Education of Hawaiian Youths Abroad facts for kids
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The Education of Hawaiian Youths Abroad was a special program that started on April 1, 1880. King Kalākaua created it to help young Hawaiians get a better education. At that time, Hawaii did not have many advanced schools. The King personally chose students based on their families and good grades. The program paid for everything, including their living costs and school fees. This allowed students to study at foreign universities or learn important trades outside of Hawaii.
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A Special Education Program
The program to send Hawaiian youths to study in other countries began in 1880. The government spent a lot of money on it. For example, they added $30,000 in 1882, $25,000 in 1884, and another $30,000 in 1886. This showed how much King Kalākaua believed in educating his people.
Students Traveling Abroad
Between 1880 and 1887, several young Hawaiians traveled far from home to learn. They went to places like Italy, Scotland, England, and even California. These students learned many different skills, from military training to art and medicine.
Learning in Europe
Five young Hawaiians, four boys and one girl, went to Italy. The first group left in August 1880. They were Robert Napuʻuako Boyd, Robert William Wilcox, and James Kaneholo Booth. King Kalākaua wanted them to attend a military school in Prussia. However, their guardian, Celso Caesar Moreno, found different schools for them in Italy. They studied in cities like Livorno, Turin, and Naples. Sadly, James Booth passed away in 1884 from an illness.
Later, in 1887, two more students went to Italy. August Hering studied sculpture, and Maile Nowlein studied art and music. They were preparing for careers in the arts.
Three other students went to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1882. They learned trades at a metal factory. One student, Hugo Kawelo, returned home in 1885 because he was sick. The other two, Henry Kapena and John Lovell, finished their training in 1886. They found jobs in San Francisco, but Henry Kapena soon returned to Hawaii.
In 1882, Joseph A. Kamauoha went to King's College London in England. Matthew Makalua and Abraham Charles Piianaia went to Denstone College. These students were looked after by Hawaii's Consul-General, Manley Hopkins. He sent regular updates to King Kalākaua. Hopkins also taught the students how to manage their money. Sadly, Joseph Kamauoha became ill and passed away in 1886.
Abraham Piianaia studied law. He was called back to Hawaii after a major political change happened in 1887. He later became a school principal on Maui. Matthew Makalua stayed in England. He finished his medical studies in 1890 and became a doctor there.
Studying in America and Asia
In 1882, Thomas Spencer started school at Saint Matthew's Episcopal Day School in San Mateo, California. Later, in 1885, the King's three nephews also joined the school. They were David Kawānanakoa, Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui, and Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole. While in California, Kūhiō and his brothers showed local people how to surf. This made them some of the first surfers in California in 1885! Sadly, Edward Keliʻiahonui became very sick in 1887. He was sent back to Hawaii but passed away soon after. Henry Grube Marchant was sent to Boston in 1887 to study engraving.
Some students were also sent to China and Japan to learn about Asian cultures. Not much is known about their studies. James Kapaa studied in Canton, China, from 1882 until he returned home in 1885. James Hakuole and Isaac Harbottle went to Japan in 1882. They learned to speak Japanese very well and learned a lot about Japanese culture. They were supposed to join a military university, but they were called back to Hawaii in 1887.
Why the Program Ended
The funding for this special education program stopped in 1887. This was because of a big political change in Hawaii. Most of the students were called back home. Some students, like Robert Wilcox and Robert Boyd, had military training. They found it hard to find work in Hawaii that used their skills. They were involved in a small uprising in 1889. This event was an attempt to change the government back to an earlier system. Critics in the newspapers used this as an example of why the program might have been a bad idea. The last student to receive money from the government was Matthew Makalua, who stopped getting aid after 1894.
Lasting Impact
Even after the program ended, people still remembered its importance. In 1901, the government of the Territory of Hawaii tried to start a similar program. Representative Jonah Kumalae wanted to send more young Hawaiians to top universities in the US or other countries.
More recently, in 2018, the Native Hawaiian Student Services at the University of Hawaii at Manoa started a new study abroad program. This program helps students from the university travel to places like London, Paris, and Italy for research and study tours. It continues the idea of learning from other cultures, just like King Kalākaua's program did over a hundred years ago.
