David L. Cunningham‘s The Wind and the Reckoning, is a frightful reminder of the days of Imperialism. In what he adapted from Ka Moolelo oiaio o Kaluaikoolau (“The True Story of Kaluaikoolau” Amazon link) into a movie is a tale about love, commitment and hate. Thankfully, the former is about a family sticking together, and the latter concerns how America took control of Hawaii. This book has been reprinted many times since its original publication in 1906, and I believe it’s essential reading.
Because nobody back then knew how to treat leprosy, a lot of natives got displaced. Locals were expected to “do what’s right,” and the law would make sure it happened. The inhabitants feared being moved to the remote colony on Moloka’i and many no doubt fled to deeper inland if not to the caves. And in what made me invested is that what occurred there also transpired in various corners of the world too. In Victoria, BC, anyone with this condition, namely the Chinese, were sent to the nearby D’arcy Island, and weren’t given much to help them fend for themselves.
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