The Great Mahele was an:
a. Equitable distribution of lands among the people of Hawaii.
b. A real estate rip-off sponsored by the Europeans.
c. An attempt by the chiefs to steal land from the kama'aina.
d. Was resisted by the chiefs who loved and protected their people.
Not an easy one really.
A Hawaiian Hale and Residents
A. Equitably distribute lands among the people of Hawaii.
The Great Mahele was NOT an equitable distribution of land.
Title was awarded based on historical residence, but the residents of the land, for the most part were not fully aware of their heritage. Their relational awarenesses were primarily based on horizontal dependencies among active cultivators. In addition there is a rotational aspect to Hawaiian agriculture, and cultivation was not necessarily continuous in any particular area. This is particularly evident in dry land farming where cultivation did not often extend beyond a few years.
So, when asked about 'title' to land, it was often difficult for a family to trace back active use of a particular land parcel. They often had difficulty identifying what lands previous generations farmed, and might find exact genealogical reference difficult. They might know what lands the family farmed in the last twenty years, but these lands may have changed over time as new, or rested areas were exploited.
In either case, the kama'aina were at a severe disadvantage to a system that awarded lands on genealogical residence and use.
B. A real estate rip-off sponsored by the Europeans.
The concepts of land ownership, title, and monarchical administration were taken directly from English Law. In that sense the Europeans exerted a particularly heavy influence on the system which was used for land distribution. BUT, Europeans did not, for the most part benefit directly from the Mahele. They did however gain later as titles were bestowed and land sales were made possible.
C. An attempt by the chiefs to steal land from the kama'aina.
The chiefs who ruled the islands did so as overlords. They gave their allegiances to their superior chiefs and followed them. They were often awarded rule of lands, often maintained that rule for long periods, but were not directly involved in production. Their rule was in many ways parasitic, with the promised benefits of stability and safety for the populations, often ignored as they fought among each other.
The rule of Kamehameha changed the dynamic. Kona chiefs gained rule over vast areas on many islands. These chiefs awarded their supporters land as well. The relationships continued as highly parasitic as the lesser chiefs first demanded tribute, and then 'taxes' as the monarchy was established.
The chiefs had genealogies, were meticulous in their memories, and could prove and trace residency on lands, despite their lack of participation in production. History was a long established means to power for the chiefs. They used their history to claim title to lands.
In this way many of the Kona and Maui (Ka'ahumanu's relatives) became powerful influences on many islands.
D. Was resisted by the chiefs who loved their people.
The Monarchy was most interested in gaining title to lands for the King and his direct supporters. The ideas of European ownership were perverted to allow title to be awarded to chiefly residents or Royalty, over the kama'aina, whose families had long cultivated lands.
The Kings of Hawaii sold out the people of the land. They claimed title to all lands that were not directly occupied by the commoners, raised taxes, and drove many of the remaining residents from the land for failure to pay taxes. The Mahele was a vicious land grab by the powerful ruling body of Hawaiian Elite over those who had long cultivated the land. The great estates we see today are the result of a massive theft and fraud by the Hawaiian chiefs against the common people.
Europeans are made scapegoats as they came in afterwards and bought the lands from the corrupt chiefly class, or married into the chiefly lines and gained access to vast areas of land formerly occupied by the common people.
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