ON THE DECLINE IN POPULATION.
Waioli, Kauai, 1835.
I read the Kumu Hawaii, pepa 18, on page 140, and I thought, while we are in the midst of life, we live in the midst of death. Our friends die on our right hand, and on our left. Death is victorious over children, and elderly; over the young, and the aged. Strength cannot ward it off; it cannot be escaped through wealth nor skill.
There are a great many people who die in a single year, and there are none to fill their void; therefore, the population of Hawaii just declines.
The decline is clear on Oahu, at Waialua and at Waianae and Ewa. So too at our place here on Kauai.
We carefully counted the adults and the children on this side of Kauai, from Kealia to Koolau, from Halelea to Kalalau at the cliff. There are 2536 adults—And as for children, those born from the death of the Chief, Kaumualii, until now, number 582. The adults combined with the children total 3,118 all together.
We also counted the people who died and the children born in this area from the month of September in the year 1834 until September of this year 1835.
This table shows the number of adults and children; the people who died, and the children born, over the past year. They being from this ahupuaa* and that ahupuaa, from Kealia until Kalalau.
TABLE OF THE POPULATION OF KAUAI.
| Adults | Children | Total | Number of people who died in one year. | The children born in one year. | |
| Kealia (Puna) | 265 | 18 | 283 | 16 | 5 |
| Homaikawaa (Puna) | 60 | 10 | 70 | ||
| Anehola (Koolau) | 274 | 49 | 323 | 14 | 6 |
| Papaa (Koolau) | 37 | 8 | 45 | 2 | 1 |
| Maloaa (Koolau) | 102 | 13 | 115 | 13 | 2 |
| Lepeuli (Koolau) | 70 | 15 | 85 | 2 | 4 |
| Waipake (Koolau) | 66 | 12 | 78 | 7 | 1 |
| Pilaa (Koolau) | 104 | 22 | 126 | 13 | |
| Waiakalua (Koolau) | 85 | 16 | 101 | 7 | 1 |
| Kahili (Koolau) | 80 | 11 | 91 | 6 | 2 |
| Kilauea (Koolau) | 88 | 29 | 117 | 4 | 2 |
| Kalihiwai (Halelea) | 156 | 34 | 190 | 8 | 2 |
| Kalihikai (Halelea) | 84 | 15 | 99 | 4 | 1 |
| Hanalei (Halelea) | 376 | 146 | 522 | 22 | 27 |
| Waioli (Halelea) | 60 | 23 | 83 | 9 | 3 |
| Betelehema (Halelea) | 60 | 15 | 75 | ||
| Waipa (Halelea) | 73 | 12 | 85 | 2 | 3 |
| Lumahai (Halelea) | 90 | 29 | 119 | 15 | 4 |
| Wainiha (Halelea) | 153 | 63 | 216 | 8 | 8 |
| Haena (Halelea) | 100 | 16 | 116 | 4 | 1 |
| Hanakoa (Pali) | 38 | 10 | 48 | 2 | 1 |
| Kalalau (Pali) | 115 | 16 | 131 | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 2536 | 582 | 3118 | 164 | 80 |
| The number of people who died in a single year, | 164 | ||||
| The children born during that time, | 80 | ||||
| The decrease, | 84 | ||||
If deaths are like this, and births, from Hawaii to Niihau, then in one year the number of deaths are 6838; the births in one year, 33355; therefore, the decrease in the population of Hawaiians is 3503 in one year. Hear me O Living people, prepare you all to die.
W. P. A.
*Originally the word “ohanapuaa” (pig litter) was used, and had me confused, but the good thing about newspapers (as opposed to books), is that corrections can be easily made in a later issue. In the 12/9/1835 issue on page 200, they announce their misprint, saying that “ohanapuaa” should have been “ahupuaa”.
[W. P. A. most likely was missionary William Patterson Alexander.
See another article about the population decrease in Kauai and Niihau from later in the same year. Click here.]
(Kumu Hawaii, 10/14/1835, p. 164)
Ke Kumu Hawaii, Buke 1, Pepa 21, Aoao 164. Okatoba 14, 1835.
nupepa 