In the 1800s, Hawaiian newspapers faced numerous challenges serving a readership that spanned the entire island chain. These challenges affected all aspects of the business, including obtaining regional news and delivering the papers to far-flung areas lacking infrastructure.
To solve these problems, the papers used a geographic network of representatives that included correspondents and agents. Correspondents provided local news to the papers while agents delivered the papers in their area and handled other subscriber matters.
Kaupo had a significant readership and so had a number of correspondents and agents over the years. Significant among these figures is Paul Puhalahua, who served in both roles for the papers.
In part, Puhalahua had good timing. He was active from 1882 until his passing in 1892. This was the final decade before the coup against the Hawaiian kingdom in January 1893 and therefore a momentous period for news. Also, the independent Hawaiian newspapers that had sprouted up in the 1860s were in full bloom by the 1880s and were serving one of the most literate societies in the world.
But aside from these external factors, Puhalahua stands out as a prolific, creative writer passionate about newspapers and his role within them.
Puhalahua as a correspondent
In 1882, Puhalahua, age 32, began sending in reports of East Maui news to papers. Over the next 10 years, in his work as a correspondent he would write over two dozen articles for three separate publications: Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Ka Nupepa Elele and Ko Hawaii Pae Aina. The articles would typically include briefs on a range of topics, including church news, the weather and accidents such as fires and near-drownings.
Puhalahua's earliest submissions appeared in summarized form in the section for letters from readers, indicating he may not have been a formal correspondent at that point. Below is an example from Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in October 1882:
Mai a P. Puhalahua, e noho la i Kaupo, Maui, ua pomaikai kakou i ka lohe ana i na nuhou makamaka o ia wahi, a penei kana i hoike mai ai:
Mai ka mahina o Iune a hiki loa mai i ka mahina o Iulai, nui loa ka la a me ka maloo o Kaupo. Maloo na wahi pue uwala a nui ka poho, aka, komo mai iloko o ka mahina o Augate, nui ka ua a me ma-u o ka lepo. Ulu mohaha na wahi pue uwala, kupu nui na manaolana iloko o ka puuwai o na kanaka no ka loaa mahuahua o ka pomaikai.
[From P. Puhalahua of Kaupo, Maui, we are fortunate to hear of news of this place, and here is what he has reported:
All through June and July, it was extremely hot and dry in Kaupo. The sweet potato mounds dried out and many were lost. But once August came, the rains came and dampened the earth. The sweet potato mounds again grew robustly, and in the hearts of the people sprouted hope that this good fortune would continue to flourish.]
Even before the 1880s, Puhalahua had shown an eagerness to engage with newspapers and not just be a passive reader. In the 1870s, he would periodically send in answers to riddles published in Ko Hawaii Pae Aina and Ka Nupepa Kuokoa.
By 1884, Puhalahua appeared to be a full-fledged correspondent, with his submissions being printed in his own words in articles that could span multiple columns. The article below from Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in September 1885 illustrates a typical piece:
NA HANA A KA HAKU.—Ke hoomau nei no ka ahahui opiopio elike me ka nui o ka la, pela pu no me kahi poe hoomaloka, pa maloo ka aina, oia nae hoi, he wa kai pu a he wa kai emi.
PAKELE MAI MAKE.—I ka la 14 o Ian. pakele o Kahoohua mai make. O ke kumu, ua holo aku la ua Kahoohua nei i ka lawaia, a mawaena o na a-mokumoku o Mokulau, kahuli iho la ka waa, a ke lumilumi ia nei e ka nalu, a owau i kela manawa, aia wau iluna o kahi a-mokumoku okoa aku kahi i huli maunu ai, a lohe i ka leo uwauwa o na haumana kula, ia wa i holo mai ai o Nehemia a me Kawaiaea Jr. e kokua i keia mea pilikia. O keia kanaka, he pilikana oia no ka makamaka J. P. Iwa e noho mai la i ka huikau o ke taona.
PAKELE MAI PAU I KE AHI.—I ka po o ka la 19 o Ian. ua pakele o Keoni Auhea mai pau i ke ahi. Penei ka moolelo: Ua hele aku ua Keoni nei me Kuheleloa i ke paeaea po, a i ka pau ana o ka laua paeaea ana, hoi aku la laua hiamoe iloko o ke ana, a ia laua e hiolani ana, aia iloko o ke eke o Keoni he kukaepele me na pono a pau o ke puhi paka, ia wa ua a ae la ke kukaepele a pau ke eke o ke kuka a hiki i ka hapalua like ae, a ua a pu ia aku la kona lole e pili ana i ka ili, a na ka wela i hoala ae, eia ka, ua pau kekahi hapa o kona kapa i ka a ia e ke ahi, a ua ike au iaia i ka la 20 ae. Pakele maoli no ua Keoni nei.
Ke ao mai nei keia mau hana ia oe e Keoni, a me ka poe a pau; e malama ma kahi kupono e waiho ai ke kukaepele, i ole e poino. O ke kuli ka make o ka lohe ke ola.
[THE WORK OF THE LORD.—The work of the youth society continues much like the parching sun. So it is with unbelievers, they are arid land for farming. But there are ebbs and flows.
ESCAPE FROM DEATH.—On Jan. 14, Kahoohua narrowly escaped death. Kahoohua had set out to sea fishing, and while among the islets at Mokulau, the canoe overturned and was taken under by the waves. At that time, I was on one of the islets looking for bait and heard shouting from the students at school. Then Nehemia and Kawaiaea Jr. set out on a boat to help the one in trouble. This person is a relation of our friend J. P. Iwa living in the big city.
AVOIDED A FIERY DEATH.—On the night of Jan. 19, John Auhea avoided dying in a fire. Here is the account: John and Kuheleloa had gone pole fishing that night, and when they were done, they went to sleep in a cave. In John’s pocket were matches for smoking tobacco, and while they were fast asleep, the matches caught fire and burned through the pocket of his coat and the remaining clothes to his skin. The heat woke him up, and he found much of his clothes burned from the fire. I saw him the next day, on the 20th, and John truly had a narrow escape.
This situation is a lesson to you, John, and everyone else. Be careful where you place your matches, lest disaster strike. To ignore this means death, to listen means life.]
Puhalahua took pleasure in his writing craft, employing touches of humor and creative turns of phrase. In an article in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in October 1885, he wrote about a married woman who unsuccesfully tried to obtain a marriage license to marry a second man. Puhalahua observed wryly, “Poho ka manaolana, o kahi nae i pono loa ai aole i kalua ia na puaa no ka mare ana.” [Their hope was dashed, but at least the pig for the marriage feast had not been cooked yet.]
In another example, he wrote in one article about church progress, stating that, “I keia mau malama e nee malie nei, pela no na hana a ka Haku ma Kaupo nei, aole hoi o ka holo o ka lio Kaleponi, kiani i ka lina poepoe.” [These past few months have plodded along, as has the work of the Lord here in Kaupo. The pace is not like that of a California horse flying around a racetrack.]
But Puhalahua took his power seriously as well. He criticized the shortcomings of public figures including judges, sheriffs, political candidates and religious leaders, as well as offering praise when warranted.
In 1886, in his first article as a correspondent for Ka Nupepa Elele, he cast the strength of his words and the novel speed of newspapers in wizard-like terms:
Ke anai aku nei au i ka huila aniani me kena apana silika, a na ka uwila ia e hoohana iho a he hikilele ana ka ke ao holookoa i ka anapu mai i ka pae opua.
[As I rub a crystal ball with silk cloth, the electricity generated shoots across the entire world in a flash from the clouds.]
Although Puhalahua was free to voice his opinions within his articles, the papers did not always agree with his sentiments. In the same article in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in October 1885 in which Puhalahua contrasted religious progress with a racehorse, Puhalahua wrote against candidates from outside the Hana area running for that district's seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives. The newspaper's editor added the following dissenting note below Puhalahua's article:
Hookahi hemahema o keia leta a Puhalahua, oia kona papa ana i ka poe koho o kona apana aole e koho i ka mea e noho ana mawaho o ka apana, he hemahema ia manao, Heaha ka hewa ke wae ae na makaainana i ka poe kupono a akamai, oloko o ka apana a me ko waho no hoi, ke ikeia ua pono ia poe?
[One flaw in this letter from Puhalahua is that he opposes voters in his district choosing someone who resides outside the district. This is a faulty opinion. What harm is there if the public elects qualified and intelligent people from within or outside the district if it is apparent these people are a good fit?]
Puhalahua as a news agent
In addition to his work as a correspondent, Puhalahua also served as an agent for various newspapers. News agents, or luna, served a variety of roles. Agents would receive issues for their designated area and be responsible for delivering these to subscribers. They also collected payments for subscriptions and ads.
In the 1860s, the network of news agents rapidly expanded. For 1865, Ka Nupepa Kuokoa had news agents in seven areas of Maui: Hana, Honuaula, Kaanapali, Kaupo, Lahaina, Makawao and Wailuku. For 1870, there were news agents for 19 different areas of the island.
By 1884, Puhalahua was serving as the Kaupo news agent for Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. Two years later, he added Ko Hawaii Pae Aina and Nupepa Elele.
Some of Puhalahua's main tasks as a news agent were obtaining and retaining subscribers. Newspapers paid their agents based on the number of subscribers the agent acquired, and Puhalahua's pay from his three papers was likely similar to that of a competing paper of the period, Ka Makaainana, which paid $0.15 to news agents for every five subscribers, $0.20 for 10 subscribers, and $0.25 for more than 10 subscribers. Note that this wasn't enormous compensation; adjusted for inflation, $0.25 in that period would equate to about $8 today.
Despite the modest pay, Puhalahua tackled his role with enthusiasm. In a July 1886 notice in Nupepa Elele he urged Kaupo residents to renew their subscriptions, calling out the entertainment value of the paper:
Mai hooki i ka lawe ana i ka nupepa ELELE, no ka mea, eia iho na nanea he lehulehu wale e moe ole ai ka po, a e kuko ai hoi i po me ke ao.
[Don't stop subscribing to the Nupepa ELELE, since there are so many delights within that you will not be able to sleep at night and you will be seduced until daybreak".]
Puhalahua delivered an even more extensive and lyrical appeal in a subscription notice in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in November 1884, where he addressed residents from various areas of Kaupo in poetic terms:
E na keiki lalawai o ka iliili ne-he o Nuu, eia ka leo o ke aloha, e lawe aku oe i hoa kuili nou no ke ano ahiahi, a mai nonohua a kapae ae iaia. E na lede maka onaona o Puuomaiai, a me na keiki o ka uka iuiu o Mana, e lawe aku iaia nei ma ko oe poli, i hoa kaunu no na po mahina lailai. E ko Kumunui mau iwa, eia ke aloha la ke haalele mai nei ia kakou, aka, aole pela ka pono, e paa mai no kakou a paa, a komo hou iloko o keia makahiki hou e hoea mai ana. No ka mea, ua lilo i mea aloha, ua lilo hoi i mau hoa kakele no ka naita Kahanuopaineki, a pela no kakou e ike ai i na mea hou o kela a me keia ano. Aole no hoi oia wale, he mau olelo ao naauao kekahi a keia pepa.
[Young fishermen of the rustling pebbles of Nuu, here is the voice of affection, take a partner to embrace in the evening and do not be tempted to stray. O sweet-faced ladies of Puuomaiai and children of the lofty uplands of Mana, take it to your breast like a lover on calm moonlit nights. O frigate birds of Kumunui, our beloved is leaving us, but this should not be. Let us hold on tight as we enter this new year. For it has become dear, a traveling companion regarding the knight Kahanuopaineki. This is how we learn of news of every variety. Not only that, but the paper also contains educational information.]
Apart from delivering papers and soliciting subscribers, agents also assisted subscribers when issues did not arrive, a common problem. Naturally, agents worried about the effect this would have on renewals.
In the same notice from November 1884 mentioned above, Puhalahua voiced his concern about the harm missed issues could have on renewals and explained the resolution process to subscribers:
I ka poe lawe i kou Kilohana e ke KUOKOA, no ko’u ike ke holokiki aku nei kakou i ka pahu hopu, a kaa hope ae keia makahiki, malia aia iloko o ko oukou mau puuwai ke kanalua ana me ka olelo iho: Aole makou e lawe hou ana i keia nupepa, no ka mea aole he hoouna ia mai. … Ina he Luna kau, a i hookaa oe i ke dala, e noi pu aku oe i ka bila oia hookaa ana, me kona hoopaa pu mai i kona inoa, me kou malama loa i kela bila; a i hiki ole mai kau nupepa, alaila, palapala pololei oe i ke Kuokoa elike me ka hoakaka ma ka Helu 41, ma kou hoouna pu aku i keia bila hookaa, a pela wale no e pono ai. … Mai manao iho oe, o ka hiki ole ana mai o ka nupepa i ke kahi pule, a oia ka mea nana e hookuia ai kou noonoo maikai ana. Ano, e ka mea heluhelu, e hoomanao ae oe no na hoakaka maluna.
[Subscribers of your wonderful KUOKOA, as I see we are swiftly arriving at the end point of this year, perhaps you have hesitation in your hearts, saying to yourselves, we will not continue to subscribe to this newspaper because it is not arriving. … If you pay a news agent, ask for a signed bill of sale and hold on to it. If you don’t receive your newspaper, write directly to the Kuokoa as explained in Issue 41 and submit the bill of sale. That’s all that needs to be done. … If the newspaper doesn’t come one week, don’t let this harm your opinion of it. Readers, remember the instructions above.]
If subscribers did not want to write directly to the newspaper, Puhalahua offered to assist, as in this notice from January 1886:
Ina haule kekahi helu a oukou aole i loaa pono mai, e hele mai e hoike ia'u, i hiki ia'u ke kauoha i ka Lunahooponopono, a pela e paa mau ai na helu i haule ma ko onko inoa.
[If you fail to receive an issue, come tell me so that I can make a request to the editor, and the issues that have been missed will be held in your name.]
Papers had more to fear from missed issues than the loss of an individual subscriber. Competition was fierce, with at least 15 Hawaiian-language newspapers in the 1890s. Publications that drew readers' ire faced not only cancellations, but public criticism.
With his offer to assist subscribers with missed issues, Puhalahua may well have been trying to head off a situation like what happened in 1894, in a matter he was not associated with. In August of that year, Nuu resident William Kala wrote an indignant letter to Ka Leo o ka Lahui and Ka Oiaio titled Ua Pau ka Lihi Hoihoi i ka Holomua Pauaka (Any Bit of Interest in the Progress Holomua Has Ended) announcing the poor customer service of the English-languge Hawaii Progress Holomua:
Mr. Lunaoponopono a “Ka Leo ame Ka Oiaio” E oluolu oe e hookomo iho makahi kaawale o kou mau kolamu i kela mau mapuna olelo e kau kehakeha a’e la, i ike mai na Ona a me na Hope o ka Nupepa Holomua Pauaka i ka ai kou hana pono ole a hoouna ole mai i ka nupepa a Mr. Mahui (k) he elemakule ia e noho ana ma Nuu Kaupo, Maui.
Ke mihi nei kela elemakule i ka lilo ana o kana dala hookahi no keia hapa hope o keia makahiki, mai Iulai 1 a hiki i Dek. 1, 1894.
Nolaila mai Iulai pule mua a hiki i keia la a’u e kakau nei (oia hoi Helu 27, alaila hoomaka mai) ke hoike nei au me ka oiaio imua o na mea a pau, aole he kope hookahi o ka Holomua o keia hapa hope i loaa mai i kona lima oiai ua hoouna ia aku ke dala ma ka Bila hale Leta ma ka la 12 o Iulai nei ua loaa pono mai ka likiki hookaa eia ma ko makou mau lima e paa nei, a pehea i hola la i hoouaa ole ia mai ai ka Nupepa a keia elemakule?
He nui ko’u hilahila no ko lakou hana pono ole mai. Owau no hookahi i hoohokaia e na Ona o ka “Holomua.” Ekolu a’u palapala ana, e hoouna mai i ka makou pepa, me kuu hoouna pu aku i ka Papa Inoa e hoouna mai i ka makou Nupepa me ka owilipakahi, me ka haule ole o kekahi kope i make pono ai ka makou dala lilo i ka makahiki eia nae, aole he hoouna ia mai nolaila ua makehewa ka leta hou ana aku he hoopau pooleta wale no ia.
Ke hoike no au me ka oiaio, o makou o ka poe ma Kaupo nei aia ahiki aku i ka la 31 o Dek. A. D. 1894 nei e paa ana ko mako ohohia ana i ka “Holomua”. O ke kumu o ko makou makemake ole mai i keia nupepa, oia no ka hana pono ole mai o na Ona, aohe he houna pololei mai i ka makou nupepa.
[Mr. Editor of Ka Leo and Ka Oiaio, please insert in your columns the angry thoughts above so that the owners and staff of the Progress Holomua newspaper will know their mistreatment and failure to send the newspaper to Mr. Mahui, an elder living at Nuu, Kaupo, Maui.
This elder regrets paying a dollar for a subscription for the second half of the year, from July 1 to Dec. 1, 1894.
From the first week of July to the day I am writing this (that is, beginning with Issue 273), I publicly swear that not one issue of the Holomua from this half-year has reached his hands. This even though he mailed in his dollar at the post office on July 12, of which we have a receipt here in our hands. So how is it that the newspaper has not been sent to this elder?
I am ashamed that they would behave so poorly. I am disappointed in the owners of the Holomua. I have written to our paper three times, sending as well the list of names to provide for in the bundles of our paper being sent, and to not forget a copy for the dollar spent for this period. However, it has not been sent, so it would be a waste of postage to send another letter.
I hereby declare that from Dec. 31, 1894, we people of Kaupo will have no more interest in the Holomua. The reason we no longer want this paper is because of the mistreatment by the owners in not sending our papers correctly.]
Puhalahua's death
By the early 1890s, Puhalahua was suffering from health issues. In May 1891, at age 41, Puhalahua entered Queen's Hospital in Honolulu seeking treatment for a fever. He wrote a letter to Ka Nupepa Kuokoa while in the hospital, praising the doctors and nurses.
Puhalahua returned to Kaupo later in 1891 and continued writing articles. However, in May 1892 he was back Queen's Hospital for difficulty breathing and a cough—telltale symptoms of tuberculosis.
Again he wrote a letter praising his medical care, sending it this time to Hawaii Holomua. He ended the letter announcing his eagerness to go home to Kaupo:
Ke huli hoi nei au me ka hauoli o ka manao e ike i ka maka o ka wahine a me na keiki, no ka ua Peepapohaku o Kaupo.
[With happy thoughts, I am returning to see the faces of my wife and the children of the Kaupo rain that makes one hide behind rock walls.]
Sadly, Puhalahua's time was running short. He may have sensed this, since that same month he was in Queen's Hospital he placed a subscription to Hawaii Holomua in the name of his daughter, Kaimihala. Kaimihala would have been around 9 at the time, and Puhalahua may have been hoping to instill in her the same appreciation he held for newspapers.
Puhalahua returned to Kaupo and wrote one final article for Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, published in August 1892. He was also selected to serve as an inspector for the special election for the House of Nobles on November 29 of that year—but passed away the day before the election.
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa ran a short obituary on December 10, 1892, describing Puhalahua's varied careers:
I ka la 28 o Novemaba i hala, ma Kumunui, Kaupo, Hana, Maui, ua kii mai la ka make ia P. Puhalahua a kaili aku la iaia mai keia ola ana. Ua hanau ia oia ma Kaupo, i ka hapenuia o ka makahiki 1850, nolaila ua 42 kona mau makahiki ma kona wa i make ai. He kanaka oia i hoonaauao ia, ua noho ma na oihana kumukula, makai, halihali leta, he loio no na aha liilii a he agena hooiaio no na palapala. Ua lawelawe pu oia i ka oihana luna nupepa no keia nupepa no kekahi mau makahiki. Ke noho u aku nei kana wahine me hookahi keiki a me na makemake he nui nona mahope aku nei Aloha. no ia.
[On November 28 at Kumunui, Kaupo, Hana, Maui, death came for P. Puhalahua and wrested him away from this life. He was born in Kaupo on New Year’s Day of 1850 and so was 42 years old when he passed away. He was an educated man and served as a teacher, policeman, mail carrier, lawyer for the lower courts and notary public. He also served as a news agent for this paper for many years. His wife is in mourning along with a sole child and many friends. Farewell.]
Puhalahua's death also coincided with the demise of Hawaii's sovereignty. Less than two months after his passing, Queen Liliʻuokalani was deposed, ending the Hawaiian kingdom.
It's clear that, like most writers, Puhalahua hoped to leave a legacy that would extend beyond his death. In an article from October 1889, he closed with a plea to be remembered:
Oia ke kumu o keia hoouna imua o kou kino lahilahi o ke Kilohana o ka Lahui Hawaii, ma ko’u ano he hanu mea hou, au hoi e hoopoina ole ai i ko’u inoa e maalo mau ana imua o kou pakaukau.
[This is why I am sending this to you, the delicate pages of the “Pride of the Hawaiian Nation”. I am like a breath of fresh air, let my name not be forgotten as it ever passes across your table.]
It's fitting then that through an ad, Puhalahua's name continued on in the newspapers for months after his death. In April 1892, Puhalahua had taken out an ad for a year in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa announcing his services as a lawyer and notary public. Thus, the ad continued to run multiple times a week through March 1893.
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