Thomas Hopu

Thomas Hopu was one of the early Hawaiian youths who, like Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, found himself in New England after leaving Hawai‘i. Alongside Henry, he studied the Scriptures, learned English, and received Christian instruction. Though he longed to return with Henry to bring the gospel back to his homeland, Henry’s untimely death in 1818 left Hopu to carry that vision forward with others.

When the first company of missionaries sailed to Hawai‘i on the Thaddeus in 1819, Hopu was among them. He served as a translator, interpreter, and cultural bridge, helping the missionaries communicate with his people. More than a helper, he became an evangelist in his own right, sharing the message of Christ with chiefs and commoners alike.

Hopu’s legacy is one of perseverance and faith. He was not only a companion to Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, but also a torchbearer who lived out Henry’s dream. By his witness, he helped open doors for the gospel to be understood and received by his people.

Hopu’s Memoirs

Remarkably, Thomas Hopu’s memoirs survive. They are personal reflections of his journey, faith, and desire to see his people know Christ. These writings, long preserved in archives, were rediscovered and brought forward by me through Moʻolelo Kūʻiʻo’s research efforts. Below, you can read his own words, offering a rare window into the heart of one of Hawai‘i’s earliest Christian leaders. In one moving account, Hopu describes how an ʻiwa bird, a great seabird known in Hawaiian as a manu ʻiwa, appeared to him out of the clouds as he was on the water, and how he cried out to it. This moment, preserved in his own testimony, is why the ʻiwa bird is depicted in the mural to honor the spiritual depth of his story.