By Dr. Gil “Kilipaka” Ontai
I would like to share the story of William Heath Davis, Jr., also known as “Kanaka Davis” or “Kanaka Bill.”
As more Hawaiian families move to California, it should be recognized that this migration started almost 200 years ago. During the early years of the unified Hawaiian Kingdom, countless young Hawaiians left Hawaiʻi aboard whaling or trading ships to seek adventure in California and elsewhere.
Davis was one such ambitious and curious young man. He was the son of Hannah Kalikolehua-a-Mahi Holmes (granddaughter of Kalanihoʻoulumokuikekai (k) and Kalanikupaulakea (w) of the Mahi line of chiefs) and Capt. William Heath Davis, a sandalwood trader and advisor to Kamehameha I.
According to family moʻolelo, Kalanikupaulakea’s first spouse was Nahili (k), Kamehameha’s warrior chief who died of smallpox just as he prepared to sail for Kauaʻi to convince Aliʻi Nui Kaumualiʻi to peacefully give up his kingdom. Chiefess Kalanikupaulakea, was also a descendant of the Kūkaniloko Oʻahu high chiefs.
Thus, Davis was infused with mana (spiritual power) inherited from both his Hawaiian and Haole ancestors. He was born to venture into unknown lands, to seek his own fortune, take great risks, and become a Hawaiian leader himself in a new land far away from the home of his ʻŌiwi.
His is a quiet story, but one that is important given the growing population of Native Hawaiians living in California, which has the largest population of Kānaka Maoli outside of Hawaiʻi.
This fall, “Kanaka Bill” will be formally celebrated in San Diego with a monument to honor his achievements in California and to recognize him as one of California’s historic pioneers and visionaries. This native son of Hawaiʻi will be celebrated and honored in public forums and acknowledged in California history books.
Born in Honolulu in 1822, Davis moved to Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) in 1838. At just 17-years-old, Davis was tapped to guide the Swiss pioneer, Johann August (John) Sutter, up the Sacramento River. The settlement Sutter founded, Sacramento, is today the capitol of California.
In his early 20s, Davis quickly honed his trading and business skills becoming a successful businessman, supercargo trader, merchant, and rancher. In 1847, he married Maria Estudillo, the daughter of a prominent Alta California ranchero family, which expanded his influence in California’s social and political forums. With the discovery of gold in 1849, Davis struck it rich overnight, becoming one of the wealthiest men in California.
Already fluent in both Hawaiian and English, Davis also learned to speak Spanish fluently, earning him the respect of his Mexican business partners, friends, and wife’s family.
Although established in California, Davis remained connected to Hawaiʻi, operating a thriving business shipping horses and cattle from California to Hawaiʻi with his brother and business partner, Robert Davis. Their business surely contributed to the Mexican influence on Hawaiʻi’s paniolo traditions.
Davis became a prominent civic leader and builder in San Francisco, Alameda, and San Diego counties, having served as city councilman and builder of the first public and Catholic schools in San Francisco. He and his brother-in-law laid out the city plan for San Leandro and built the Saint Leandro Church. Both the cities of San Francisco and San Leandro honor him with streets named after him. Davis was even asked to run for governor of California, a request that he declined.
He used his wealth to form a Mexican and American partnership to build a new town on the waterfront of what is now downtown San Diego. Today, that vision is a modern city of high-rise office buildings and residential houses and is a center for thriving international businesses. At the center of his original city plan is Pantoja Park, and that is where the monument honoring Davis will be installed.
Davis’ migration to Moku Honu (Turtle Island) some 186 years ago, is a testament to our people’s ability to adapt, to overcome, to succeed, and to excel. His story is one of adapting to different cultures and sharing aloha with others while learning how to be clever and skillful and to thrive despite the challenges of that era.
Our aliʻi were skilled kōnane players, a game of strategy that requires maximizing every move to remain on the board. In his lifetime, Davis used kōnane strategies and was able to master diplomacy, overcome racism, and prevail despite many risks, leaving a remarkable legacy of historic achievements.
As the Kanaka Davis Trust Group and its partners, the ʻAhahui Kiwila o Hawaiʻi of San Diego and Kaha i ka Panoa Kaleponi Hawaiian Civic Clubs, prepare for the unveiling ceremony of the Kanaka Davis Monument, we invite everyone to share in this historic event. We are especially eager to find direct descendants of William Heath Davis, Jr., living in Hawaiʻi or on Moku Honu, and ask Ka Wai Ola readers to submit any information that will help us reach out to his descendants.
Additional information about William Heath Davis is available at the Gaslamp Museum in the Davis-Horton House, website. This house was built by William Heath Davis in 1850 and is the oldest standing building in downtown San Diego.
Dr. Gil Ontai is chair of the Kanaka Davis Trust Group. He was born and raised on Oʻahu and comes from a large kamaʻāina ʻohana living in Hawaiʻi and on the continent. He currently resides in San Diego and is active in the Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities and in San Diego civic affairs. He is a philanthropist and dean of DeVry University, San Diego campus. To contact Dr. Ontai, email ontai1@juno.com or call 619-260-2188.
