How Hawaiians learned to read faster than any civilization in recorded history

Elisha Loomis’s Ramage Press Creates Hawaii’s Literacy Revolution

In 1820, a young printer named Elisha Loomis stepped off the Thaddeus in Hawaii with a used Ramage press. For two years, he worked with others to create a written Hawaiian alphabet from scratch.

Then on January 7, 1822, in a small thatched house, history was made when Maui’s governor pulled the first print of a Hawaiian spelling book. Soon after, books flowed by the thousands.

Within just thirteen years, Hawaii shot from zero to over 90% literacy, a world record that still stands.

The Mission Houses Museum in Honolulu houses a replica of this game-changing press that turned Hawaii into one of the most literate nations on earth.

A 20-Year-Old Printer Sailed to Hawaii with Big Dreams

Elisha Loomis learned printing as an apprentice with J.D. Bemis in Canandaigua, New York before joining missionaries in 1819. At just 20, he packed an old Ramage printing press and boarded the Thaddeus headed for Hawaii.

He married Maria Sartwell in Utica weeks before leaving, creating both a marriage and a printing team. They joined other American missionaries hoping to build a religious community in the islands.

They landed in Hawaii in April 1820, bringing the first printing press to the Hawaiian Kingdom.

The Press Sat Unused While Missionaries Created an Alphabet

Loomis couldn’t start printing right away. The big press stayed in storage for nearly two years while missionaries worked with locals to create the first written Hawaiian language.

They started with five vowels and twelve consonants before cutting down to just seven consonants. A young Hawaiian named ‘Ōpūkaha’ia (Henry Obookiah) had started this work in New England before he died in 1818.

The missionaries spent many hours listening to Hawaiian sounds and picking which letters fit best.

Hawaii’s Governor Pulled the First Sheet in a Historic Ceremony

On January 7, 1822, Loomis set up the press in a thatched house for a big event. Ke’eaumoku, Maui’s governor, got to make the first “pull” on the press.

This created the first sheet of an eight-page Hawaiian spelling book – the first printed Hawaiian words ever. Loomis made the second sheet, while James Hunnewell, the ship’s former first officer, made the third.

When Ke’eaumoku saw the printed Hawaiian words, he simply said “Makai” (good).

Hawaiians Rushed to Get Their Hands on Printed Materials

By February 1822, Loomis printed 500 copies of the eight-page spelling book. They sold out fast.

Demand grew so quickly that by September, he printed 2,000 more copies with some spelling fixes, including the modern spelling of “Hawaii. ” Hawaiians showed great interest in these written materials.

Many learned to read within days or weeks. Loomis taught interested Hawaiians how to set type and run the printing equipment.

The Press Output Grew Beyond Anyone’s Expectations

Before Loomis left Hawaii in 1827, his press made more than 59,000 Hawaiian spelling books plus about the same number of religious pamphlets.

A second Ramage press came from Boston in 1828 to help meet the huge demand. The original press moved to Lahainaluna Seminary on Maui in 1833, creating a second printing shop.

Native Hawaiian students took over most of the printing work, with missionaries mainly watching over them.

Translating the Bible Became a Massive Undertaking

The first part of the Bible (Luke’s Gospel) came off the press in 1827 after five years of careful translation.

Between 1838-1839, printers finished making the entire Hawaiian Bible – 2,331 pages printed in 10,000 copies. Eight ministers worked on the translation team, checking the original Greek and Hebrew texts.

The Bible project needed lots of paper, ink, and work, but helped spread reading skills across all social classes in Hawaii.

Newspapers Spread Knowledge Across the Islands

February 14, 1834 marked another first when Ka Lama Hawaii became the first newspaper printed in Hawaii and the first published west of the Rocky Mountains.

Students at Lahainaluna Seminary ran the printing equipment and wrote much of the content. Later that year, Ke Kumu Hawaii started as the first regular newspaper for the wider Hawaiian public.

These papers mixed Hawaiian stories with world news and learning materials.

Hawaiian Students Mastered Complex Printing Techniques

Hawaiian students quickly learned advanced skills beyond basic printing. They picked up copperplate engraving, bookbinding, and complex printing methods.

A Hawaiian engraver named Kepohani and his friends created many detailed pictures between 1834-1844. Students bound books using local goat leather and changed printing methods to work in the warm, wet climate.

Missionary printer Lorrin Andrews said his job shrank to “pulling press for exercise” as Hawaiians took over the whole printing process.

The Kingdom Achieved Unmatched Literacy Rates

By 1853, about 75% of Hawaiian Kingdom residents over age 16 could read and write.

Some research suggests Hawaiians reached at least 91% literacy in just thirteen years – an achievement unmatched anywhere else in the world at that time.

Hawaii became one of the most literate nations globally, surpassing both the United States and European countries.

Around 1825, King Kamehameha III proudly declared “My Kingdom shall be a Kingdom of Literacy,” a goal his people embraced wholeheartedly.

Millions of Pages Flowed from the Mission Presses

The twenty-year mission printing effort produced over 113 million sheets of paper.

This massive output included textbooks, newspapers, hymnals, law books, government proclamations, and official documents. Native Hawaiians wrote and published their own historical works and cultural materials.

The first Hawaiian-language newspaper established in 1848 ran continuously for a century, until 1948. The presses worked almost non-stop to meet the seemingly endless demand for reading materials in Hawaiian.

The Literacy Legacy Lives On Despite Political Changes

By 1878, about 80% of Hawaiian Kingdom residents could read and write in Hawaiian, English, or another European language.

After the monarchy was overthrown, the provisional government banned Hawaiian-medium education in 1896.

Despite this setback, Hawaiian-language newspapers continued until 1948, producing an estimated 125,000 pages of content. The Hawaiian language nearly died out but began a revival in the 1970s that continues today.

The literacy revolution that started with Loomis and his Ramage press created a legacy of Hawaiian-language materials that help modern Hawaiians reconnect with their cultural heritage.

Visiting Mission Houses Museum, Hawaii

The Mission Houses Museum at 553 S King Street in Honolulu tells the story of how 20-year-old printer Elisha Loomis and missionaries brought Hawaii’s first printing press in 1820.

Their Ramage press created the first written Hawaiian materials, helping Hawaii reach one of the world’s highest literacy rates by the 1850s.

Tours run Tuesday through Saturday at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm for $10. You’ll see the world’s largest collection of Hawaiian language books on display.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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