The Saintly Sixteen continues with a Hawaiian king vs. the first Native American saint. Kamehameha takes on David Oakerhater as a man passionate about the medical care of his people faces a man whose Cheyenne name is translated "Making Medicine." Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: one of Neva Rae Fox's saints will advance to the next round.
In yesterday's first battle of the Saintly Sixteen, Brendan the Navigator finally lost his way, losing to Thecla 62% to 38%. Thecla becomes the first saint of Lent Madness 2015 to advance to the Elate Eight where she'll face the winner of Francis of Assisi vs. Cecilia.
After today's vote is decided, Lent Madness will resume first thing Monday morning as Cuthbert takes on Molly Brant. Stay tuned for more saintly action!
Kamehameha
Kamehameha is renowned for his many ministries – from introducing Anglicanism to the Hawaiian Islands to translating the Book of Common Prayer into the local vernacular. Another of his lasting legacies throughout Hawaii was the pioneering steps he instigated for the betterment of the health and welfare of his people.
Kamehameha IV was born Alexander Iolani Liholiho on February 9, 1834 and was crowned King just shy of his 21st birthday.
With his wife and partner in reform, Queen Emma, Kamehameha set forth to transform the Hawaiian Islands by offering his people new, modern ways of life. He was devoted to introducing modern healthcare methods and facilities. Perhaps his drive was based on the healthcare issues that touched him and his family.
From the time of his birth to his ascension to the throne, Kamehameha witnessed much sadness over the health of his people. There was an effort in 1839 to vaccinate the population, which had been prompted by a smallpox outbreak. In 1848, measles, brought to the islands by foreign ships, killed one-third of the residents. Other epidemics in 1848-1849 -- whooping cough, influenza and the ever-threatening smallpox -- killed one in ten of the Hawaiian population. In 1853 another smallpox epidemic killed 5,000 to 6,000 more Hawaiians.
In response to these ongoing tragedies, the King designed a plan to build hospitals for the sick and dying, and homes for the elderly. When the government legislature refused to support his plans, he and Queen Emma raised private funds – enough not only for a hospital but for a much-needed leprosy clinic as well. In 1859 The Queen’s Hospital – named for Emma and still in operation as The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu -- opened in temporary quarters.
In laying the cornerstone, Kamehameha said, "There is something wholesome in being called upon from time to time to acknowledge, however strong our own health may be, and however prosperous our fortunes, that after all, the sick are our brothers and sisters."
On the home front, Kamehameha and Emma had a son, Albert who died in 1863. It is told that Kamehameha felt responsible for the death of Prince Albert. The four-year-old prince was seriously ill, burning with fever, possibly with spinal meningitis. Kamehameha gave the boy a cold shower to cool him off. However, Albert’s health deteriorated, and the youngster died in August 1862.
Heartbroken, grief stricken, and with his own health failing him as he suffered with nerve disorders and asthma, Kamehameha died the next year. Some believe he died of grief. He was only 29 years old.
Kamehameha had a short life, but in his time, he made a lasting impact on the lives of his people and on the generations to come in many ways, from Anglicanism and prayers to healthcare and hospitals.
David Oakerhater
David Pendleton Oakerhater, an Episcopal deacon and the first Native American saint, was an accomplished artist and a leader in an art style known as Ledger art.
A Cheyenne Indian of Oklahoma, Oakerhater was imprisoned by the United States Army in Florida beginning in 1875. During this imprisonment, an education was provided for all the Native American prisoners that included language, Christianity and art.
Furnished with some instructions and art supplies like pencils, ink, paints, crayons, and paper, Oakerhater delved into art as his new form of expression. Using pens, he and the other prisoners drew in ledger books, hence the name of the art form.
Ledger art is defined as a Native American drawing or painting on paper or cloth. Historians report that Ledger art was popular from the Civil War through World War I. The term Ledger art is rooted from the accounting ledger books that were used for paper. Ledger art has been described as an abstract style illustrating the everyday life of Native Americans, such as dances, hunts, tribal events and self-portraits.
The artwork that emerged from the Florida prison differed from the traditional Plains Indian art in that the prisoners began to focus less upon themselves and their actions, and more upon things.
Oakerhater excelled at this art form and, even now, he is deemed as one of the foundations of modern Native American artists, particularly for the Ledger art. He and the other Native American prisoners helped Ledger art to evolve to become a distinctly Native American art form.
Oakerhater signed some of his works with the English translation of his Cheyenne name, which was "Making Medicine.” Sometimes he signed with a glyph depicting a dancer in a sun dance.
It was through his art that Oakerhater’s patron, Mrs. Alice Key Pendleton first noticed him. This connection eventually assisted in Oakerhater’s release from the Florida prison. After his release, Oakerhater devoted his time to his diaconal duties, his Church responsibilities, and his ministry to his fellow Native Americans.
There are no reports of Oakerhater, or Making Medicine, continuing his art work after his departure from prison. Perhaps it was because he had a new passion. When he returned to his people in 1881 he preached in a sermon, "You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all He tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace."
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142 comments on “Kamehameha vs. David Oakerhater”
What wonderful examples of service, and despite so much sadness. It's like reading a lesson in staying power.
for the 1st time in my 3-4 years of LM I had a difficult time making a decision. I went with Oakerhater.
These two Saints have been among my favorites for years! I wish both could win. However, David Oakerhater must get my and my husband's vote in this most difficult matchup. Our children can claim 1/32 Native American ancestry and our Oklahoma roots run deep. But that's not the reason I love David Oakerhater so much...his life was "transfigured" in a dramatic way because of God's working all things for good. And in his life he was God's messenger to his people to change so many others' lives.
This was the hardest yet. I had voted for both in the first round, and this time I leaned toward Kamehaha at first because our Order, the Community of the Transfiguration, had a relationship with him and more particularly Queen Emma We had charge of St. Andrew's Priory for a time after the English Sisters left, and had Sisters living in Honolulu for some time. However, I felt that David Oakerhater was so important for the Episcopal presence among the Native Americans. I finally voted for Oakerhater especially for the reasons mentioned by Fiona Haworth in her comment above, and for the record he left us in his artwork. What a hard decision!
Island versus mainland, both of these saints, the people they helped, the legacy they left still blessing future generations, saintly in that, are getting more of the attention they deserve as our history books are being rewritten. I too appreciate, and share, the belief that the sick are our bothers and sisters. Thus Elaine's comment tempted me to switch. But I stayed the course. My vote went to Deacon David Pendleton Oakerhater. He won my heart.
Both of these saints got my vote in the first round. I've been dreading this round, knowing that one of them would have to lose. In the end, I had to go with David Oakerhater, because I've known him for longer and love the work he did for his people throughout his life.
Yes, remembering that a vote for Kamehameha IV is a vote for Emma, he gets my vote. Emma was the true power behind the throne, but the king was wise enough to listen! I like the thought 0f Kamehameha & Emma embracing the holiness of wholeness--in body (establishing the hospital), mind (the school) and spirit (St Andrew's Cathedral). And isn't it wonderful that all three institutions are still thriving today.
Very well written, thank you, Ann.
Dear Helene,
Loved your letter and the story of your daughter, Aggy. I went to the Priory in 1946 and the daily morning prayer service was (is) the foundation of my religious practice. We wore little white head covers and marched over to the Cathedral every morning before class began. Wish I'd had the chance to learn the Hawaiian language; I only know a few words and of course I speak a leedle da kine talk ; you know, now and then. I attended Robert Louis Stevenson Standard English School.
Kamehameha and Emma did so much that is impressive and lasting for their people and the Islands. Fond aloha, Sandie
Dear Sandie,
What an inspiring story of how Kamehameha touched your life and continues to touch those of so many others. Mahalo, h+
I voted for both the King & the Deacon on the last round. It is a hard choice between these two indiginous leaders, but I'm voting for the lesser known deacon.
Also, someone said David had Christianity forced upon him. Where is the evidence for that? Could he have not chosen to follow Christ as his Captain of his own free will? I should hope that true faith freely given is among the requirements before being ordained to the Deaconate in any era!
This is an impossible choice! David Oakerhater has long been one of my favorite saints for his faithfulness in the face of oppression by the American government. But at the same time, I have Kamehameha, and Emma, for the work they did to provide education and healthcare for their people. A flip of the coin decides my vote. Oakerhater it is.
Another note on Kamehameha IV. He studied as a teenager in London and Paris and suffered great discrimination every place he travelled in Europe. He was viewed as an ignorant black, and treated as such. Still, he found a deep connection in the Anglican Church, and they were the only church invited to the islands, as the Anglicans allowed the Hawaiian to retain their customs and culture. His complete translation of the Prayer Book into Hawaiian was quite an accomplishment, but he wanted his people to have their Common Book of Prayer in their own language. The establishment of education for girls was important to the King and Queen.
Kamehameha wins my vote...he truly embodied 1 John 3:17-18.
I was amazed by how much Kamehameha and Emma accomplished to improve the health of the Hawaiian people. When I found out that the did all this in only eight years, my vote was sealed. Kamehameha and Emma for the Golden Halo!
Oakerhater demonstrated the triumph of the human spirit, surviving military defeat and imprisonment and then devoting the rest of his life to providing Native Americans with opportunities for education and spiritual growth.
Kamehameha created a hospital, school, and churches that have stood the test of time: they are still serving Hawaiians today.
I chose to vote for the king today. His used his advantages to make lasting contributions.
I voted for Kamehameha because he vaccinated!
Kamehameha is also Native American.
The question of the powerful who chose to use their power wisely, or the poor and cast away who rose above circumstance to bring hope and spiritual leadership despite all obstacles - this is a tough one in that both men took the paths they did. Have to go with Deacon Oakenhater because it a king has the command authority, where God created a path for the Deacon that was much harder to travel, but he prevailed.
Being totally torn between the two, and not wanting to do the coin toss thing, i went truly shallow and voted for the king, because, Hawaii.
In the first round, I voted for Kamehameha in the first round, but this time I was moved more by David's moving his people from war to peace through Jesus Christ. Perhaps a few leaders in the radical Muslim Sects see the light of Mohammed, rather than the sword as David saw Jesus.
Good Queen Emma's spouse looked out
for each dear Hawaiian.
Oakerhater's good, no doubt.
This choice leaves one cryin'.
Vaccination? Artistry?
Neither chose to lay low.
Seems to me it's clear to see
Each has earned his haaaalo.
Wonderful.
Sweet!
Dear SEC,
I think it is morally wrong and a sin of great magnitude (though not a mortal sin) to pit two indigenous saints against each other. There are few enough indigenous saints as it is to not give both a chance against the opposition. Shame, Shame. Perhaps the Archbishops may have something to say about this egregious error.
I voted for Kamehameha because I believe in that 'inner light' principle.
That is God working through us and Kamehameha had this light from a very early age. He became king at 21...think of that. I was just thinking about myself then, not looking for ways to help in healthcare. Also, Kamehameha had the wisdom to marry another Saint - Queen Emma. Died at 29 but what he did in those few years is amazing.
Was it really necessary to make the choices so hard? Either way, an indigenous person from part of what is now the United States will be honored as model of Christian life and virtue.
I did vote Kamehameha, but it was a very hard decision.
I'm voting for Kamehameha. Providing health care, education, and a tolerant form of Christianity that did not try to abolish native culture are huge accomplishments. Translating the Book of Common Prayer into Hawaiian is huge too. It meant that his people could pray in their first language, and helped to prevent the death of Hawaiian language and culture. It makes me proud to be Episcopal to hear that our church didn't try to eradicate the "heathen" ways of the Hawaiians. (Well, aside from trying to convince women to wear neck to ankle cotton dresses, I hear).
Perhaps I should read the comments before voting. So many aspects are presented about each of the candidates that I had not thought o,f I go away sometimes thinking my vote should have gone another way. I felt bad that in the first round I did not vote for King Kamehameha for this very reason. I voted for him today because I believe he did so much for his people on so many levels. And while I am an artist with wide humanitarian interests, and find Oakenhater an honorable candidate, I voted for Kamehameha this time.
This has been the most impossible choice for me yet - both are wonderful examples of what it means to be truly Christian. I almost had to resort to checking totals and voting for the underdog, but then I remembered how inspiring it was to learn about David Oakenhater, (I'd never even heard of him until reading his bio in the first round), so I'm making a real decision and voting for him. I liked Michael's comment that David's many accomplishments were from a position of weakness.
Every time I read a comment that the person was going to or had voted for the "underdog" I have to wonder just why that is. If that is the usual voting method, it's no wonder Congress is made up as it is.
Come on, Kamehameha!!
I have to vote for the deacon! Both men are inspiring and it's a really hard vote today.
I truly love how seriously we take our opportunity to vote. Sometimes it is with very light hearts, and sometimes with rather heavy ones. I find it difficult to imagine the heavy heart of a wonderful selfless and caring Leader/Servant/King such as Kamehamaha upon the loss of his four year old son. He didn't deserve such, but Sainthood he does fully deserve.
As many others have mentioned, I too voted for both of these saintly men in the first round. I have been discerning all day as to who would earn my vote in the Saintly Sixteen. I love the islands of Hawaii and am deeply impressed by the ministry and mercy of King Kamehameha among the people he led; offering them the gift of the Anglican ethos lived within their own native culture. I was equally impressed with the work of Deacon Oakenhater and his love and commitment to the native peoples of his tribe - I am humbled and comforted by the fact that I can faithfully support either saint in the Elite Eight!