Hawaii colonists braved enemy fire to hold islands for U.S.

Throughout this week, we have been commemorating the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and our subsequent entry into World War II. As memories fade and those who bore witness become fewer and fewer, it becomes more important than ever to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our community and country on Dec. 7.

But may we also remember those from Hawaii who also served, including some 130 “solider citizens,” known collectively as Hui Panala‘au, who colonized five distant Pacific islands in the Pacific from 1935 to 1942.

These young men, a majority of whom were Native Hawaiian, endured endless sun with no trees or fresh water, rats, millions of birds, shark infested seas and, ultimately, enemy fire.

Living for months at a time in teams of four, they mapped the islands, took weather readings, collected specimens for Bishop Museum, farmed, fished and kept a daily log. Their successful colonization led to President Franklin D. Roosevelt claiming the islands of Howland, Baker and Jarvis in 1936, and Canton and Endurbury in 1938 — but the federal government nonetheless insisted on continued occupation, even as war loomed in the Pacific.

On Dec. 8, 1941, Joseph Keliihananui, 26, and Richard “Dickey” Whaley, 19, were killed in a Japanese aerial attack. It would take nearly two months for all of the remaining colonists to be rescued, and the remains of Keliihananui and Whaley would not be brought home until the 1950s.

Lost for decades, the story was resurrected through a Bishop Museum exhibition, “Hui Panala‘au: Hawaiian Colonists, American Citizens” and a documentary, “Under a Jarvis Moon.” In the film’s closing line, colonist Paul Phillips says: “I hope I live to see the day the Hui Panala‘au receive the recognition they so honorably deserve.”

Efforts last year to introduce federal legislation to honor their contributions and sacrifices resulted in passage of U.S. Senate Resolution 109 but House Resolution 169, which was championed by the late U.S. Rep. Mark Takai, awaits a vote in a session that is rapidly dwindling.

This past October, Paul Phillips, the final remaining colonist, died at the age of 94. All of the Hui Panala‘au, including my grandfather, George Kahanu Sr., are now gone, but it is up to us, as the collective memories keepers, to recall their deeds, triumphs and sorrows.

Indeed, perhaps, it is not so much about what happens in the seat of our nation’s capital thousands of miles away, but rather, what happens right at home, like when 125 fifth-graders from Kamehameha Schools took to the stage in 2012 and performed a play to commemorate the men of Hui Panala‘au.

Let us keep the memory of these brave young men alive by recalling and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and all who claimed islands and represented their home, families and community in the distant South Pacific Seas. This long-lost chapter will be reflected in a free community screening of the documentary “Under a Jarvis Moon” at the ARTS at Marks Garage at 6 p.m. today, followed by an open discussion.

In this, the season of Lono, let us find a measure of peace. He lei mai‘ole, no na kau a kau. A never-fading lei for all seasons.

Noelle Kahanu, granddaughter of colonist George Kahanu Sr., is formerly with Bishop Museum and is now an assistant specialist in American Studies at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.