Feature

I don’t remember when I first became interested in the history of HMS Bounty and the mutiny by the crew that took place in 1788, or Pitcairn Island where the renegades settled. My childhood fascination was probably sparked by portrayals in rerun movies, and being an avid stamp collector, I yearned for Pitcairn stamps.

As a youth I was fascinated by the “Mutiny on the Bounty” story and we had learned in history class that the ship had actually docked near my own hometown, Cape Town, South Africa, before crossing the Indian Ocean to Tahiti.

Then, a few years ago, my friend, Wallene Nelsen, and I, visited Smithsonian Museum of Natural History where we were invited to the off-limits botany specimen storage room. The curator showed us actual plants collected on Captain Cook’s expedition in the 1770s by Sir Joseph Banks. Banks was the same botanist who referred the Bounty’s William Bligh to King George III, to bring breadfruit saplings from Tahiti to Jamaica. Imbued with curiosity, I requested to touch the leafy specimen before it was returned to the drawer.

Thus, the islands were vaguely on my radar with the Bounty having docked in my own hometown, yearning for Pitcairn stamps, and being so close to the actual breadfruit specimens collected by Joseph Banks.

As the story goes, after cruel punishments and floggings by Bligh, Master’s Mate Fletcher Christian commandeered the vessel and banished Bligh and his followers to an open boat, setting them adrift in the South Pacific Ocean. After many weeks at sea they finally reached land, returned to England and demanded the mutineers to be hanged.

Although the mutiny was romanticized in books, it was not until the story hit the big screen that Fletcher Christian became a maritime hero in three films; Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard, and Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins, in blockbuster renditions of the nautical crime of the century.

The thrust of the HMS Bounty story was that Sir Joseph Banks referred Bligh to King George III to secure breadfruit plant saplings in Tahiti, then to deliver them to Jamaica to grow as cheap foods for slave workers. The trees yielded about 200 high protein fruits per season and also provided timber for outriggers and latex for boat caulking.

Successful transplants of seedlings to Jamaica meant bonuses for Bligh and success for botanist Banks. The ship’s great cabin was refitted to hold over 1000 plants—plants that required much of the ship’s limited drinking water.

While on the extended Tahiti layover, the crew nurtured the Jamaica-bound breadfruit saplings for ten months, as many of the sailors became enthralled by the tropical maidens. Bligh admonished the raucous sailors, and some were mercilessly flogged. When the Bounty departed Tahiti with breadfruit saplings, the crew rebelled.

Fletcher Christian had taken up with an island maiden and was not about to abandon her. With his anger roiling, Christian lead the mutiny against Bligh and banished him along with eighteen others, to a twenty-three-foot open boat, to fend for themselves in the vast ocean.

He commandeered the HMS Bounty with eight roguish sailors and returned to Tahiti to pick up six local men, eleven women, and one infant. The hijacked Bounty zigzagged the South Pacific for nine months in search of safe harbor far from Britain’s reach. In January 1789, they landed at an inlet on the volcanic outcrop island of Pitcairn in a four-island archipelago. Christian named the inlet “Bounty Bay,” and settled his ragtag colonists near abundant food sources. They stripped the Bounty of lumber, canvas sails, and supplies, scuttled it, and set it afire to prevent escape.

I would imagine they redeemed the breadfruit samplings to grow for food and used all possible survival devices as they colonized their lost paradise, invisible to the outside world.

But trouble was brewing in the utopian paradise as British sailors, and the Tahitian men, fought among themselves, often over women, and many died in the first two years, including Fletcher Christian.

John Adams was the sole mutineer survivor as shortly after their arrival, all the others died. Some were murdered, one committed suicide and others died from various causes. In any case, their names remain etched in history; Fletcher Christian, Matthew Quintal, William McCoy, William Brown, Isaac Martin, John Mills, John Williams, and Ned Young, whose descendent, Kevin Young, has added to this story.

Despite despair, isolation, and fear of capture, survivor John Adams, the Tahitians, and subsequently future descendants of seven generations have lived on Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands for 230 years to the present. The multi-generational descendants, living links to the storied Bounty, are still preserving their Anglo-Tahitian culture.

Isolated Pitcairn Island, an Overseas British Territory, has the smallest population of any democracy in the world. It lies within the Henderson, Ducie and Oeno archipelago. Pitcairn, the only inhabited island, is 3,500 miles equidistant from New Zealand to the west and Peru to the east, has a combined area of 1.6 square miles, and the highest point is 1100 feet. It has internet access and one television channel. Adamstown is the capital.

In the 1930s, the population swelled to 233, however, today only about 50 people live on Pitcairn. No planes can land, no big ships can dock. Water and fuel are scarce, and to preserve energy, electricity is turned off between 10 pm and 6 am. Island transportation is by foot or quad ATVs, and passengers, supplies, and mail arrive from New Zealand once every three months on the island ship, Silver Supporter.

Accommodation and meals for visitors can be arranged at local homes with advance reservations. Most families have vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Breadfruit is harvested by “shooting down” as they are too high to reach. There is one school, a church, medical center, general store, and post office that still sells collectible stamps and first day covers.

When cruise ships visit, they drop anchor in deep waters, and weather permitting, passengers are ferried into Adamstown by longboats or ship tenders, where locals eagerly sell handmade wares, wood carvings, jewelry, tapa cloth, island honey, and handmade soaps. Pitcairn Island is actively seeking immigration and offers free land to those who qualify.

So, with my triad of links to HMS Bounty that moored near my birthplace two centuries before, avid Pitcairn stamp collecting, and a serendipitous Smithsonian connection with botanist Banks’ specimens, I decided to contact some Pitcairn inhabitants for my story.

Heather Menzies Young kindly put me in touch with Pitcairn’s deputy mayor, Kevin Young, a direct descendant of original Bounty colonist Ned Young, who emailed me his own words for my ALIVE article:

Life on Pitcairn can be busy. Our aging community is very small, so keeping the island maintained and functioning at a reasonable level requires all but the very young and elderly to participate in some way. Combine this with a self-reliant lifestyle, and time becomes a much-valued commodity.

In the summer months, a number of cruise ships break their journey between French Polynesia and South America with a call at Pitcairn. If the passengers come ashore, our population can swell to a few hundred for the day. Other ships invite us to set up a market on board so passengers can buy local crafts and wares. A popular choice is to write letters and postcards which are brought ashore and mailed from the Pitcairn Post Office. With some ships carrying several thousand passengers and crew, it can stretch us to capacity for those hours but the interaction with passengers and supplementary income is always welcomed.

Passengers often ask how we live on this small remote island. When they learn our homes are similar to theirs with electricity, satellite broadband, and appliances there’s often surprise. What’s less familiar to them is drinking rainwater from unpolluted skies, fish caught from pristine waters, and vegetables fresh from the garden for the evening meal.

If they were to ask me why I live on Pitcairn, I would tell them I was born here, a direct descendant of the Bounty settlers. My family has lived here for 230 years. Some set great store by the connection to the Bounty but I live here because I chose the Pitcairn lifestyle in retirement over the equivalent, time demanding, urban life in New Zealand I returned from. Pitcairn’s rugged beauty and sub tropical climate is a bonus!—Kevin Young

Back in 1958, when I was still just adjusting to our new life in the United States, as well as trying to get over my father’s death, some nice old ladies at Trinity Church in Berkeley, where my parents were caretakers, gave me an Ant Farm. I haven’t seen one for years, so some of you, particularly millennials, may not even know what I’m talking about. It was a box filled with sand, that a whole colony of ants had been relocated to. For hours on end, I could watch those hard-working little critters build tunnels, carry bits of gravel five times their size, as well as pieces of the tiny vegetation that had been planted on top of the sand. I just watched and watched, and wondered, what in heck the ants thought of my giant eyeballs observing their goings-on. I often wondered, how I would feel, being observed by beings that were far superior to me. Since ET beings may been observing us for years now, perhaps millennia, I have a sense of how those ants might have felt.

By the way, after a few months, the ant colony died out, just like I believe the first modern humans that had been transferred here to planet Earth did, by the ETs, 300 to 400,000 years ago, and again, 50,000 years or so ago, from our planet of origin.

Not only that, but I believe that along with us, other groups of Hominins had been “relocated” to various other regions of Earth; possibly, by various other extraterrestrial groups. Not only that but, the ETs may have not only been relocating and observing us,  but also manipulating our genome, as well as meddling in our affairs ever since.

Why, just the other day, I was trying to explain to a friend, why I believed that we Humans, did not originate on planet Earth but, might actually have originated on another planet, possibly Mars, making us extraterrestrials. My friend just smirked, saying “I can believe you came from Mars. You kinda look like a Martian!” He then left, laughing his head off. He thought that I had lost my mind. Sometimes you just have to open your mind to let new ideas in before you laugh your ass off! What he didn’t realize is “he,” would then also be a Martian. As I have indicated earlier, at the time of our resettlement from our planet of origin, there were already other hominins occupying different regions of Earth, who probably came here as we did, but much earlier and from other parts of the cosmos.

Over the years, I have found a handful of authors who investigate the possibility of our ET origin with a 21^st century mindset. First, there is Erich Von Däniken who, all the way back in the early 1970s, came out with Chariots of the Gods, questioning long-held beliefs that we were the crown-jewel of creation (on Earth). Soon after, in 1976 came Zecharia Sitchin with a somewhat different take on humanity’s origins, with his 12^th Planet series, explaining how it was the Annunaki who meddled in human affairs, by going as far as manipulating our genome to create the perfect worker humans. His best title on the topic, The Wars of Gods and Men, is an excellent read, as it details, why humans are such an aggressive, warmongering lot. And, the latest notable to join this rather limited group of clear thinkers is Ellis Silver, PhD, with his excellent tome, Humans Are NOT From Earth, listing hundreds of facts accumulated through exhaustive research, in support of his theory. There are others that I have not listed, and there may be others that I am not even aware of.

I became interested in the topic, way back in 1952 or 53, when one day, my uncle Bert brought home a French language tabloid entitled, Radar (Rah-dahr), with a front-page article entitled, L’Incident de Roswell, or, The Roswell Incident, of which I wrote a couple months ago. Just so you understand, at the time, we were living in France following a stint in a WWII Displaced Persons Camp in Austria before we got to emigrate to the USA. After one of my mother’s tasty Chicken Paprikash Sunday dinners, the grown-ups were relaxing with a glass of Mouton Cadet and a cigarette as they were listening to me reading the “Roswell Incident.” As I had been in school for the past three years, I was rather fluent in French, as opposed to the old folks, who needed a little more time to become comfortable with the language. As I got finished with the article, a discussion ensued. The grown-ups talked about the possibility of extraterrestrials and flying saucers, as well as the possible origins of humans. As I had not only read the article, but then translated it for them, I was allowed to partake in the discussion.

This is when my father declared that planet Earth was nothing more than a galactic Penal Colony, where Human beings had been banished for their criminal behavior. Papa went on explaining, “Just look at all the vicious, blood-thirsty dictators and their minions that the Earth has produced, like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao-Tze Dong.” He further explained how before the above three mass-murderers mowed down innocents all over the planet, we had numerous others who would have fit right in with this gang. He spoke of all the barbarians that rampaged throughout Europe and Asia, with nothing more than killing and conquest on their minds. He would say that men were the only creatures on the planet that went about killing the opposition as a solution to disputes. The first two thousand years of the Christian Era were all about war and conquest; over religion, no less.

Take for instance the Ottoman Empire which has threatened Christian Europe for over a thousand years, with extinction or conversion to its way of life by the sword. That is a pretty unnerving existence to have to live next-door to neighbors who would wish to wipe you out, because they couldn’t stand for the idea that you believed in a different God and prayed in a different church. To the list, my father added Tomás de Torquemada, the head of the Spanish Inquisition, who managed to prosecute around 150,000 souls for not properly following the teachings of the church, according to his interpretation. Out of that lot, the vicious head inquisitor managed to have between 5,000 and 6,000 put to death, all in the name of religion. Before that, we had the Crusades, another campaign over religious beliefs. It makes one wonder why the Extraterrestrials foisted religion on us Humans. Perhaps to give us reason to wage war and to distract us from spending too much time trying to discover our origins?

There was the Hundred Years’ War which lasted from 1337 to 1453, between the House of Plantagenet, rulers of England and the French House of Valois, over who would rule the Kingdom of France at the cost of thousands of lives. There are numerous other instances where war was waged to settle such differences; too many to list here. If you’ve ever taken a World History class, the main topic discussed is waging war for conquest, or who would be in charge.

Some of the wars that didn’t get discussed took place in the skies above India, as far back as 6000 to 7000 years ago. Some say that India’s ancient history might go back as far as 40,000 years. The reason we never talked about these aerial conflicts in ancient India is because, according to mainstream academia, these weren’t real events that took place. They were and are still considered mythological in nature; in other words, legends and faery tales. However, if you listen to some Indian scholars, they will tell you that these conflicts were, in fact, very real and are well-documented in ancient writings, such as the  Mahabharata and the Ramayana, wherein tales of opposing factions waged war in flying machines called Vimanas in the skies above ancient India and to the people of the time, these were very real events. Those Vimanas were able to shoot each other out of the sky with deadly ray weapons and even dropped bombs on each other’s earthly strongholds, wiping out cities and thousands of people. Some of the very ancient and highly decorated temple structures you find in India today, were actually designed to look like those ancient flying machines, the Vimanas. These ancient battles were again being fought between two opposing factions, over who would eventually be in power here on Earth and possibly in the cosmos.  

End of Part 1. This series to be continued in next month’s issue of ALIVE.

Alive & Thrivin’, is in the Basket

The Easter Bunny can afford to be pretty picky when it comes to selecting treats to fill an Easter basket. He is, after all, the Santa Claus of spring. Jelly beans, chocolate eggs, and even Peeps are staples for this holiday basket, but what about non-consumable swag? Does the EB include clothes in the basket? What about toys, games, or sports equipment? Does the rabbit leave a couple of gift cards or a little cash tucked under the Cadbury or Sees delicacies? This year, after reading about my appearance at Santa’s book club back in December, the Easter Bunny has selected my new book, Alive & Thrivin’ – The Thrillogy of a Trilogy, to go into every basket throughout the land. I’m truly humbled, honored, and hungry. For candy, not rabbit.

As most people know, Easter is a holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his crucifixion and burial by the Romans at Calvary in 30 AD. Easter is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

The Easter Bunny is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter. Originating among German Lutherans, the “Easter Rabbit” originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the Easter season, aka Ash Wednesday. The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted wearing clothes, carrying colored eggs, candy, and sometimes toys, in his basket to the homes of children. There are obvious similarities to Santa Claus, as they both work off a naughty or nice list and bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holidays. The Easter basket ritual has its origin in the German folklore of the Easter Hare. Legend has it that a white hare would leave a basket full of goodies and treats on Easter morning to signify new life, rebirth, and renewal in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. Coloring eggs and placing them in baskets dated back to 1682. The colorful plastic straw from CVS came later.

The Easter basket tradition dates way back to the 7^th Century; however, it is rare for the Easter Bunny to leave a book in the basket. Not just because a book, even paperback, can be heavy and would weigh him down, but it would need to be a magical book sure to be loved by all. Past Easter basket books to be distributed have included The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter (no relation to Beatrix) and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I am certainly in good company, but the Peter Rabbit book is obviously a case of nepotism.

As a child growing up, my sisters and I loved waking up on Easter Sunday morning to see what Mr. Bunny had left for us in our baskets. I’m not a fan of jelly beans, but I love me some pastel-colored M&Ms, Robbin Eggs, and the delectable hollow chocolate bunny. Once I had chomped off his ears, I would consume the rest of the rabbit leaving only a chocolate goatee as evidence on my adolescent face. Occasionally we did receive something other than candy. Over the years, I seem to recall finding a stuffed animal, a 45 or record album, a blacklight poster or packs of baseball cards in or near my Easter basket. Boy that makes me feel old. Wait a second, I am old.

When the Easter Bunny’s people reached out to my editor, Eric Johnson of ALIVE Book Publishing, to inquire about adding my book to their global Easter basket distribution, we were both admittedly very excited. Giddy might be a better term. (Giddy: having a reeling, lightheaded sensation; dizzy). Eric was definitely giddy, given that sales of my first two books never exceeded 25-30 copies each, and that was with me spending a lot of time marketing, promoting and giving roughly half away as gifts, this was a big order to fill. This Easter basket order would get into the hundreds of millions. Not too shabby. I trust that ALIVE can put their other massive print jobs on hold for a few weeks.

Other items to make the Easter Bunny’s Easter 2020 Basket list include: hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, bleach, bottled water, pasta, toilet paper, latex gloves, disposable face masks, soap (bars and liquid), all-purpose cleaners, milk, stock tips (some drug company’s going to come up with a cure for COVID-19) and a little cash $ just to get by for the next couple of weeks.

It should go without saying that I am looking forward to hearing from family, friends, acquaintances, and business associates when they wake up Easter morning to find a copy of my latest book in their childrens’ Easter baskets. Since Alive & Thrivin’is part of a trilogy (hence the subtitle, the thrillogy of a trilogy), they may want to purchase my first two books (Alive & Kickin’ and Alive & Chillin’) to complete the set. I would be happy to accommodate them, for a fee. They may want their books signed by the author, which I would be happy to do, for a fee.

Finally, they may ask if I’m available for book signings and public speaking engagements. Also, very amenable to either of those public appearances…. for a fee. I’m a full-service author and man about town.

As the world contends with a global health concern, let’s hope the Easter Bunny washes his paws, carries an ample supply of paw sanitizer with him, and drinks plenty of water before his enormous Easter Eve mission. He may want to consider engaging the services of Amazon or some type of drone distribution service just to be safe.

I am very proud that my new book was selected as an Easter Basket gift item this year and I will do everything in my power with the world wide audience I’m about to inherit to promote safe and healthy living so we can all stay Alive and Thrivin’.