Review Of 'The Wide Wide Sea': The Fall Of Lono'

In mid-February 1779, as Mark Twain would later learn, three Hawaiian children discovered what they thought was a dog바카라�s heart hanging in a hut and ate it. But they were mistaken; this was no dog바카라�s heart. It belonged to a man whom Indigenous Hawaiians had deified as their god바카라�Lono. In a swift and shocking turn, reverence soon gave way to violence, and a native warrior plunged a dagger into Lono바카라�s neck. That바카라�s how Captain James Cook바카라�the renowned British naval officer, explorer, and cartographer바카라�met his end, tragically concluding his third and final voyage. 

 A Captivating, Cinematic Read 

In The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, American historian Hampton Sides offers a riveting  account of Cook바카라�s final expedition, unravelling the dramatic events that culminated in his death at the hands of Indigenous Hawaiians on the shores of Kealakekua Bay, on Hawai바카라�i바카라�s Big Island.

Sides draws from a vast array of sources, including 바카라�antique documents바카라�바카라�journals, logs, and writings by Cook, and his fellow voyagers바카라�as well as official records and secret documents published without the British government바카라�s permission. The result is a rich, multi-dimensional story that not only illuminates Cook바카라�s character and ambitions but also explores the complex dynamics between European colonists and Indigenous societies.

Renowned for his gripping storytelling in acclaimed works like Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder, Hellhound on his Trail, Sides바카라� evocative style once again captivates. He masterfully transforms historical events into vivid, immersive narratives that are as deeply informative as they are irresistibly engaging바카라�a truly cinematic experience that holds readers from start to finish. 

What distinguishes The Wide Wide Sea is its inclusion of Indigenous perspectives. By weaving in oral histories, Sides brings Indigenous voices to life, offering readers a multi-layered view of the complex events leading to Cook바카라�s tragic death바카라�and much more.

Chasing a Chimera  

Captain Cook바카라�s first scientific voyage to the South Pacific Ocean (1768-1771) proved successful, but it was the second (1772-1775)바카라�in search of the mythical Terra Australis바카라�that catapulted him to fame. In 1776, the Admiralty dispatched Cook once more, ostensibly to return Mai바카라�a Polynesian man who had become a living exhibit in England바카라�to his home in Tahiti and to claim new lands for the British crown on the way. But the voyage바카라�s true purpose was far more strategic: to find the Northwest Passage, a fabled waterway through the icy labyrinth of North America to the Atlantic.  

Cook바카라�s ships, Resolution and Discovery, embarked on what would become his final바카라�and  most perilous바카라�mission. By late 1776, the expedition had reached Cape Town, a vital stopover on their journey. From there, they sailed onward, arriving in Tasmania by January. Here, Cook and his crew encountered the Palawa Indigenous people. Tragically, this meeting foreshadowed a grim fate. 바카라�Within a century of Cook바카라�s arrival, the Palawa were nearly an extinct race,바카라� writes Sides, noting that European diseases and violence exterminated their population. 바카라�English settlers would hunt down the Palawa like animals, sometimes shooting them just for sport.바카라� 

Cook pressed on, exploring a string of Pacific islands. The expedition charted the shores of Aotearoa (New Zealand) before moving through the tropical paradises of Tonga, Tahiti, Mo바카라�orea, Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Kiritimati. Each new land added to Cook바카라�s growing reputation as a master navigator, though his voyages left a complex and often devastating legacy in their wake.

In January 1778, Cook바카라�s men made a historic landfall on Kaua바카라�i, becoming the first Europeans to 바카라�discover바카라� the Hawaiian Islands. The ships navigated northward, charting the rugged Oregon coast and braving the frigid waters of Alaska. There, Cook relentlessly hunted the elusive Northwest Passage, pushing into uncharted territory and venturing farther north than most would have dared.

By August, the Arctic ice brought Cook바카라�s progress to a grinding halt at a desolate spot now known as Cape Schmidt, along the icy fringes of Russia바카라�s Far East. Determined to find the Northwest Passage, he resolved to winter in the Pacific and return to Alaska the following spring for another daring attempt.

A Returning God 

In January 1779, Cook바카라�s ships sailed into Kealakekua Bay at the height of Makahiki, a sacred festival honouring the Hawaiian god Lono바카라�the deity of music, rain, spear-throwing, and lovemaking. The timing was uncanny: local legend foretold Lono바카라�s return, and Cook바카라�s arrival바카라�his billowing sails and towering masts바카라�seemed to fulfil the prophecy. To the Hawaiians, Cook appeared as Lono incarnate.

The reception was lavish. The natives offered their finest, treating the Europeans like divine guests. For Cook바카라�s weary crew, the island felt like a paradise. 바카라�[T]he sex was rampant바카라�on the ships, on the beach, and farther inland,바카라� writes Sides, capturing the hedonistic abandon of the moment. The native women sought nothing in return, though a simple metal button or nail was a cherished token of appreciation.

When the Makahiki festival ended, marking the close of Lono바카라�s season, Cook still lingered on the island. The Hawaiians grew uneasy, as the Europeans had disrupted sacred customs, trampling on centuries-old traditions with their 바카라�sacrilegious depredations.바카라� By early February, Cook바카라�s ships finally set sail, and thousands of Hawaiians cheered, waving white cloth in a ceremonial farewell to their god-figure, Lono. But bad weather soon forced Cook back to Kealakekua Bay, leaving the islanders bewildered. 바카라�The people couldn바카라�t understand why Lono had returned so soon. He was out of sync; it wasn바카라�t his season anymore,바카라� writes Sides.

Frustrations boiled over, reaching a breaking point when the Hawaiians stole one of Cook바카라�s boats. In a fatal miscalculation, Cook attempted to kidnap Hawaiian king Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who was revered as a god. The natives resisted fiercely. Cook fired his musket, killing one, which provoked a violent response. Stones rained down, and Cook바카라�s men retaliated by gunning down several warriors. As the situation spiralled, Cook shouted, 바카라�Take to the boats!바카라� but failed to follow his own command. Stranded onshore, his fate was sealed. The king바카라�s attendant, Nu바카라�a, leapt onto Cook바카라�s back, 바카라�riding him like a doomed animal바카라� Nu바카라�a drove the dagger deep into Cook바카라�s neck,바카라� writes Sides.   

바카라�The fatal impact바카라�

The Hawaiians bore the brunt of the conflict바카라�s aftermath. In the chaos following Cook바카라�s death, his crew unleashed a savage rampage. They set fire to scores of thatched huts, shooting anyone who tried to flee. Those who remained inside were ruthlessly impaled. Some sailors even decapitated their victims, mounting the severed heads on poles as grotesque 바카라�trophies of their vile victory.바카라�

When news of Cook바카라�s death reached London, it sent shockwaves across the nation. The Lords of Admiralty were devastated, and King George III wept. Cook was swiftly immortalized as 바카라�the ablest and most renowned navigator바카라� in history. Meanwhile, the Hawaiians were demonized as 바카라�savages,바카라� with lurid rumours claiming that they had eaten Cook바카라�s heart. Hawaiian elders have long refuted such claims, insisting that Cook바카라�s remains were treated with the same honour and reverence reserved for their most esteemed chiefs. 

By 1820, missionaries had arrived in Hawai바카라�i, spreading Christianity and urging the natives to forsake Lono and other deities. After the Civil War, Mark Twain visited Kealakekua Bay, where he spoke with locals and examined the circumstances surrounding Cook바카라�s death. His verdict? It was a 바카라�justifiable homicide.바카라�

In recent years, Captain James Cook has come to represent the face of colonialism for many Indigenous communities across the Pacific. Though Cook himself was neither conqueror nor colonizer, the maps and charts he created and the lands he 바카라�discovered바카라� opened the door for waves of European colonists, dangerous pathogens, and missionaries바카라�leaving deep scars on Indigenous societies. Once celebrated as noble quests for knowledge, Cook바카라�s voyages are now the subject of heated debate바카라�especially in Polynesia, where they are seen as the beginning of a systematic annihilation of traditional island cultures바카라�a legacy historian Alan Moorhead referred to as 바카라�the fatal impact.바카라�    

The Wide Wide Sea delivers a thoughtful, even-handed portrayal of Captain Cook. By presenting diverse viewpoints, it invites readers to reflect deeply on the explorer바카라�s complex legacy. With vivid details and Side바카라�s hallmark storytelling, the book transports readers to the age of sail, immersing them in a haunting tale of exploration, colonial ambition, and cultural clash바카라�one that lingers long after the final page is turned.

Ajay Saini teaches at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He works with remote Indigenous communities.