Harry Maitey

The name Harry Maitey was the first Hawaiians (* April 23, 1807 in the Kingdom of Hawaii, † February 26, 1872 in Klein-Glienicke ), commissioned by the German who came to Prussia. He married Dorothea Charlotte Becker from Stolpe on 28 August 1833. Their son Heinrich Wilhelm Otto ( born December 2, 1837) and his younger sister Friederike Wilhelmine (* 1846) died as infants, while her second son Heinrich Wilhelm Eduard (born 8 December 1839, † 1906), his parents survived. His daughter, Martha (* 1869), the only grandchild Maiteys, reached adulthood and remained unmarried.

Life

Origin

Little is known about the life Maiteys in the Kingdom of Hawaii. The information about his Hawaiian name Kaparena not be confirmed by other sources. When the Prussian frigate mentor arrived in Honolulu on November 28, 1823, before the French whalers L' Aigle had left the harbor with the Hawaiian King Liholiho and his queen Kamāmalu day. While the king was absent, to chiefs of other islands on Oahu, and also the death of Keoua, the governor of Maui gathered, caused an atmosphere of political unrest. It is not known whether Maitey was forced by this situation to ask to be taken on board the mentor of the first Prussian ship that circumnavigated both the world and visited Hawaii. The inquiries which were obtained through the youngsters, confirmed that he had no relatives, and so he was allowed to leave Hawaii. The name Maitey was recorded by the Germans as Henry (or Harry ) surname, but it is obvious that this is a derivative of the Hawaiian maikai or maitai and not his actual name.

Trip to Prussia

During the voyage the ship was taken over by the Prussian Maritime Bank, which the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. under stood. Therefore, after the arrival of the mentor in Swinoujscie was informed on 14 September 1824 king of the Sandwich Islanders, and this decided on 27 September that the President of the Seehandlung Christian Rother had to bring him to Berlin. Maitey stayed there in Rother's house, until the king stipulated on 15 October that he learn the German language and should be educated according to the principles of Christianity.

Education

Maitey lived until 1827 when the family of President Rother, when he moved into the educational house before the Halle Gate, an education institution which he had attended since 1825. In 1827 Maitey was invited, with Wilhelm von Humboldt to hold talks about the Hawaiian language, the results of Humboldt 1828 presented at the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

From the autumn of 1829 he had the educational home for about eight months a Hawaiian companions: Jony Kahopimeai, who had come with the Prussian ship Princess Louise to Germany. After Maitey had begun his service on Peacock Island, visited him Jony occasionally, but in February 1831 he became ill, died of pneumonia and was buried on March 2, 1831.

Service on Peacock Island

On April 23, 1830 Maitey was baptized and confirmed. At baptism he received the German name Heinrich Wilhelm. In August we took Maitey in the royal household and had him as an assistant to the machinist on the peacock island. The records led him as a ward of the king and wizard of the machine master. In the documents there is also a suggestion that Maitey ferryman should be the peacock island, but apparently offered him the finally assigned task much better prospects.

In the summer of 1834 two Hawaiian Goose ( Nene ) came to the island, which had also been brought to the ship Princess Louise to Germany.

After some difficulties Maitey got with the help of Christian Rother, the royal permission for the wedding and married Dorothea Charlotte Becker on August 28, 1833 in the Church of Stolpe. After the wedding, the couple moved to Klein- Glienicke, therefore Maitey now had to travel a greater distance to work on the peacock island. Later he was missing more often, leading to difficulties in his relationship with Frederick. Finally, it was decided Maitey assigned to the royal garden inspector Fintelmann.

While working under master Friedrich Maitey helped him apparently, to make miniature replicas of famous castles and cathedrals of ivory and mother of pearl. The share his carving seemed to be indispensable, because later it was found that Friedrich no more models produced after his assistant Maitey had left him. It is also believed that Maitey was the artist who created some yellow room divider in the castle, which are ascribed also Friedrich.

Later years and offspring

Maitey spent the rest of his life in small -Glienicke ( Kurfürstenstrasse 10). He died at the age of 64 years by a smallpox on 26 February 1872 in his house as a pensioner of the king. His grave is located in the small cemetery not far from the church of St. Peter and Paul on Nikolskoe near the peacock island and is also the final resting place of his wife and in-laws. The inscriptions on the grave Cross are:

Maiteys son Edward believed that his father was a Hawaiian prince. Caesar von der Ahe, who had published in 1930 and 1933 articles about Maitey, doubted this. Von der Ahe mentioned as probable Hawaiian name Maiteys Kaparena, but there is no evidence in the Prussian documents. He also wrote with reference to files of the former Prussian Court that Maiteys father was a soldier.

It is unknown whether Maiteys widow or Eduard had the opportunity to see King Kalākaua during his visit to Berlin and Potsdam in August 1881. Edward, however, was worked for some time as an actuary in Angermuende before he returned for the rest of his life to Potsdam.

Cultural characteristics

Maitey should have understood his relationship to the President of the Seehandlung Christian Rother than the usual in his home adoption ( Hanai ). This also explains the misconceptions in the years 1829 and 1830, when Maitey hoped in vain to return to the household Rother again.

From a newspaper report from 1824 shows that Maitey the Berlin audience with a hula made ​​known that there was dancing in the seats ( hula noho ):

"If he is invited to sing, he adorns himself almost as much as our young ladies, and also has the other nasty habit that one has when he first started singing give him good words before he stops. When singing, he sits down on a chair, and makes vigorous movements with his hands, and it seemed to me remarkable that he often struck with the right hand to the heart, while he never touched the right side with the left. His singing was limited to four or five tones, and the words seemed primarily from the sounds ae, i, and to insist o, his voice has nothing Schnarr end, you could call it a pleasant tenor voice, but made ​​the presentation of the song with these strange movements quite the impression as if you saw a madman. "

The strong interest in physiognomy Johann Gottfried Schadow Maitey recorded around 1825 and found to his appearance:

"There remained the same among us, the inspection shows to every one that in its facial features not otherwise perceive from ours. The broad cheek-bones are also found in us, and, although his skull narrower, but this is hidden by the strong and thick hair; what it is to some extent distinguishes the darker skin color. At a finer mental culture he found himself not suitable. "

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