The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Department of Kinesiology DUKE KAHANAMOKU-TWENTIETH CENTURY HAWAIIAN MONARCH: THE VALUES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO HAWAIIAN CULTURE FROM HAWAI`I’S SPORTING LEGEND A Thesis in Kinesiology by James D. Nendel © 2006 James D. Nendel Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2006 The thesis of James D. Nendel was reviewed and approved* by the following: Mark S. Dyreson Associate Professor of Kinesiology Thesis Advisor Chair of Committee R. Scott Kretchmar Professor of Kinesiology Douglas R. Anderson Professor of Philosophy James G. Thompson Professor of Kinesiology John Challis Graduate Program Director ... Department of Kinesiology Graduate Program Director *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii Abstract On August 24, 2002, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the man whom Robert Rider, Chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors, called “a hero in every sense of the word.”1 The stamp honored Duke Kahanamoku, a man regarded with the reverence bestowed upon a legendary figure in his home State of Hawai`i, yet relatively unknown on the United States mainland. Bishop Museum archivist Desoto Brown described Kahanamoku as “the most famous Hawaiian person who has ever been, in terms of him being 100 percent ethnically Hawaiian.”2 Known as the “Hawaiian fish,” Kahanamoku is indisputably one of the greatest heroes that the Hawaiian Islands have ever produced. Born in 1890 Duke Paoa Kahinu Makoe Hulikohoa Kahanamoku3 died in 1968. In his lifetime, Hawai’i moved from an independent monarchy to full statehood in the United States of America. During Kahanamoku’s era Hawaiian traditions, banned under the puritanical influence of nineteenth-century missionaries, were rediscovered and used as marketing tools to advertise a new Hawaiian culture. The concept of being Hawaiian moved from a standard of bloodlines to one of geographical citizenship. Kahanamoku was instrumental in all of these developments, whether by intention or by default. He 1 Will Hoover, “Honoring the Legacy of Duke Kahanamoku,” The Honolulu Advertiser, 25 August 2002, sec. A, p. 6. 2 Ibid, p.6. 3 Dan Cisco, Hawai’i Sports: History, Facts and Statistics (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i, 1999), 290. iii iv symbolized the new Hawai`i, and yet he was at the same time a vivid reminder of the old dying breed of pureblooded Hawaiians. Kahanamoku’s life reflects so much of the cultural changes occurring in Hawai`i that a study of him reveals much of the cultural, racial, political and economic battles that have served to create the Hawai`i, that many now embrace as a tropical paradise and playground. This biography of Kahanamoku, focuses not only on the amazing accomplishments of this great athlete, but also as an analysis of his life within the historical construct of a culture caught in the throes of change iv v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................xxi Chapter 1 A Monarchy Destroyed ...........................................................1 Chapter 2 Hawaiian Or Local? New Developments in a Cultural Identity ......................................................................................26 Chapter 3 The Rise Of A Duke: A New Monarch Emerges, Not From The Ashes But From The Sea ..........................................56 Chapter 4 Kahanamoku As A Marketing Tool: Hawaiian And American Idol ...................................................................................77 Chapter 5 Power Struggles: How To Retain Aloha And Mana In A Changing Economic World..........................................114 Chapter 6 The Clash Of The Swimming Giants: “Tarzan” Vs. “The Duke” ......................................................................................................146 Chapter 7 From Athletic Icon To Mr. Hawaii ...................................180 Chapter 8 A “Rape In Paradise” Brings Out The Political Peacemaker....................................................................................................209 Chapter 9 A Political Juggernaut.........................................................238 Chapter 10 Swimming The Political Waters And Establishing Immortal Images............................................................264 Chapter 11 Loli`ana .........................................................................................289 Chapter 12 Cashing In ON Hawaiiana And The Legend...............325 Chapter 13 A New Future For Hawai`i: Assimilation Struggles.........................................................................................................359 Chapter 14 The Return To Paradise.......................................................399 Chapter 15 Back To The Sea: The Death Of The Figurehead Monarch .........................................................................................................421 v vi Chapter 16 The Enduring Legend............................................................442 Appendix A Glossary of Hawaiian Words...........................................470 Appendix B C. L. Maple .....................................................................................472 vi vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4-1 George Freeth----------------------------------------------------81 Figure 4-2 Kahanamoku Cartoon from 1912------------------------------85 Figure 4-3 Ikua Purdy---------------------------------------------------------87 Figure 5-1 Surfer photo-------------------------------------------------------127 Figure 5-2 Kahanamoku and friends clowning around on Surfboards--128 Figure 5-3 Kahanamoku Dancing on Beach--------------------------------129 Figure 16-1 Kahanamoku Statue at Waikiki---------------------------------445 vii viii Introduction Overview On August 24, 2002, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the man whom Robert Rider, Chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors, called “a hero in every sense of the word.”4 The stamp honored Duke Kahanamoku, a man regarded with the reverence bestowed upon a legendary figure in his home State of Hawai`i, yet relatively unknown on the United States mainland. Bishop Museum archivist Desoto Brown described Kahanamoku as “the most famous Hawaiian person who has ever been, in terms of him being 100 percent ethnically Hawaiian.”5 Known as the “Hawaiian fish,” Kahanamoku is indisputably one of the greatest heroes that the Hawaiian Islands have ever produced. Two years before the stamp issue, Sports Illustrated named Kahanamoku the top athlete of the twentieth century from Hawai`i.6 He is often compared to King Kamehameha I. The significance of the contrast in these two figures is critical in understanding Kahanamoku. Kamehameha was the last effective monarch to rule over the islands before Euro-American civilization began its conquest. Kamehameha’s reign marked the beginning of the end of native Hawaiian sovereign rule. Conversely, Kahanamoku became a popular yet mythical king of a vanquished race who symbolized a 4 Will Hoover, “Honoring the Legacy of Duke Kahanamoku,” The Honolulu Advertiser, 25 August 2002, sec. A, p. 6. 5 Ibid, p.6. 6 “The Master List: The 50 Greatest Sports Figures of the Century From Each of the 50 States,” Sports Illustrated 91 (27 December 1999- 3 January 2000): 71. viii ix new Hawaiian identity. As a result, Duke Kahanamoku’s life represents more than great athletic achievements and heroic feats that allowed him to become a legendary figure in Hawai`i. Kahanamoku became the link between the old and the new images of Hawaiian culture. The swimmer and surfer was perfectly suited for that role.7 Born in 1890 Duke Paoa Kahinu Makoe Hulikohoa Kahanamoku8 died in 1968. In his lifetime, Hawai’i moved from an independent monarchy to full statehood in the United States of America. During Kahanamoku’s era Hawaiian traditions, banned under the puritanical influence of nineteenth-century missionaries, were rediscovered and used as marketing tools to advertise a new Hawaiian culture. The concept of being Hawaiian moved from a standard of bloodlines to one of geographical citizenship. Kahanamoku was instrumental in all of these developments, whether by intention or by default. He symbolized the new Hawai`i, and yet he was at the same time a vivid reminder of the old dying breed of pureblooded Hawaiians. Kahanamoku’s life reflects so much of the cultural changes occurring in Hawai`i that a study of him reveals much of the cultural, racial, political and economic battles that have served to create the Hawai`i, that many now embrace as a tropical paradise and playground. This biography of Kahanamoku, focuses not only on the amazing accomplishments of this great athlete, but also as an analysis of his life within the historical construct of a culture caught in the throes of change. To date no scholarly studies have explored Kahanamoku from this perspective. 7 “Kahanamoku is Defeated in Hundred by McGillivray,” The Pittsburgh Post, 9 April 1916, sec. S, p. 1. 8 Dan Cisco, Hawai’i Sports: History, Facts and Statistics (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i, 1999), 290. ix x Popular writers have produced two intriguing biographical works done on Kahanamoku’s life that provide wonderful glimpses into the experiences of this impressive man. Joseph Brennan’s Duke: