Modern Hawaiian history has an antecedent in a single historic episode, the mahele. In the 1840s, Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) abandoned traditional Hawaiian land tenure and adopted the Western concept of private ownership of property. Surveying the Mahele reveals how the complex disciplines of mapping and surveying, which reflect values of feudal European society that underlie modern concepts of land ownership, changed the destiny of Hawai'i. The book is lavishly illustrated with examples of mahele land surveys that range in scope from single home sites to a plat of one hundred thousand acres. In the matter of a few years, Hawai'i changed from a society in which the ali'i ai'moku, or king, served as stew¬ard of the land that belonged to the gods, to one in which he, the ali'i, or nobility, and the maka'ainana, or com¬moners, acquired outright ownership of land. Surveying the Mahele examines the work of the few professional surveyors, such as William Webster, whose work in Hawai'i was as fine as any in the world. It describes the efforts of missionaries John Emerson and William Patterson Alexander, who used their surveying skills to help their parishioners acquire land under the new laws passed as part of the mahele. Volume II also presents the work of notable Hawaiians, such as Samuel P. Kalama and John W. Makalena, who learned surveying from missionary teach¬ers and applied their art during the Mahele.

Surveying the Mahele: Mapping the Hawaiian Land Revolution (Palapala'aina, Vol. 2)

History

Riley Moore Moffat

Gary L. Fitzpatrick

Americas

Editions Limited

In 1870, land records were chaotic in the Kingdom of Hawai'i as a result of often poor surveying during the mahele process. Under William DeWitt Alexander, an agency was established to survey and map the country. The Hawaiian Government Survey was an ambitious undertaking; the United States lacked a similar agency to map the entire country.Alexander shaped the HGS into a survey that achieved a high standard of proficiency, choosing not to emulate Western mapping agencies, but developing a uniquely Hawaiian approach to mapping the land.The HGS preserved the vestiges of the Hawaiian system of land tenure. Surveyors documented ancient boundaries, names of land units and features within them by employing and consulting with Hawaiians; preservation of references to that land system has been an important component in the preservation of Hawaiian culture.

Mapping the Lands and Waters of Hawai'i: The Hawaiian Government Survey(Palapala'aina, Vol.3)

Editions Ltd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Riley Moore Moffat. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Riley Moore Moffat