We love a little history. Okay. A lotta history. And so, deer history is, naturally, a huge fascination of ours.
We love a little history.
Okay. A lotta history.
And so, deer history is, naturally, a huge fascination of ours. How did they get here? And when? And then how did they move from island to island? And why? And who were all the actors in this winding tale—the ship captains, the statesmen, the ranchers, biologists, hunters?
We wish we could know all of it. But just some of it will have to suffice.
After years of curious digging and digging in old Hawaiian newspapers and out-of-print books, we shared a six-part Hawaiʻi Deer History Series in written form. And then recently, we shared what we thought was an over-long chapter of deer history over on our social channels. To our amusement and surprise, the world is full of history nerds.
So we figured we'd allow ourselves some extra time to do an even deeper dive—a selfish nerd-out into the things that have long captured our own curiosity and imagination.
Here it is: History of Hawaiʻi's Deer: A Mini Series, Part 1. (Read on for every dorky detail in the Episode Notes below.)
Episode Notes:
1. There are 6 parts, actually. Deer History Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
2. Hawaiʻi is the most isolated archipelago in the world.
3. Hawaiian Honeycreepers evolved approximately 7.2 million years ago from a single, large, mixed-sex flock of common rosefinches that likely arrived from Asia. The group represents one of the most impressive examples of adaptive radiation on earth and boasts striking morphological diversity in a group of over 50 species and subspecies endemic to Hawaiʻi.
4. Located nearly 2,400 miles from the nearest continental shore, the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated island group on the planet. Their plant and animal life arose from rare, infrequent colonizations and the slow evolution of those species in isolation over at least 5 million years. As a result, Hawai'i has the highest rate of endemism in the world.
5. Wilhelm or William Hillebrand (November 13, 1821 – July 13, 1886) was a German physician. He practiced medicine across Australia, Manila, California, and finally Hawai'i, where he served as Kamehameha V's private physician, worked at Queen's Hospital, sat on the Board of Health, the Privy Council, and the Bureau of Immigration and—during an 1865–66 immigration mission to China and the East Indies—collected a very long list of plants and birds he introduced to the Islands. He left Hawai'i in 1871 for Germany, Madeira, and the Canary Islands.
6. Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu.
7. A lookalike of Kuʻu’s ʻ89 Chevy Cavalier in Board-of-Water-Supply Blue. Her name was Lola. She was not a showgirl.
8. Dr. Hillebrand co-founded the Hawaiian Medical Society in 1856. He became the personal physician to King Kamehameha IV's royal family in 1858 and the first Chief Physician of Queen's Hospital in 1859, introducing systematic clinical practices and quarantine protocols grounded in emerging germ theory. Through his 1863 appointment to the Board of Health, he advanced sanitation reforms, piped-water systems, and smallpox vaccination campaigns. He also advocated for and oversaw initial isolations of leprosy patients to Kalaupapa starting in 1865. More on his career as a physician and his legacy in the field of botany in Hawai’i.
9. A record of the proceedings preliminary to the formation of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society, in August, 1850.
10. The amalgamation of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society and of the Planters’ Society, fused and combined into one body, under the style of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society: The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. April 8, 1865.
11. Dr. Hillebrand and family leave for Hong Kong April 26, 1865 on British clipper Marmion on business connected with the Board of Immigration. Hawaiian Gazette, Pg. 2, Col. 5. April 29, 1865.
12. Dr. Hillebrandʻs first consignment of plants and birds to Hawaiʻi, via the Alberto: The Pacific Commercial Society, Volume X, Number 13, Pg. 2. September 30, 1865. Aboard the Alberto is also the first wave of Chinese laborers organized by Hillebrand. The same announcement made it into the Hawaiian newspaper, Ke Au Okoa, ʻAoʻao 2. Okakopa 2, 1865.
13. 184 Mynah birds released in Hawaiʻi to eat bugs and worms in pastures. Ke Au Okoa. Okakopa 2, 1865.
14. Introduction of rice birds and the need for “na koa kane a me na koa wahine,” the rice bird soldiers in Punaluʻu, Oʻahu. Ko Hawaii Ponoi. Nowemapa 12, 1873.
15. The Eastern Jungle Crow introduced by Dr. Hillebrand [Kauka Hilabarani], would fly from the ridges of Pauoa Valley. Ke Au Okoa. Pepeluali 4, 1869.
16. Lots of birds. In one article in May of 1866, other birds included Chinese turtle doves, common sparrows, gold finches, Java sparrows, avivets (avocets), China quails (King quails) and bamboo fowls (Red junglefowls). Hawaiian Gazette, Pg. 3, Col. 3. May 1, 1867.
17. Dr. Hillebrand introduces five RANA (frogs) from California. Ka Hae Hawaii. Kepakemapa 30, 1857.
18. African Tulip (Spathodea campanulata) was imported to Hawai‛i in 1871 by Dr. Hillebrand.
19. Deer arrived to Honolulu, consigned to Dr. Hillebrand by Jardine, Matheson & Co. of Hong Kong. “A gentleman residing on the upper Ganges, where these deer abound, offered to supply them for transportation here.” Hawaiian Gazette, Page 3, Col. 3, December 17,1867.
20. An international agreement recognizing Hawaiian independence, the Anglo-French Proclamation, was signed on November 28, 1843. In Hawaiʻi, this is commemorated as Lā Kūʻokoʻa – Hawaiian Independence Day.
21. Once Hawaiʻi was recognized as an Independent State, it began to enter into treaties with other nations, by 1893 establishing over 90 legations and consulates worldwide.
22. The founding decree of the Royal Order of Kamehameha in April 11, 1865, appointed James Whittal, Hawaiian Consul General for Hong Kong and Macao—a British merchant in Hawaiian diplomatic service.
23. History of Jardine, Matheson & Co.
24. Jardine, Matheson & Co. were the most powerful opium merchants in Hong Kong. They founded their company in 1832 and grew rapidly by exporting tea and silk to England and by smuggling opium.
25. The Loch-Na-Garr arrived in Honolulu in December, 1867 from Hong Kong under charter to load guano on Baker Island, carrying seven deer, having lost one at sea. The ship was an American-built vessel, formerly in the New Orleans and Liverpool cotton trade, then sold to Jardine, Matheson, & Co. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. December 14, 1867.
26. “He Mau Dia.” Announcement in the Hawaiian Newspaper, Ke Alaula, of the arrival of seven deer, two of which were reported to be bucks . Ke Alaula, ʻAoʻao 39, Ianuali 1, 1868. Another article announcing their arrival was published in Ke Au Okoa, Kekemapa 19, 1867, and yet another in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Kekemapa 28, 1867.
27. 19th Century barques could travel at an average of 4 knots, i.e. 4 nautical miles an hour. A barque sailing from Hong Kong to Hawaiʻi in 1867 would have taken approximately 30 to 45 days to complete the ~4,850-nautical-mile voyage, barring stops to pick up guano.
28. The first newspaper printed in Hawaiʻi was Ka Lama Hawaii (The Hawaiian Luminary), a student-run publication written in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i (the Hawaiian language). It was first published on February 14, 1834, by students and faculty at the Lahainaluna Seminary on Maui. Each issue included a sketch and description of a foreign animal on the front page. Examples of a zebra, lion, and even a deer (dia).
29. Kamehameha V’s estate in Moanalua.
30. “I ke awakea o ka Poaono iho nei i ke kahu lio o ka Moi i wehe aku ai i kekahi hale o ua mau dia nei e hooinu i ka wai, aia hoi, ua puka mai la iwaho, a holo aku la mao a maanei; a lele aku la iloko o ke kai. Ua paa iho la i ka hopu ia; a ma ka hoao ana ia e hopu, aia hoi, ua haki kona kiwi, a na kekahi kanaka loea o ke kaona nei i lapaau i kona wahi i manuheu.” [This past Saturday afternoon as the Kingʻs groom was opening the stables to water the deer, one escaped and ran here and there; and jumped in the sea. It was caught; and during the chase had one of its horns broken and a skilled person from the town administered to its injuries.] Ke Au Okoa, Pg 2. Kekemapa 26, 1867.
31. Deer were transported aboard the Kamaile from Honolulu to Moloka’i. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. January 25, 1868. It was also reported in the Hawaiian Newspaper, Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Ianuali 25, 1868.
32. The first fawn is born while the deer wait at the Market Wharf. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. December 21, 1867.
33. “The beautiful deer which were received by His Majesty from China, accompanied him last Monday in the Kamaile. On their arrival at Molokai, they will probably be released from their cage, and allowed the freedom of the plains, and perhaps the mountain.” The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. January 25, 1868. [The PCA was also known as The Commercial advertiser and The Hoku loa o Hawaii.]
34. Deer on Molokaʻi were initially placed under strict kapu (prohibition). Cooke, George. Moolelo O Molokai: a Ranch Story of Molokai, 1949. Pg. 67.
35. The ahupuaʻa of Kaluakoʻi, makes up all of Molokaʻi’s West End and was Government lands. Maly, Kepā. Cultural and Historical Study for the Environmental Assessment of U.S. Marine Corps Training: Ahupua’a of Kaluako’i, West Moloka’i. Pg. 14, 2019.
36. Correction: Kamehameha IV probably did not have had a sheep station at Kaluakoʻi, though an online article states that he did.
37. Axis deer buck attacks sweet potato farmer in Kalamaʻula. Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, ʻAoʻao 3. Mei 23, 1868.
38. Cooke, George. Moolelo O Molokai: a Ranch Story of Molokai. [Honolulu]: Printed by Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1949. Pg. 67.
39. In 1898-1900, an 8-mile forest fence was built by American Sugar Company, later known at the present time as the Molokai Ranch, across the upper lands of Molokaʻi. “It is proper here to recall that at the time of the building of the Molokai Ranch Forest fence, from 1898 to 1900, considerable money was spent by the Molokai Ranch Company in killing off the deer and in getting out wild cattle that were at large in the woods.” Cooke, George. Moolelo O Molokai: a Ranch Story of Molokai 1949. Pg. 63.
40. 1894 article detailing the damage to Molokaʻi forests. Ka Leo o ka Lahui. Kepakemapa 24, 1894.
41. The Territory of Hawaiʻi: Following the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, the United States annexed Hawai'i through the 1898 Newlands Resolution—a joint resolution of Congress rather than a ratified treaty, bypassing the two-thirds Senate vote that annexation by treaty would have required. On August 12, 1898, the U.S. claimed Hawaiʻi as a territory, and the Hawaiian Organic Act, signed April 30, 1900, organized its government.
42. King Kamehameha V died on December 11, 1872. He passed away in Honolulu at the age of 42 on his exact birth date. Because he died without naming an heir, his passing marked the end of the Kamehameha dynasty. Kanikau, mourning chants, filled the newspapers for him.
43. Article likens the deer of Captain Makee to Finnish deer. Ka Hae Hawaii, Nowemapa 26, 1856. On re-reading the article we see that the deer were reported to have arrived on the Vernon from “ke kai o Okotesa,” the Sea of Okhotsk, which could have made them Yezo Sika deer.
44. On January 23, 1856, “Kapena Ki” (Captain James Makee) purchased at auction Torbert’s plantation on Maui. He sold his Nuʻuanu residence and moved to Maui and raised his family on what he called ‘Rose Ranch’ after his wife Catherine’s favorite flower. The land is now part of ʻUlupalakua Ranch.
45. On November 30, 1959, 56 pronghorn antelope were trapped by the Montana Department of Fish and Game and shipped to the island of Lānaʻi, Hawaiʻi, as a part of a program designed to increase the wildlife resources in the islands by the Division of Fish and Game, Department of Agriculture and Conservation. The lack of natural water holes on Lānaʻi, drove antelope to the sea, which they mistook for a lake.
46. In 1961, the State Division of Fish and Game introduced 10 blacktail deer —5 bucks, 5 does— from Oregon to Puʻukapele, Kauaʻi to determine if a new game animal that might cause less damage to crops could be established for hunting. Honolulu Star Bulletin. June 10, 1961.
47. Article announces the arrival of seven Axis deer and recalls other deer that were taken to Parker Ranch in Waimea. “…a pehea la ia dia, ke hele la paha ia ma na kuahiwi anuanu o ka aina mauna…” [and what became of these deer, maybe they are roaming the cold forests of the mountain lands.] Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. Kekemapa 21, 1867. A separate article reports J. P. Parker releasing a doe to help find a two or three bucks that had already been released and lost years past. Ke Au Okoa. Nowemapa 7, 1867.
48. Another article describing deer introductions to Parker Ranch: “HE DIA KEIKI—Maluna o ke Kilauea i holo aku la i na awa ma ka hikina, ua lawe pu aku la ia he wahi dia keiki nona na hao manamana ano e a kakou i ike wale ai i na kii. E lawe ia ana ua dia la ma ke kula hapai holoholona o Paka ma Waimea, Hawaii.” Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, ʻAoʻao 3. Kepakemapa 14, 1867.
49. The Overthrow: On January 17, 1893, Queen Liliʻuokalani was deposed by a "Committee of Safety" of American- and European-descended businessmen (some foreign nationals, some Hawaiian subjects), backed by US Minister John L. Stevens and Marines from the USS Boston. She yielded under protest to "the superior force of the United States," expecting Washington to reinstate her; instead, the Provisional Government under Sanford B. Dole held power, became the Republic of Hawaiʻi in 1894, and won US annexation in 1898. Afterward the Crown and Government lands were merged and ceded to the United States. The 1993 Apology Resolution later acknowledged the overthrow was illegal and that Native Hawaiians "never directly relinquished… their inherent sovereignty."
50. In November of 1898, A W Carter was authorized by the Directors of the American Sugar Company, Limited (of which he served as Treasurer) to obtain the services of two professional hunters from California to cull Moloka’i’s deer, paying them $40/mo and allowing them to sell the hides. Cooke, George. Moolelo O Molokai: a Ranch Story of Molokai, 1949. Pg. 67.
51. Deer cull numbers differ: 3,000 says the Hawaii Tribune-Herald; 3,500-4,000 says George Cooke; 4,000 says yet another Hawaii Tribune-Herald article.
52. (New note sent in by a viewer! Mahalo Luke S.) In 1898 California, hunters primarily relied on lever-action rifles and break-action or early pump-action shotguns. A popular firearm at that time included the Winchester Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle. The late 1890s saw the height of lever-action dominance, transitioning from black powder to early smokeless powder cartridges, like the Winchester Model 1894, which was a classic deer rifle, heavily chambered in the revolutionary new smokeless powder rounds, and became the most successful commercial firearm in history.
53. Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui.) December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872.
54. Kamehameha V was betrothed to his cousin, Bernice Pauahi. She married Charles Reed Bishop instead at the Royal School on June 4, 1850. He also offered Princess Pauahi the throne before he passed, but she declined. Spoehr, Anne Harding. The Royal Lineages of Hawaii, 1989. Pg 83.
55. In 1849 – 1850, brothers Lot Kapuāiwa and Alexander Liholiho, heir to the throne, accompanied Gerrit Judd on a trip to Europe and the United States. Judd was charged with gaining a $100,000 indemnity payment from France, and guaranties of independence from France, Britain and the United States and the teenage brothers were sent to accompany him on the trip in order to expose the future monarchs to international affairs.
56. Kamehameha V refused to take an oath to uphold the 1852 constitution which he regarded as contrary to the best interest of his people. In May of 1864 he called for a constitutional convention of elected delegates for the purpose of creating a new constitution. When the delegates became deadlocked after weeks of discussion, Kamehameha V simply announced that the Constitution of 1852 was abrogated and that he would provide the Kingdom with a new constitution. By this coup Kamehameha V broke the Legislature’s grip on power and restored to the Crown much of the power and authority Kamehameha III had relinquished with the Constitution of 1852.
57. Lyman, R. A. Recollections of Kamehameha V. The Hawaiian Gazette. December 12, 1902.
58. The historic Kapuāiwa, Coconut Grove. Planted in the 1850 or 60s for the monarchy. The palms were planted in one of the driest parts of the island and became a favored, shady spot for the ali'i to relax while at the beach. The grove's location takes advantage of the seven pools as a source of water. Originally, 1,000 trees were planted on a 10-acre site. Image of the malu niu, the coconut grove, in 1912.
59. The Crown Land Act of 1865. On January 3, 1865, Kamehameha V approved "An Act To Relieve The Royal Domain From Encumbrances, And To Render The Same Inalienable." Until this point the mōʻī(monarch) could buy and sell the Crown lands as private property. This Act ended that, declaring them "henceforth inalienable" and to "descend to the heirs and successors of the Hawaiian Crown forever," which is the "no" Kuʻu is describing—the legal line that separates alienable Government lands (which could be sold, as West End was) from the protected Crown lands. Summary by Jon M. Van Dyke.
60. The Great Māhele. Beginning in 1848 under Kamehameha III, the Māhele moved Hawaiian land tenure from a shared, feudal system toward private ownership, dividing interests among the mōʻī (king), the aliʻi and konohiki (chiefs and land agents), and the government. The king's own share was further split into Crown lands and Government lands. (Note: the Māhele alone did not create commoner private title—that came with the Kuleana Act of 1850.)
61. In January, 1875, Charles Reed Bishop is granted Royal Patent #3146, giving him fee simple ownership of 46,500 acres of land situated in Kaluakoʻi, Molokaʻi for $5,000.
62. In July 1921, the United States Congress enacted and President Warren G. Harding signed into law the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, establishing a land trust of approximately 203,500 acres of former Crown and Government Lands to provide homestead leases at a nominal fee for native Hawaiians, those individuals of fifty percent or more Hawaiian blood.
63. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, A description of their phanerogams and vascular cryptogams by William Hillebrand; annotated and published after the author's death by son, W. F. Hillebrand, 1888. “Dr. Hillebrand estimates the total flora of the islands (Phanerogamia and Vascular Cryptogamia) at 999 species, representing 365 genera, and 99 orders. Of these 999 species, 653 are absolutely restricted to the Sandwich Islands, 207 native species are known elsewhere, 24 species were introduced by the natives in remote times, and 115 species are weeds of recent introduction. Leaving the introductions out of account, we have therefore a native flora of 860 species, of which three out of four are endemic. A vegetation thus individualized makes the group one of the most interesting fields of study in the world.” - via Nature.
64. Loulu lelo, Pritchardia hillebrandii.
65. Ēlama,Hillebrand persimmon or Diospyros hillebrandii.
66. ʻAhuʻawa, Cyperus hillebrandii, is an endemic Hawaiian sedge (flatsedge).
67. Kolokolo kuahiwi, Lysimachia hillebrandii.
68. The probably extinct, Phylostegia hillebrandii. More info on critically endangered Hawaiian phylostegia.
69. Pīpī holo kaʻao is a saying used at the end of tales, from the word in our ʻōlelo—pīpī, or sprinkled. A bit of the tale has been sprinkled and the rest of the story runs on.