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Spread of Western Disease in Hawaii

 

            The first foreigners that came to Hawaii brought a new way of living to all the islands. The increase of foreign values opened the eyes of Hawaiians and gave them a new perspective on resources, but created a negative impact on the health and mentality of the Hawaiian people. In the movie Hawaii, a Christian man named Abner Hail came to Hawaii to save the souls of the native people. The collision of two different cultures left a tragedy in which differences lead to negative impacts on the native Hawaiian culture.
             Captain Cook left to the islands leaving the Hawaiians to believe he was Lono the god, which left a negative impact on the natives. Upon the arrival of Captain Cook, it was the time of Lono. The Shoals article states, "The Hawaiians had no doubt that they were in the presence of an important man. On the beach in front of the village hundreds of natives waited with gifts, and when Cook stepped from his boat they fell to the ground and lay face down until he encouraged them to get up. He accepted their offerings of pigs, bananas, and kappa or bark-cloth, distributed presents of his own." By accepting the offerings that were given, Cook took that into his own advantage and let the natives treat him as if he was god. Captain Cook's actions followed by the arrival to the islands led the Hawaiians to believe he was Lono. The natives were never exposed to the western world's diseases, which they has little immunity to. "With venereal disease already visible among the natives there was no reason to keep the women away. They came on board and made love spiritedly below decks, even though the rolling of the ships made some of them seasick," stated the article. With the arrival of Captain Cook and his men, they not ony brought along material that were new to the natives and could benefit their lifestyle, but they also brought along life threatening diseases. Captain Cook and his men took advantage of the Hawaiian population and their women, which impacted them in a negative way.


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