Sacred Queens and Woman of Consequence

Sacred Queens and Woman of Consequence

Introduction

        Sacred Queens and Woman of Consequence, is a book written by Jocelyn Linnekin and talks about the colonial conquest of Hawaii, the system of governance the colonialist brought to Hawaii and how it affected the indigenous people of Hawaii. The author aims to tell us of how western colonialists established their monarchial system of governance and how the establishment of a capitalist type economy left the indigenous people disenfranchised.

Analysis

    In chapter six of this book the author writes about how the change in the economic condition of the Hawaiian State as a result of colonialism led to a change in the gender roles. In her writing, she has tried to draw a connection between gender roles with changes in micro and macroeconomic conditions.

       Her major themes on this topic are on exchange relations between Hawaiians and foreigners and the beginning of Hawaiian proletarianization. She states that as a result of colonization the economy was transformed from production for tribute and subsistence to production for trade with external markets. As demand for the products produced in Hawaii especially sandalwood grew there were social disruptions which lead to the emergence of a class of proletarian Hawaiians.  The author goes on to expound on how that the social disruption was also caused by the oppression of the commoners by the Chiefs as they competed for trade. She also points out on how after 1870 there was a massive influx of foreign workers this led to the indigenous people being stripped of their lands.

In chapter seven the author writes about the Hawaiian land transmission patterns and how it was possible for women to inherit the land. She points out the trend of women inheriting land took a dramatic change in the period of the mahale. She writes on how with the change of the social and economic context more women came forward as the haku ‘aina. This expanded the jural authority of the women as the economy was largely dependent on farming and land is a primary factor for this type of production.

Conclusion

      The author has majorly focused her writing on how the establishment of the western style economy significantly changed the way of life for the people of Hawaii. She has gone on to write on how the women of this State benefited and got disenfranchised at the same time as a result of colonization. She has written on how the coming of colonialism allowed the locals to experience the difference between chiefdoms and monarchs as one of degree rather than of kind.