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David McHattie Forbes (21 July 1863 – 23 March 1937) was a Scottish
botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
, ethnologist,
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
manager and explorer on the island of Hawai'i. He practised forestry, agronomy, and horticulture and served as the first district forester of South Kohala in 1905, and twenty years later was appointed a judge in Waimea. In 1905, he was the discoverer, with two colleagues, of the greatest collection of
Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
n artefacts ever found. The location of the find became known as Forbes Cave and his family preserved his third of the found objects for half a century until they donated them to the
Volcanoes National Park Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Mount Karisimbi, Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Bisoke, Mount Muhabura, Muhabura, M ...
in 1956. The Forbes Collection was on public view for 34 years until 1990, when
NAGPRA The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law enacted on November 16, 1990. The Act requires federal agencies and institutions that ...
legislation was passed and each item was evaluated. They were found to be priceless cultural artefacts but also to be subject to repatriation and they were removed permanently from public viewing. The other two-thirds of the found objects were sold to the
Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...
by Forbes's two expedition partners: Wilhelm Wagener and Friedrich Haehnisch.


Early years

Born in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, the son of
Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
and Mary (McHattie) Forbes, he was educated in the local schools.


Career

He began working in the private estate nurseries of
Moray, Scotland Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 197 ...
, in 1879 and later in the forests of the same estate. In 1882, he worked in the nurseries of Dixon & Co.,
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. In 1883 he became the Foreman Forester for the estate of Fletcher's
Saltoun Hall Saltoun Hall is an historic house standing in extensive lands off the B6355, Pencaitland to East Saltoun road, about 1.5 miles from each village, in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is reached by way of an impressive gateway and is situate ...
, the seat of the oldest and largest private library in Scotland. In 1887, at the behest of
William H. Purvis William Herbert Purvis (November 27, 1858 – December 31, 1950) was a plant collector and investor in a sugarcane Sugar plantations in Hawaii, plantation on the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii during the late nineteenth century. William He ...
, David Forbes travelled to
Kukuihaele Kukuihaele is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Kukuihaele is located on the north side of the ...
near
Waipio Valley Waipio Valley is a valley located in the Hamakua District of the Big Island of Hawaii. "Waipio" means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language. The valley was the capital and permanent residence of many early Hawaiian Aliʻi (chiefs/kings) up ...
, Hawaii, via Cape Horn, to manage an experiment in cinchona cultivation above the sugar line. Purvis, who had already introduced the macadamia nut from Australia, recognised the potential benefits of finding a species of tree that would thrive in the land above the sugarcane, above 1500 feet, called the sugar line. The bark of the cinchona tree imported from Ceylon had a promising yield ratio between bark and quinine. When Purvis's plantation was transferred to the Pacific Sugar Mill Company, in which Samuel Parker invested in 1879, D. M. Forbes succeeded C. Von Mengersen as manager, running the Pacific Sugar Mill from 1893 to 1907. Forbes returned to Scotland in 1910 but did not remain. By 1912, he was back in Hawaii, in Waiakea, in
Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...
, where he took the position of manager of the Waiakea Mill Company of
Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...
. Finally, he settled in Waimea. In 1929, he was appointed to the rank of District Magistrate, South Kohala, and was reappointed in 1932. He was also the founder of
Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
in Waimea. He died, in Hilo, in 1937.


Affiliations

* Member,
Hamakua Hāmākua is a district on the northeast coast of Hawaii (island), Hawaii's Big Island, administered by the Hawaii County, Hawaii, County of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii, Hawaii. It is also the name given for the coastline in the region, the "Hā ...
Road Board; * Hawaii School Commissioner, appointed two terms for the Public Instruction Commission from 1922 to 1925 * 1st Lieutenant in the army of
Provisional Government of Hawaii The Provisional Government of Hawaii (abbr.: P.G.; Hawaiian: ''Aupuni Kūikawā o Hawaiʻi'') was proclaimed after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893, by the 13-member Committee of Safety under the leadership of its ch ...
* 32° Mason (BPOE) * Member of the Royal Arboricultural Society of Scotland.


Family

He married Catherine Lougher at Waiakea,
Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...
, on 7 August 1895. They had five children, Blodwyn, Merlyn, Allister, Dyfrig and Elizabeth.


Legacy

Kukuihaele Kukuihaele is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Kukuihaele is located on the north side of the ...
is the site of the original Hawaiian Island stand of
cinchona ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the Tropical Andes, tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are ...
trees, from which
quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...
is made. They were planted by David McHattie Forbes in 1887 on the forest lands of the Pacific Sugar Mill Company, one patch of approximately extent at an elevation of , the other patch of 10 to is at elevation. Despite the best available location, ample drainage and good soil, the cinchona trees did not grow as well as most exotic plants introduced from a warm climate. Their value became so low compared to the price of labour that the attempt was abandoned in 1905.''Een en ander over kina en overzicht der cultuur van kina''. By Pieter van der Wielen (Amsterdam: 1905), pp. 31–32 A Banyan Tree still stands in David McHattie Forbes honour at
Banyan Drive Banyan Drive is a tree-lined street at the shoreline of Hilo, Hawaii. It is known as the "Hilo Walk of Fame" for the banyan trees planted by celebrities. These trees have withstood several tsunamis that have devastated the town on the Hawaii (islan ...
in Hilo, Hawaii, known as the "Hilo Walk of Fame." Next to Forbes, visitors will find such names as
Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...
,
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
, and
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
on plaques affixed to the trees. Forbes originated the "Waimea Vegetable and Flower Show" which developed under his leadership into the principal annual horticultural show in West Hawaii. Forbes planted some camphorwood seedlings in the grounds of the manager's house of the Pacific Sugar Mill Company in the 1880s. Half a century later he used the fragrant wood of these same trees to carve the altar for the Imiola Church in Waimea. Carving of the altar was completed after his death by his son David Merlyn Lougher Forbes. He introduced the Jack Fruit tree to Hawaii.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, David Machattie 1863 births 1937 deaths Businesspeople from Hawaii People from Hilo, Hawaii People from Moray Scottish businesspeople Scottish expatriates in the United States