U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service A Story of the Hui Panalā‘au of the Equatorial Pacific Islands

Would you have the courage and determination to volunteer to live on a deserted tropical island with no connection to the outside world for months at a time? Would you succeed or succumb to the harsh environment and isolation?

In the 1930s and early 1940s young men that attended or graduated from high school in Hawai‘i were faced with these questions. They not only survived but also thrived and proved to be an important part in the United States’ continued possession of Howland, Baker Graduates and students of Kamehameha School onboard the Itasca, 4th expedition, and Jarvis Islands. January 1936. Back row, left to right: Luther Waiwaiole, Henry Ohumukini, William Yomes, Solomon Kalama, James Carroll. Front row, left to right: Henry Mahikoa, Alexander After the Guano mining era of Kahapea, George Kahanu, Sr., Joseph Kim. (Photo courtesy George Kahanu, Sr.) downloaded from: http://www.oralhistory.hawaii.edu/pages/historical/panalaau.html the 1800s, Howland, Baker and Jarvis Islands, located in the Phoenix and Line Islands archipelagos, sat relatively year. It was necessary to find takepart. They sought young unnoticed until the 1930s when individuals who could survive men who were single, they became desirable stop-over for months at a time in the physically and mentally fit, points for commercial air travel isolated and harsh conditions of cooperative, and disciplined. between Hawai‘i and Australia. Howland, Baker, and Jarvis. Many were even part of the Then, as World War II Representatives from the U.S. ROTC program and readily intensified and the Japanese Bureau of Air Commerce took to the military protocol and Empire advanced across the suggested that the best group of procedures. Pacific, establishing ownership people from which to recruit proved to be of great were young Hawaiian men due On March 20, 1935, the U.S. importance. In order to establish to the stereotypical belief that Coast Guard cutter Itasca the three islands as U.S. they could handle the harsh secretly set sail from Honolulu territories, President Franklin D. environment of the South Harbor. It was not until they Roosevelt understood the U.S. Pacific better than other groups. were well underway that the needed to colonize them with group of students was advised permanent residents. In other The U.S. federal government as to where they would be words, the U.S. needed to prove worked initially with the Bishop going. They were on a on a that people were residents of the Museum and Kamehameha five-day voyage to Jarvis islands, living and sleeping on Schools in Honolulu, Hawai‘i to Island, another three days to the islands for at least one solid recruit Hawaiian boys to Baker Island, and one more day

1 | P a g e to Howland Island. The camps In 1937, the colonists of with small crosses. The islands initially consisted of groups of Howland Island set to work were bombed numerous times, five, with two of the recruits constructing a runway both by air and submarine, after along with three furloughed specifically for Amelia Earhart, the initial wave of planes had army personnel. who was scheduled to land and passed. With the threat of refuel before carrying on with repeated fire, the colonists were The boys were told they would her ill-fated but planned record forced to hide during the day be colonizing the islands for breaking flight around the and eat and drink only at night. commercial airline use. They world. They were excited for Rescue by U.S. Coast Guard did took meticulous daily records of her arrival. One mother even not occur until January 31, weather and other sent some curtains for the 1942, for those on Howland and environmental conditions and window of the room she would Baker Islands. Colonists on surveyed seabirds. be staying in, and the boys Jarvis and Enderbury were not constructed a freshwater shower evacuated until February 9, After the first expedition went out of a 52 gallon water jug 1942. well, all the boys received high with shower head, made from a praise from their supervisors for tomato can, just for her. She Upon returning to Honolulu their performance. The Army disappeared on July 3, 1937, during the war, the colonists realized the boys didn’t need never making it to Howland were instructed to remain silent additional survival oversight so Island. Tragedy struck a year about what had happened on the subsequent deployments did later in 1938, when colonist islands. Many of the former away with army personnel and Carl Kahalewai fell ill with colonists formed a group to included groups of four appendicitis and passed away “perpetuate the fellowship of Hawaiian high school aboard a U.S. Coast Guard ship Hawaiian youths who have graduates. Many of the on the ride back to Honolulu. served as colonists on American colonists were even excited to equatorial islands.” The group return for a second term. During On December 8, 1941, a day was initially called “Hui Kupu free time, they would dive, surf, after Japan’s attack on Pearl Aina,” giving reference to the fish, and look for shells, among Harbor, the Pacific Island idea of sprouting, growing, and other island activities. On territories were also bombed increasing land, but was soon Jarvis, the colonists even used including Howland, Baker, renamed “Hui Panalā‘au,” planks from a shipwreck to Jarvis, and Canton and which has a variety of meanings construct surfboards. Enderbury of the Phoenix including: “club of settlers of Islands group. The United southern islands,” “holders of Eventually, the federal States had officially entered into the land society,” and “society government began recruiting World War II and as the U.S. of colonists.” boys from other high schools, recovered from Pearl Harbor particularly Roosevelt High losses, retrieving the colonists The Hui Panalā‘au was School and McKinley High became a lower priority. The successful in petitioning the School. Asian-American men, December 8 attacks on the U.S. government, and in 1954 primarily Chinese with one small islands even went the bodies of Joseph Korean, were also recruited as unreported in Washington. Keli‘ihananui and Richard radiomen and aerologists “Dickey” Whaley were brought working with new radio stations During the first wave of attacks, back to Hawai‘i. and buried at that were built. By this time, the two young men on Howland, Schofield Barracks on the island Department of the Interior was Joseph Keli‘ihananui and of O‘ahu. It was not until providing materials for cabins, Richard “Dickey” Whaley, were December 8, 2003, that they stoves, and radio stations and fatally wounded. They were received proper burial at the the young men were hired as buried by their fellow colonists Hawai‘i State Veterans Interior Department employees. on the island in bomb craters Cemetery in Kaneohe, Hawai‘i, and the graves were marked as well as honored with

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This story was written using the following references.

For more information about the Hui Panalā‘au, please visit these websites:

Hui Panalā‘au: Hawaiian Colonists in the Pacific, 1935- 1942, Univ. of Hawai‘i at Manoa Ctr. for Oral History, Social Science Research Institute (2006). http://www.bishopmuseum.org/ media/2011/pdf/Hui_Panalaau.p df

Link to Bishop Museum Website: http://www.bishopmuseum.org/ special/under_a_jarvis_moon.ht ml

Baker Island National Wildlife Refuge, March 2012. Photo: K.Ernsburger/USFWS Under a Jarvis Moon Flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bi traditional Hawaiian ceremonial the archives of the Bishop shop_museum/sets/7215762504 chants and performances. The Museum. 7187285/ presentations of traditional hand-carved spears were also The contributions and sacrifices Stream the movie Under a presented to the families. The made by these young men Jarvis Moon online: ceremony was a step towards established these islands as part http://www.imdb.com/video/im honoring the work and sacrifice of the United States, thus setting db/vi3879443993/ that these young men made for the stage for their conservation the State of Hawai‘i and the status as national wildlife Kamehameha Schools United States of America. refuges and the marine national Archives: monument of today. http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/archiv The 2010 documentary film es/historical/huipanalaau/Defaul Under a Jarvis Moon tells the t.php incredible story of the Hui Panalā‘au. Co-directed by For more information on Noelle Kahanu and Heather the U.S. Fish and Giugni, it is a tribute to Noelle’s Wildlife Service and the grandfather George Kahanu, Pacific Remote Islands Sr., and the other Panalā‘au Marine National Monument: members and chronicles our http://www.fws.gov/refu important history, nearly ge/Pacific_Remote_Islan forgotten, that she discovered in ds_Marine_National_Mo nument/about.html

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Government Officials and Colonists at the dedication of the Jarvis beacon to Carl K. Kahalewai. December 11, 1938. Photo: AirForce Archives

Howland Island Camp. January 23, 1937. Photo: National Archives

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