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To me, Ranald MacDonald is an example of someone who fell through the cracks of history, and should be much better known than he is. What he did is quite extraordinary, and we can learn a great deal from him, as he was far ahead of his time. I also think that as we enter a truly global world, that he is a particularly interesting and valuable person to study, since he transcended not only cultures and languages, but also his own era.
Someone once said that no two biographies of the same person are ever alike, what makes your biography of MacDonald unique?
There are other biographies of MacDonald, but I think mine is the first to try to sort the myths from the facts in a serious way. I used a type of triangulation, comparing primary source materials in Japanese, English, and even Dutch. His sojourn in Nagasaki in the spring of 1849 is quite extraordinary in this sense, in that one can compare accounts on a nearly daily basis, in English, Dutch, and even Japanese.
In the biography, you are always sure to note ethnic diversity, whether it is recognizing Ranald MacDonald's ancestry or in the relationship between the east and the west. Why is this?
When I was growing up, most history was literally quite white-washed. It was always from the perspective of white people. Today there is much more emphasis on racial diversity in history, but I think that still few people have any idea how diverse Ranald MacDonald's childhood environment was. Most people that I know of, for example, are always surprised to learn that there were many Hawaiians in the Pacific Northwest in his day. Few people know, for that matter, knew that Japanese sailors were being shipwrecked on the west coast of North America, and even Mexico.
Who do you feel will be interested in reading this biography (perhaps other translators and interpreters, Japanese culture hobbyists)? Why?
I wrote the book mainly to satisfy my own curiosity, but I hope that it will also appeal to those interested in a very different take on U.S.-Japan history, and even in Native American history. MacDonald is one of the few people who actually can bridge the history of Native Americans (and the mixed-race people called Metis), with that of Japan. He is a remarkable mid-nineteenth century link between Canada, the Pacific Northwest, eastern North American, Hawaii, and Japan.
What would you say are still MacDonald's largest contributions to the relationship between Japan and America?
His biggest contribution was indirect. While in jail in Nagasaki he taught English to the Japanese government interpreters, who then only knew Dutch and Chinese, and who had a critical need to know English. Several of these interpreters later served in an official capacity when foreigners--such as Commodore Perry and the U.S. Navy--arrived and demanded that Japan end its isolation. In a sense, one can say that these interpreters helped Japan preserve her independence. And that they were able to do their job so effectively was very much due to MacDonald's teachings.
It has taken quite a bit of time for you to complete the biography. Is there any reason why it took so long?
It's a very complicated and confused story, filled with myths and misunderstandings, and I felt that my job was to try to sort the facts from the fiction, in a way that was interesting to the average reader. Also, because MacDonald was such an adventurer, it was necessary to travel to many remote areas to retrieve information on him and to understand what he did. Finally, I had to make a living while writing the book, so I could not work on it every day…
As a biographer, when you first began writing on MacDonald, did you have any goals? (For yourself? Or for the biography?)
I wanted to unearth the truth about Ranald MacDonald, to find out what might have motivated him to do something so extraordinary. For me, it became a personal quest. I guess you could say that I wrote the book to satisfy my own curiosity, and that it became something of an obsession.