Indianz.Com > News > Native America Calling: The death of Captain Cook
native america calling
Native America Calling
Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.
Alternate Links: Native Voice One | NAC
Native America Calling: The death of Captain Cook
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
nativeamericacalling.com   nativeamericacalling   nativeamericacalling

The death of Captain Cook
Eighteenth Century British explorer James Cook is revered for his drive and seamanship from Tonga and the South Pacific to the Bering Strait.

Cook put more than 120 English place names on the map from Mount Edgecombe in Alaska to the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. That doesn’t count the many places named after him.

But Cook’s colonial exploits were often at odds with the Indigenous peoples of the places he visited, culminating in his death at the hands of Native Hawaiians on this date in 1779.

Today on Native America Calling, we examine his complicated legacy.

James Cook
A marker at the shoreline of Kealakekua Bay in Hawaii reads: “Near This Spot, Capt. James Cook Met His Death. February 14, 1779.” Photo: gillfoto

Guests on Native America Calling
Dr. Keanu Sai (Hawaiian subject), political scientist

Benjamin Jacuk (Dena’ina, Athabaskan, and Sugpiaq), researcher at the Alaska Native Heritage Center

Melissa Shaginoff, artist and curator

All Episodes on Spotify | More Options
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
Native America Calling: A Native cafe, camas restoration and the Indigenous food pyramid
Source New Mexico: Uranium mine under consideration near sacred Mount Taylor
Native America Calling: Exploring home, culture, and personal resolve with writers Joan Kane and Sherman Funmaker
Montana Free Press: Lawsuit challenges cancellation of federal grants for tribal agricultural programs
Press Release: Institute of American Indian Arts announces scholarship created by Pueblo artist Rose B. Simpson
Press Release: Umatilla Tribes approve contract for Native legal aid program
Press Release: Department of Transportation opens $19 million tribal grant program
Native America Calling: Oil drilling vs cultural preservation at Chaco Canyon
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (May 26, 2026)
Native America Calling: Border wall construction damaging sacred sites
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation promotes compassion and responsibility
Native America Calling: Wide disparities persist when encountering ancestors’ remains (Encore Presentation)
Press Release: Sen. Murkowski (R-Alaska) discusses tribal priorities at oversight hearing
Native America Calling: A conversation with Native wellness advocates Chelsea Luger and Thosh Collins
Cronkite News: Former MAGA figure denounces Trump’s ‘slush fund’ for criminal defendants
More Headlines