A Military History of Sovereign Hawaii [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Neil Bernard Dukas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

Until the year 1898, Hawai‘i was a sovereign nation. A Military History of Sovereign Hawai‘i provides an overview of Hawai‘i’s remarkable military history, beginning with the classical period and progressing through the political turmoil of the nineteenth century to the annexation of Hawai‘i by the United States.

The book is written in two parts. The first focuses on the classical Hawaiian warrior, or koa. The second part presents the post-classical warriors of Hawai‘i, the uniformed armed forces of the Hawaiian kingdom. This groundbreaking work, full of previously unpublished photographs, is the first effort of its kind to examine the transition from Kamehameha’s military to that of the monarchy.

A Military History of Sovereign Hawai‘i is the logical starting-point for anyone interested in the subject. Topics covered include Hawai‘i’s warrior roots, religious and cultural influences, weapons, martial arts (lua), tactics, and domestic and foreign challenges.

Appealing equally to those who crave historic detail and those who want a compelling narrative, this volume explores the riveting story of the precarious historical relationship between armed force and independence in Hawai‘i.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A researcher faithful to provable fact...Dukas refutes widespread misunderstandings. -- Honolulu Advertiser, February 27, 2005

Dukas' superbly researched, elegantly written, and handsomely produced study of Hawaii's military history deserves a large audience. -- Military Heritage Magazine, April 1, 2005

Dukas, apparently a tireless researcher, has assembled a tremendously useful reference tool that's also fun to read. -- Burl Burlingame, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 27, 2004

Knows his subject and injects the volume with easy-to-read accounts of the forces that affected Hawai‘i’s military culture. -- Sebastian Blanco, Honolulu Weekly, June 9, 2004

Superb analysis of the warrior culture that developed in the Hawaiian Islands is masterly conveyed in an easy-to-read style. -- Lt. Col.-Dr. J.A. English, former professor of strategy, Naval War College

From the Publisher

A comprehensive history of Hawai‘i’s warrior and military traditions, the book also contains timelines, over 100 photographs, illustrations and historical documents.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Mutual Publishing (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566476364
• ISBN-13: 978-1566476362
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,472,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Addition to the field of Hawaiian History, February 19, 2005

By 

David S. Poepoe "savant" (El Segundo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Military History of Sovereign Hawaii (Paperback)

I recently picked this book up while visiting Hawaii. It is very interesting and it is nice to learn about such new additions to Hawaiian history are becoming available. Dukas makes an excellent presentation of Hawaii's military past from its days before Kamehameha the Great's Unification of the islands, through the troubled years of the Kingdom and ending in brief years of the Republic. Extensive bibliography. Hopefully this will be the first of many historical works that will shed more light onto the years of the Kingdom of Hawaii and show it in a far more positive light than critics continue to portray it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent look at Hawaii's military before the U.S., July 26, 2009

By 

James D. Crabtree "Doc Crabtree" (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Military History of Sovereign Hawaii (Paperback)

The military history of Hawaii can be very telling reading and the author has, in this case, done a very good job of it. Hawaii was united as a kingdom in the early 19th century and then tried to transform itself from a country reliant upon a warrior caste armed with traditional stabbing and cutting weapons to a modern volunteer military force armed with firearms. The difficulties involved in establishing and maintaining military units, the internal politics of Hawaii and the archipeligo's strategic desirability amongst the great powers were all factors in what did and did not happen with Hawaii's military.

A very good read.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent over view of Hawaii's military hsitory, May 24, 2010

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Military History of Sovereign Hawaii (Paperback)

Neil Dukas wrote this excellent book on the military history of Kingdom of Hawaii. The book goes back to the warrior culture of old Hawaii, to it unification as a singular kingdom and its slow but steady decline. The book is an excellent study on why the Kingdom of Hawaii fell in the end and how.

The book is well written, well researched and highly readable. It short enough that it doesn't bore you with detail but yet long enough to provide excellent information. The book comes with interesting photographs and illustrations as well. The book clearly pointed out that the downfall of the warrior caste is directly linked to the lack of military power of the kingdom and their inability to defend themselves. This inability also allowed influx of whites into the kingdom who hold greater loyalty to the United States and her interests then to Hawaii. This above all else, led to the kingdom's fall. Interestingly, is the failure of the Asian population of Hawaii to come to aid of the monarchy. Also interesting is that many native Hawaiians supported the Republicans who overthrew the monarchy in the end.

When I finished reading this book, I felt that Kingdom of Hawaii was lost mainly due to the "lack of guts". The kingdom folded their hands too quick, too often and without much foresight during their short history. They forgot that liberty, self-determination and independence are forge in blood of its defenders, not at the mercy of their oppressors.