James Hunnewell Kekela (May 22, 1824 – November 29, 1904) was born in Mokulēʻia, Waialua, on the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

. He was the first

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

to be

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a Protestant minister in 1849. He worked as a missionary in the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...

. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

presented him with a gold pocket watch after he rescued an American sailor from

cannibals Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

Life

At an early age, he was educated in the Christian faith by American missionary Reverend John S. Emerson, stationed in Waialua. He attended the Sunday school of Reverend Benjamin Wyman Parker. He also attended the Lahainaluna Seminary at the expense of Captain James Hunnewell, whose name he adopted as his own. On December 21, 1849, Kekela was ordained as a Protestant minister, the first Native Hawaiian to be ordained. He initially worked as a pastor preaching at a small church in

Kahuku Kahuku () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. In the Hawaiian language, ''ka huku'' means "the projection", presumably a reference to Kahuku Point nearby, the northernmost point of land on the island of Oahu. As ...

, on the island of Oahu, and in 1852, he accompanied a reconnaissance mission to Micronesia to scout out new mission grounds. In 1853, Kekela and his wife Naomi were asked to join the new Protestant mission in the

. From 1853 until his retirement in 1899, Kekela lived and worked in the Marquesas Islands. He would head the mission along with Reverend Samuel Kauwealoha and Reverend Zachariah Hapuku (who arrived in 1861). Other missionary couples followed as well. The impact of the Hawaiian mission was reportedly small and met with many setbacks. Despite this, the modern Protestant Church in the Marquesas "retained the imprint of its Hawaiian founders". On January 14, 1864, Kekela rescued an American sailor Jonathan Whalon, of the

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

whaling vessel, the ''Congress'', from a cannibal chief and his followers on

Hiva Oa With its , Hiva Oa is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Located at 9 45' south latitude and 139 W longitude, it is the largest island of the southern Mar ...

. In gratitude for his service to an American citizen, President

awarded him a gold Cartier pocket watch. The watch bore the inscription:

From the President of the United States to Rev. J. Kekela For His Noble Conduct in Rescuing An American Citizen from Death on the Island of Hiva Oa January 14, 1864.

After retiring to his native Hawaii in 1899, he died on November 29, 1904, in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

.; ; ; He was buried at the cemetery of

Kawaiahaʻo Church Kawaiahaʻo Church is a historic Congregational church located in Downtown Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oʻahu. The church, along with the Mission Houses, comprise the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site, which was designated a U.S. Nati ...

. He and his wife Naomi, who was educated at Wailuku Female Seminary, had many children; two sons and four daughters were reported at the time of his death.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kekela, James Hunnewell 1824 births 1904 deaths People from Oahu Lahainaluna School alumni Hawaiian Kingdom Protestants Protestant missionaries in Hawaii Protestant missionaries in French Polynesia American Protestant ministers and clergy Burials at Kawaiahaʻo Church American Protestant missionaries 19th-century American clergy