The Hawaiian Mission

Abstract

Chapter 2 charts the history of the Hawaiian Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from its establishment in 1850 to the development of the mission headquarters in Lā′ie and the establishment of the Lā′ie Sugar Plantation. The chapter discusses nascent racial attitudes that developed during this period in some areas of the church. It addresses the religious doctrine of gathering to Zion for all faithful Church members and the efforts of Mormon missionaries in Hawaii to establish gathering places in preparation for gathering Native Hawaiian converts in the Salt Lake Valley. The chapter also examines political developments in Hawaii that privatized land and made it possible for the church to purchase tracts of land suitable for gathering Native Hawaiian members and creating cooperative settlements in Palawai on Lāna′i and in Lā′ie on O′ahu.