David McHattie Forbes, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

David McHattie Forbes

Scottish botanist, ethnologist, sugar plantation manager and explorer

Date of Birth: 21-Jul-1863

Place of Birth: Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 23-Mar-1937

Profession: businessperson, ethnologist, botanist

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

David McHattie Forbes (21 July 1863 – 23 March 1937) was a Scottish botanist, ethnologist, sugarcane plantation 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 Polynesian artefacts ever found.
The location of the find became known as the 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 in 1956.
The Forbes Collection was on public view for 34 years until 1990, when the NAGPRA 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 by Forbes' two expedition partners: Wilhelm Wagener and Friedrich Haehnisch.