, 1845, p. 96.
Image: Pomare. Letter from Queen Pomare to Louis Philippe, King of the French. (Honolulu, Oahu: printed for the Hon. L. Hope, 1844), p. [1]. Bishop Museum Archives. QM 222651
Translation of Letter from Kamehameha III to Queen Pōmare IV:
Royal Residence
Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands
February 4th, 1845
To the Monarch Pōmare, Queen of Tahiti
Greetings with thanks.
I have received Your letter of the 25th day of September, as well as a copy of Your claim against the Christian King, Louis Phillippe, King of the French. As soon as I had received them, I directed for those documents to be published within the Polynesian at once, just as You had suggested, so that the world may know.
I have heard often of Your troubles, and of the fall of Your Government, and of Your grief, yet I am powerless to aid You. Though I had at times thought to fetch You, and to ferry You here so that we might live together in Hawaiʻi, upon further consideration, I became hesitant, lest You be deemed a deserter. As such, I have abandoned my plans to urge that You sail here.
The latter consideration is likely for the better, as I have heard of [efforts towards] restoration. You perhaps should rely upon the kindness of the King of France; should you appeal to him for justice and his aloha, you probably will not go wrong.
Much like Your current troubles, such were My troubles very recently, though You are the most gravely afflicted of Us. The Lord has been truly gracious to Me, and My nation prevails for the time being. In My time of need, a few men stood at My side to assist, and at My disposal was a haole who had pledged allegiance before Me, that he have no other King but Myself. He conducted himself industriously, as is the haole’s nature––spreading word of [My people’s] best interest as well as the manner of their doings [while abroad] was made quick work through his efforts. Other haole were present, along with My own subject, T. Haʻalilio. They were in Britain and France, and when they learned of the actions which had taken place here in Hawaiʻi, they appealed immediately to the Government of Britain, and justice was then administered.
I now reign with the assistance of good haole, and I am of the opinion that by this shall My Nation endure, should I be troubled once more by those of foreign Nations.
My own subjects, as well as those of foreign lands, are well protected under my [reign]. My reign is now a peaceful one, and burdensome tasks only come so infrequently, but the deeds of My ministers are what I inspect critically.
Do be gracious to My Hawaiian people when they arrive in Your Country, as I am gracious to Your people of Tahiti––just as I am benevolently caring for Your people when they arrive here in Hawaiʻi.
Your Majesty, I do offer my sympathies for Your troubles. May the Lord set You free, for he is Our Savior.
May you be blessed by your actions.
Aloha ʻoe
Kamehameha III
By His Majesty the King
G.P. Judd
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
(Letter retrieved from Hawaiʻi State Archives, Foreign Office Letter Book, number 4, 15. Translation is the work of He Aupuni Palapala)
Transcription of Letter from Kamehameha III to Queen Pōmare IV:
Kahi Alii Honolulu
Oahu ko Hawaii
Pae Aina Febe 4 1845
Na ka moi Pomare,
ke Lii wahine o Tahiti
Aloha oe me ka mahalo.
Ua loaa mai ia’u Kau palapala
o ka la 25 o Sepatemaba, a me ke
kope o Kau palapala hoopii i ka
moi Kristiano, ia Louis Phillippe ke
‘Lii o ko Farani, a loaa mai ia’u
olelo koke aku au e pai i ua mau
palapala la ma ka Polynesian, e
like me Kou manao, i lohe ko ka
honua nei
Ua lohe pinepine au i Kou
pilikia, a me ka make o Kou Aupuni,
a me Kou kaumaha, aka, aole
mana i loko o’u e kokua aku ia
oe. Manao no nae au e kii aku ia
oe i kekahi manawa, a e lawe ma-
i e noho pu kakou ma Hawaii nei,
aka, ma ka noonoo ana, hookaulua
ihola au o lilo auanei oe i haale-
le aina, no laila haalele au i ko’u
manao e kauoha aku ai ia oe e
holo mai. Ua pono paha ia manao
hope ana, no ka mea, ua lohe au
i ka hooponopono ana. E pono paha
oe ke hilinai i ka lokomaikai o ke
‘Lii o Farani, aole paha e lilo i mea
pono ole ka hoopii ana ia ia e loaa
mai ka pono a me ke aloha ia mai
E like me Kou pilikia, pela no
Ko’u pilikia ma mua iho nei, o oe
no nae ka kaua pilikia loa. Ua
lokomaikai maoli mai ke Akua ia’u,
a ua lanakila Ko’u Aupuni i keia
wa. I Ko’u wa pilikia ku mai la ke-
kahi poe ma Koʻu aoao e kokua
mai, a he haole Ka’u ua hoohiki
mai ma muli o’u, aole ona Alii e
ae, o wau wale no, a hana o ia me
ka ikaika e like me ko ka haole
ano; hikiwawe ia ia ka hoolaha
aku i ko makou pono, a me ke
ano o ka hana. He mau haole hoi
kekahi a me Kuu kanaka, o T.
Haalilio, aia lakou ma Beritania
a ma Farani, lohe lakou i ka
hana ma Hawaii nei, hoopii
koke aku no lakou i ke Aupuni
o Beritania loaa mai ka hoopono
Eia wau ke noho nei me ke
kokua ia mai e na haole pono,
a ke manao nei au ma laila e
onipaa ai Ko’u Aupuni i ka wa
e hoopilikia hou ia mai au e ko
na aina e.
Ua malu loa Ko’u mau ka-
naka nei, a me ko na aina e ma-
lalo iho o’u Ke noho malu nei
au, aole hoi hiki pinepine loa mai
ka hana luhi loa iaʻu aka o na ha-
na a pau a Ka’u mau Luna oia ka’u
e nana aku ai me ka hooponopono
aku.
E lokomaikai oe i o’u Kanaka
Hawaii ke hiki aku i kou aina, e
like me Ko’u lokomaikai i na Kana-
ka ou o Tahiti, e like hoi me au e
malama lokomaikai nei i Kou
Kanaka ke hiki mai ma Hawaii
nei
E ka moi, minamina au ia
oe no Kou pilikia, na ke Akua
ae e hookuu mai, o ia hoi Ko Kaua
hoola
I pomaikai oe i ka Hana e ola’i
Aloha oe
Kamehameha III
Na ka Moi Hanohano
G.P. Judd
Kakau olelo no ko na Aina e
(Letter retrieved from Hawaiʻi State Archives, Foreign Office Letter Book, number 4, 15. Transcription is the work of He Aupuni Palapala)
Image: The Queen of Tahiti, Pomare IV. Paris, France. Photo by E. Neurdein. Bishop Museum Archives. SP 103383
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org, Bishop Museum Archives.
Image: King Kamehameha III (daguerreotype photo of artwork). Art by Alfred T. Agate, ca. 1850. Bishop Museum Archives. SP 213104
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org, Bishop Museum Archives.
This post is part of He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers, a partnership between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu with assistance from Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority for their support. Learn more about this project here.
