It took 1800 years for the teachings of Christ to make their way to the Hawaiian Islands, the most remote population center in the world. In contrast, news of the dawn of the Bahá’í revelation was reported in The Hawaiian Gazette on Sept. 8, 1869, 25 years after its inception. Then in 1901 the first Bahá’í arrived in Oahu, just 9 years after the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
The rapid spread of the Bahá’í Faith compared to Christianity is a sign of both technological change—in sea travel and navigation—and globalization—the rapid development of connectivity among the diverse peoples of the world.
The early spread of the Bahá’í Faith was facilitated by pioneering individuals willing to take two leaps of faith: to explore a new religion and to travel the world when such adventures were rare. Interestingly, Hawai’i was the beneficiary and source of several outstanding pioneers.
Newly updated content on the Hawaii Bahá’í website tells the story of four early Baha’is who shaped the Bahá’í community here and around the world. In 1901, Agnes Baldwin Alexander introduced the Bahá’í message to Hawaii. Dr. George Auger, who opened a medical practice in Honolulu in 1898, was the first Bahá’í to become resident in Japan. And Martha Root, considered the foremost “travelling teacher” of the Bahá’í Fatih, visited Hawaii on several occasions as she circled the world with the Bahá’í message, and ultimately passed away here in 1939.
The fourth of the early Bahá’ís featured on the Hawaii website is Mary Keali’ikahumoku Tilton Fantom, who in 1923 became the first person of Hawaiian ancestry to join the new faith. Born in Hamakuapoko, Maui in the Kingdom of Hawaii on July 7, 1879, she spent most of her life in Sprecklesville. She learned of the Bahá’í teachings from another early Bahá’í, Kathrine Alexander Baldwin, who lived at Haleakala Ranch. She was affectionately known as “Auntie May” for the warm ohana spirit she fostered in the Bahá’í community. For many years she served as recording secretary of Maui’s first Local Spiritual Assembly, established in 1928. She was also one of the first to hold Bahá’í children’s classes on Maui, and each year in June, Bahá’ís and their friends gathered in her spacious gardens for a Unity Feast. Mary passed away in 1972, at the age of 93, and is buried at Makawao cemetery.
Mary Keali’ikahumoku Tilton Fantom, best known as Auntie May
Today’s Bahá’ís owe a great debt to these early pioneers of their Faith. For more detailed stories of their lives please visit the Early Bahais in Hawaii webpage.