Jean Baptiste Rives
| Jean Baptiste Rives | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1793 |
| Died | August 18, 1833 |
| Other names | John Reeves Luahine |
| Known for | Royal secretary of Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Spouse(s) | Holau |
| Children | Virginia Kahoa Theresa Owana John Lafayette |
Jean-Baptiste Jassont Lafayette Rives, sometimes referred to as John Reeves (1793–1833), was a French adventurer who served in the court of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His first name was sometimes spelled John and last name Reeves by English speakers. Some sources give other middle names.
Jean Baptiste Rives was born in the city of Bordeaux (part of the region of Gascony) circa 1793. He arrived in the Hawaiian Islands sometime between 1803 and 1810, probably as a cabin boy or steward, given his youth. He must have had an ear for learning new languages, since he spoke at least French and English, and picked up the Hawaiian language quickly. About the same age as the sons of King Kamehameha I, he became a close friend of the boys and became useful as an interpreter for the growing number of foreign visitors. The Royal teacher John Papa ʻĪʻī had him give the princes language lessons. His short stature earned him the Hawaiian language nickname Luahine ("Old Woman").
When Prince Liholiho became King as Kamehameha II in May 1819, Rives became part of his "inner circle"; he was his personal secretary and a binge drinking companion. Rives was granted land on four different islands.
On August 8, 1819 the French explorer Louis de Freycinet (1779–1842) arrived on the ship Uranie, and Rives acted as interpreter. On August 12, the ship chaplain Abbé de Quélen performed a Roman Catholic baptism ceremony on the chief minister Kalanimoku, and on August 27 island Governor Boki. Rives tried to convince others to join the ceremony, but people who would often plunge into the Pacific found it hard to believe a spoonful of water had much power.
Jacques Arago describes Rives as a curious sight: he was under four feet tall, at a time when native Hawaiians were much taller than even average height Europeans. Rives was wearing an elegant silk robe that had to be tied up because it was far too large. Although Rives boasted of having sailed to china several times, being the son of a famous physician and curing the natives with his medicines, the fellow Gascons of the crew were embarrassed by his claims. In his journal, Arago says:
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