Captain Cook in Hawaii

• Tasks
• Background
• Teachers' notes
• External links
• Connections to curriculum

On 14 February 1779, Captain James Cook – the British navigator and explorer – was killed in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii in a confrontation with the indigenous Hawaiians (Kānaka Maoli).

The story of his death, and his legacy, has been much explored and debated. Your job in this lesson is simple: use original sources to find out what really happened. Or maybe it’s not so simple?

In this lesson, students will explore different accounts of Cook’s final moments. These accounts are based on the logs from different members of Cook’s crew. Students will then look at depictions of Cook’s death in art.

None of these accounts come from the Hawaiian perspective – this is important to keep in mind as you go through the lesson.

Compare the accounts as well as other evidence of Cook’s death, to work out what happened when Cook died. Why is it important to consider a range of sources? What things influence how the historical narrative is set out?

Please note these sources include some violence and depictions of death, as well as some racist language and are presented here to accurately represent a historical narrative.

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Tasks

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Background

Cook is best known for his three voyages around the world, commissioned by the British Admiralty. During his first voyage (1768-1771), he famously charted the coastlines of modern-day eastern Australia and New Zealand, claiming them for Great Britain. You can learn more about that first voyage in this lesson resource.

In 1776, Cook, now promoted to captain, set out on his third and final voyage with the ships Discovery and Resolution. In January 1778, Cook and his crew became likely the first British people to visit the Hawaiian islands.

They went on to explore the west coast of North America and then returned to Hawaii, landing at Kealakekua Bay on 17 January 1779. Tensions had risen during their previous visit with the local inhabitants, and only grew worse upon their return. It was hard on the inhabitants to feed the crew of two ships. Cook’s crew took wooden images and fences from a sacred burial area for firewood, after their attempts to barter for it had been rejected. Cook decided to leave. Unfortunately, the poor condition of his two ships had caused problems throughout the voyage. Within a week the foremast of the Resolution was damaged and Cook was forced to return to Kealakekua Bay just four days after leaving to repair it.

While anchored in Kealakekua Bay, a longboat was stolen from the Resolution by the Hawaiians. To demand it back, Cook attempted to kidnap the aliʻi nui (ruling chief) of the island of Hawaii, Kalaniʻōpuʻu. This method – of taking a chief hostage to demand the return of stolen goods – was one that Cook had used earlier in Tahiti and Raiatea. Together with his crew, he woke Kalaniʻōpuʻu on the morning of 14 February 1779 and convinced him to come to the ship. As they were making their way there, members of the local community realised what was happening and tried to stop Kalaniʻōpuʻu. The situation soon escalated into a confrontation.

During this confrontation, Cook shot at a Hawaiian, missing and killing another, which caused a major fight to break out. Multiple people on both sides were killed during the confrontation. An important chief was also killed by British ships firing from the water. During the fight, Cook was stabbed and killed with an iron dagger.

After Cook’s death, his crew angrily tried to get his body back. They did not realise that the Hawaiians had certain funerary rights reserved for people of great importance, which they performed for Cook. However, after Cook’s crew torched an entire village in revenge, Cook’s remaining body parts were returned to them. They buried him at sea, and then completed their journey back to England.

The Admiralty in London found out about Cook’s death on 10 January 1780. The next day, The London Gazette publicised the news. After the return of the ships in October 1780, the Admiralty collected the journals and accounts of his crew members to be used for an official account of the expedition. The Admiralty’s official account was not published until 1784, likely based on the logs that you have read today; before then, four unauthorised accounts were published, including the account from John Rickman that is in this lesson. These accounts all added to the interest in and romanticisation of Cook’s death, which was reflected in the many works of art that were created around this time.

Captain Cook’s death was met with grief in Britain, where he left a legacy of knowledge about foreign lands and was respected as a navigator and cartographer. However, his legacy around the world is more complicated. In Hawaii, for example, his crew brought venereal diseases and tuberculosis. He also represents a colonising force, not only in Hawaii – where his presence led to more Europeans coming to the islands – but in places like Australia and New Zealand. His exploration of these places, which were formerly unknown in Britain, and his territorial claims contributed to the growth of the British Empire.

It is this complex legacy that has led to so much debate around Cook’s death and how it has been depicted, exacerbated by the lack of eye-witness accounts from the Hawaiians, crew members such as Captain John Gore, and of course Captain Cook himself. It’s also important to remember that the eye-witness accounts that we do have are from the perspective of Cook’s crew and may have been edited for a British audience.

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Teachers' notes

This lesson uses extracts from the journals of crew members on Cook’s final voyage to paint an image of Cook’s death, as well as artworks depicting his death after he died. Through the questions provided it is hoped that pupils can interrogate this evidence and work out the perspective of each source. Why is it important to try and look at different accounts of the same event if possible? Why is ‘how’ something is said as important as ‘what’ is being said?

The lesson is designed to help students understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.

It is important to explore also what is missing from both these sources. What is the language and tone of their content? What other sources should be consulted? These sources do not include the perspective of the indigenous people that Cook encountered. Here is a source that can help unpack the events from the perspective of the Hawaiians themselves.

It’s also important to keep the intended audiences of the crew’s journals, logs, and artworks in mind: the British public back home, who were eager for details about the voyage.

It may be useful to learn about Cook’s earlier encounters with indigenous people, for example his initial confrontation with Indigenous Australians during his first voyage. Here is a resource that can help unpack this encounter from an Aboriginal Australian perspective.

As a starting point, the lesson could be used as a discussion point for the concept of significant individuals in history. How and why are certain figures considered significant and why is it important to re-evaluate their contributions in the light of historical research? For primary school students, teachers exploring ‘Significant Individuals’ may want to start with some of the visual sources highlighted in this lesson. They can also use shorter extracts from the logbooks using simplified transcripts supplied here to support.

It may be useful to divide the students into groups where each group is given an extract, and then come back to work on a timeline together. Students may have different ideas of what happened based on the extract they have read.

Sources

Source 1a: Extract from the journal of Captain James Cook. Catalogue ref: ADM 55/113

Source 1b: Extract from the journal of Captain John Gore. Catalogue ref: ADM 55/120

Sources 2a, 3a: Log of James King, Second Lieutenant. Catalogue reference: ADM 55/123

Source 2b: Unknown crew member’s ship log. Catalogue reference: ADM 55/122

Sources 2c, 3b: Log of William Harvey, Masters Mate. Catalogue reference: ADM 55/121

Source 3c: Log of John Rickman, Second Lieutenant. Catalogue ref: ADM 51/4529

Source 4a: Extract from The Death of James Cook, 1789.

Source 4b: Death of Captain Cook by John Cleverly the Younger, 1784

Source 4c: Statue of Captain James Cook, The Mall, 1914

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External links

The Captain Cook Memorial Museum
The Museum is in the 17th century house on Whitby’s harbour where the young James Cook lodged as apprentice. It was here Captain Cook trained as a seaman, leading to his voyages of exploration.

Encountering history: ‘Discovery’ and ‘Resolution’ revisited
From the British Library. Hawaiian Historian Noelani Arista looks at another side of the story of Cook’s landing in Hawaii, discussing how Hawaiians might have interpreted his arrival and how his death has since been depicted.

Discovery repaints Cook’s passive death
An article reporting on the 2004 discovery of a painting of Cook’s death painted by John Cleveley. Looking at the difference in how Cook is depicted in this painting versus the more famous version, Death of Cook by John Webber, can open up a discussion on the reliability of sources and how artworks can uphold or challenge historical narratives.

Connections to curriculum

Key Stage 3

Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901

The lesson is designed to help students understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.

Key Stage 1 and 2

The lesson can be used to support work on significant individuals.

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