This view shows the HMS Discovery in the
foreground and the Resolution in the distance having just
come to anchor at Kealakekua Bay on the Island of Hawaii.
So many Hawaiians climbed onboard the Discovery that she
came close to capsizing. Midshipman George Gilbert describes
the chaos aboard the Discovery:
"When we wanted to work, we could
not come at the ropes without first driving the greater
part of the them [the Hawaiians] overboard; which they bore
with the utmost cheerfulness and good nature jumping from
every part of the ship into the water, as fast as they could,
appearing to be much diverted at it, and would come on board
again when the business was over."
It was one year earlier that the Cook
expedition had stumbled on the island of Kauai where islanders
told him of larger islands to the East. Captain Cook was
unable to confirm the information, at the time, as his orders
were to explore the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Remembering
the abundant food and gentle climate of the islands, upon
his return, Cook took the expedition south to explore those
islands he had not yet discovered.
The title of this work refers to the Hawaiian's
initial belief that Captain Cook was the ancient God Lono.
According to Hawaiian legend, it was foretold that Lono
would return on large floating islands. The pandemonium
created by the hundreds of Hawaiians as they gleefully explored
this gift from the gods continued throughout the day. As
soon as forty or fifty were driven off one side of the ship,
just as many would appear over the other side.
24 x 30 in. original oil painting
on canvas
Print
available
