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Ancient Hawaii is the period of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
an history preceding the establishment in 1795 of the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadically between 400 and 1100 AD by Polynesian long-distance navigators from the Samoan,
Marquesas The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific ...
, and
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
islands within what is now
French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...
. In 2010, a study was published based on radiocarbon dating of more reliable samples which suggests that the islands were settled much later, within a short timeframe, in about 1219 to 1266. The islands in Eastern Polynesia have been characterized by the continuities among their cultures, and the short migration period would be an explanation of this result. Diversified
agroforestry Agroforestry (also known as agro-sylviculture or forest farming) is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system c ...
and
aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...
provided sustenance for Native Hawaiian cuisine. Tropical materials were adopted for housing. Elaborate temples (called ''
heiau A ''heiau'' () is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick (''heia ...
'') were constructed from the lava rocks available. The rich natural resources supported a relatively dense population, organized by a ruling class and social system with religious leaders. Captain
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
made the first known European contact with ancient Hawaiians in 1778. He was followed by many other Europeans and Americans.


Voyage to the Hawaiian islands

There have been changing views about initial Polynesian discovery and settlement of Hawai'i. Radiocarbon dating in Hawai'i initially indicated a possible settlement as early as 124 CE.
Patrick Vinton Kirch Patrick Vinton Kirch is an American archaeologist and Professor EmeritusPatrick V. Kirch
University ...
's early books on Hawaiian archeology date the first Polynesian settlements to about 300 CE with more recent suggestions by Kirch of 600 CE. Other theories suggest dating as late as 700–800 CE. In 2010, researchers announced new findings using revised, high-precision radiocarbon dating based on more reliable samples than were previously used in many dating studies. This new data indicates that the period of eastern and northern Polynesian colonization took place much later, in a shorter time frame of two waves: the "earliest in the
Society Islands The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...
c. 1025–1120, four centuries later than previously assumed; then after 70–265 years, dispersal continued in one major pulse to all remaining islands c. 1190–1290."Janet M. Wilmshurst, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo, and Atholl J. Anderson
"High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia"
''PNAS'', vol. 108 no. 5, , accessed 26 October 2015
According to this research, settlement of the Hawaiian Islands took place c. 1219–1266. This rapid colonization is believed to account for the "remarkable uniformity of East Polynesia culture, biology and language". According to Hawaiian mythology, there were other settlers in Hawaii: peoples who were forced back into remote valleys by newer arrivals. They claim that stories about '' menehune'', little people who built ''
heiau A ''heiau'' () is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick (''heia ...
'' and fishponds, prove the existence of ancient peoples who settled the islands before the Hawaiians.


Early Hawaiian sites


Waiʻahukini Rockshelter (Site H8)

The Wai'ahukini Rockshelter, site H8, lies within a lava tube about 600 feet inland from the shore on the southern part of the island of Hawai'i. Based on the lack of light and space necessary for normal living conditions, it was unlikely that site H8 was used as a dwelling. Excavations of site H8 began in 1954 by William J. Bonk and students from the University of Hawaii, Hilo, and concluded in 1958. Excavation of the site revealed eight fireplaces at varying depths, as well as 1671 artifacts which included faunal remains, fishhooks, and lithic materials made of basalt and volcanic glass. The distribution of artifacts in site H8 indicated that it was continuously used as a fishing shelter until the eruption of
Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...
in 1868. An early estimation of the site's initial occupation was A.D. 750 by Emory and Sinoto in 1969, but a more recent study using updated radiocarbon dating methods suggested a much later date, somewhere within the mid-14th century.


Hālawa Dune Site

Located on the island of Moloka'i, the Hālawa Dune Site was first discovered in 1964 and consists of two
mound A mound is a wikt:heaped, heaped pile of soil, earth, gravel, sand, rock (geology), rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded ...
s. In the summer of 1970, Patrick Vinton Kirch performed excavations on the larger of the two mounds, Mound B, revealing six major layers. Within the fourth layer were artifacts, faunal remains, and house foundations. Of the 496 artifacts unearthed in this layer, the most significant included fishhooks and
adze An adze () or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing or carving wood in ha ...
s. The adzes recovered from Mound B were similar to those found in
Nihoa Nihoa (; or ), also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of Necker ...
and the Necker Islands and, according to Kirch and McCoy, served as "evidence that the Hālawa Dune Site represented an early phase in the development of Hawaiian material culture." Initial radiocarbon dating for the site by Kirch suggested a range of 600 to 1200 CE, however a re-dating of samples in 2007 showed the site dated no earlier than 1300 CE, and was occupied primarily between 1400 and 1650 CE.


Settlement

Early settlers brought along with them clothing, plants (called " canoe plants") and livestock and established settlements along the coasts and larger valleys. Upon their arrival, the settlers grew (
taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
), (
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
), (
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
), (
breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...
), and raised (
pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
), (
chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
), and ( poi dog), although these meats were eaten less often than fruits, vegetables, and seafood. Popular condiments included (
salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
), ground
kukui nut ''Aleurites moluccanus'', commonly known as candlenut, is a tree in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It grows to about tall and produces drupe fruit. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, the species' origin is unclear due to its spread b ...
, (
seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
), and (
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
) which was used as both a sweet and a medicine. In addition to the foods they brought, the settlers also acquired (
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
), which began to be cultivated across Polynesia around the year 1000 or earlier, with the earliest evidence of cultivation in Hawaii around 1300. The sweet potato is native to South America. Recently, an analysis of the DNA of 1,245 sweet potato varieties from Asia and the Americas was done, and researchers found a genetic link that proves the root made it to Polynesia from the Andes around 1100. The findings, published in the ''
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Scie ...
'', offer more evidence that ancient Polynesians may have interacted with people in South America long before the Europeans set foot on the continent. The
Pacific rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), or , is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. Contrary to its vernacular name, the Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia ...
accompanied humans on their journey to Hawaiʻi. David Burney argues that humans, along with the vertebrate animals they brought with them (pigs, dogs, chickens and rats), caused many native species of birds, plants and large land snails to become extinct in the process of colonization.
Estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
and streams were adapted into fishponds by early Polynesian settlers, as long ago as 500 CE or earlier. Packed earth and cut stone were used to create habitat, making
ancient Hawaiian aquaculture Before contact with Europeans, the Hawaiian people practiced aquaculture through development of fish ponds (), the most advanced fish-husbandry among the original peoples of the Pacific. While other cultures in places like Egypt and China also us ...
among the most advanced of the original peoples of the Pacific. A notable example is the Menehune Fishpond dating from at least 1,000 years ago, at Alekoko (Kaua'i). At the time of Captain James Cook's arrival, there were at least 360 fishponds producing of fish per year. Over the course of the last millennium, Hawaiians undertook "large-scale canal-fed pond field irrigation" projects for (taro) cultivation. The new settlers built (homes) and (temples). Archaeologists currently believe that the first settlements were on the southern end of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi and that they quickly extended northwards, along the seacoasts and the easily accessible river valleys. As the population increased, settlements were made further inland. With the islands being so small, the population was very dense. Before European contact, the population had reached somewhere in the range of 200,000 to 1,000,000 people. After contact with the Europeans, however, the population steeply dropped due to various diseases including
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
.


Village

A traditional town of ancient Hawaii included several structures. Listed in order of importance: * Heiau, temple to the gods. There were two major types. The agricultural ''mapele'' type was dedicated to Lono, and could be built by the nobility, priests, and land division chiefs, and whose ceremonies were open to all. The second type, luakini, were large war temples, where animal and
human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...
s were made. They were built on high-rising stone terraces and adorned with wood and stone carved idols. A source of great ''
mana Mana may refer to: Religion and mythology * Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology * Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
'' or divine power, the luakini could only be entered by '' alii'', the king, important chiefs and nobility, and ''
kahuna Kahuna (; ) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A may be versed in agriculture,Archiv ...
'' who were members of the priesthood. * Hale alii, the house of the chief. It was used as a residence for the high chief and meeting house of the lesser chiefs. It was always built on a raised stone foundation to represent high social standing. ''
Kāhili A ''kāhili'' is a symbol of the aliʻi chiefs and families of the Hawaiian Islands. It was taken by the House of Kamehameha, Kamehamehas as a Hawaiian Kingdom, Hawaiian royal standard and used by the Royal Families to indicate their lineage. H ...
'', or feather standards, were placed outside to signify royalty. Women and children were banned from entering. * Hale pahu, the house of the sacred hula instruments. It held the ''
pahu The term "pahu" is a general word for drum in Hawaiian culture however, there are a variety of them. To fully understand the "pahu" as it pertains to dance, it's important to consider the following explanation. Since the mid-1800s, the term "h ...
'' drums. It was treated as a religious space as
hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
was a religious activity in honor of the goddess '' Laka''. * Hale papaa, the house of royal storage. It was built to store royal implements including fabrics, prized nets and lines, clubs, spears and other weapons. * Hale ulana, the house of the weaver. It was the house where craftswomen would gather each day to manufacture the village baskets, fans, mats and other implements from dried pandanus leaves called ''
lauhala ''Lauhala'', ''lau'' meaning "leaf" in the Hawaiian language, refers to the leaves of the hala tree ''(Pandanus tectorius)''. Uses The hala tree is of great cultural, health and economic importance in many Pacific Islands. The fruit of the tree i ...
''. * Hale mua, the men's eating house. It was considered a sacred place because it was used to carve stone idols of '' aumakua'' or ancestral gods. The design was meant for the men to be able to enter and exit quickly. * Hale aina, the women's eating house. Women ate at their own separate eating house. Men and women could not eat with each other for fear that men were vulnerable while eating to have their ''mana'', or divine spirit, stolen by women. * Hale waa, the house of the canoe. It was built along the beaches as a shelter for their fishing vessels. Hawaiians also stored koa logs used to craft the
canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...
s. * Hale lawaia, the house of fishing. It was built along the beaches as a shelter for their fishing nets and lines. Nets and lines were made by a tough rope fashioned from woven
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
husks. Fish hooks were made of human, pig or dog bone. Implements found in the ''hale lawaia'' were some of the most prized possessions of the entire village. * Hale noho, the living house. It was built as sleeping and living quarters for the Hawaiian family unit. * Imu, the communal earth oven. Dug in the ground, it was used to cook the entire village's food including ''puaa'' or pork. Only men cooked using the ''imu''.


Caste system

Ancient Hawaii was a caste society developed from ancestral
Polynesians Polynesians are an ethnolinguistic group comprising closely related ethnic groups native to Polynesia, which encompasses the islands within the Polynesian Triangle in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Sout ...
. In ''The overthrow of the kapu system in Hawaii'', Stephenie Seto Levin describes the main classes: * Alii. This class consisted of the high and lesser chiefs of the realms. They governed with divine power () within a sometimes
theocratic Theocracy is a form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries, with executive and legislative power, who manage the government's daily a ...
system. *
Kahuna Kahuna (; ) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A may be versed in agriculture,Archiv ...
. Priests who conducted religious ceremonies, at the and elsewhere. Professionals included master carpenters and boatbuilders, chanters, dancers, genealogists, physicians and healers. * Makaāinana. Commoners who farmed, fished, and exercised the simpler crafts. They labored not only for themselves and their families, but to support the chiefs and . * Kauwā. A broad and degrading category of servants, slaves, and outcasts. Marriage between higher castes and the was strictly forbidden. The worked for the chiefs, and males were often used as human sacrifices (via drowning) at the '' luakini heiau''. (Lawbreakers of other castes and defeated political opponents were also sometimes used in human sacrifices.)


Education

Hawaiian youth learned life skills and religion at home, often with grandparents. For "bright" childrenHandy and Pukui, ''The Polynesian Family System in Ka-'U, Hawai'i'' pp. 90 a system of apprenticeship existed in which very young students would begin learning a craft or profession by assisting an expert, or ''
kahuna Kahuna (; ) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A may be versed in agriculture,Archiv ...
''. As spiritual powers were perceived by Hawaiians to imbue all of nature, experts in many fields of work were known as ''kahuna'', a term commonly understood to mean ''priest''. The various types of ''
kahuna Kahuna (; ) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A may be versed in agriculture,Archiv ...
'' passed on knowledge of their profession, be it in "genealogies, or ''
mele Mele () is a ''Comune'' (Municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about west of Genoa, and historically famous for the production of paper. Mele borders the following municipalities: Genoa, Masone ...
'', or herb medicine, or canoe building, or land boundaries", etc. by involving and instructing apprentices in their work. More formal schools existed for the study of ''
hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
'', and likely for the study of higher levels of sacred knowledge. The ''kahuna'' took the apprentice into his household as a member of the family, although often "the tutor was a relative". During a religious "graduation" ceremony, "the teacher consecrated the pupil, who thereafter was one with the teacher in psychic relationship as definite and obligatory as blood relationship". Like the children learning from their grandparents, children who were apprentices learned by watching and participating in daily life. Children were discouraged from asking questions in traditional Hawaiian culture.


Land tenure

In Hawaiian ideology, one does not "own" the land, but merely dwells on it. The belief was that both the land and the gods were immortal. This then informed the belief that land was also godly, and therefore above mortal and ungodly humans, and humans therefore could not own land. The Hawaiians thought that all land belonged to the gods (''akua''). The '' alii'' were believed to be "managers" of land. That is, they controlled those who worked on the land, the '' makaāinana''. On the death of one chief and the accession of another, lands were re-apportioned—some of the previous "managers" would lose their lands, and others would gain them. Lands were also re-apportioned when one chief defeated another and re-distributed the conquered lands as rewards to his warriors. In practice, commoners had some security against capricious re-possession of their houses and farms. They were usually left in place, to pay tribute and supply labor to a new chief, under the supervision of a new '' konohiki'', or overseer. This system of land tenure has similarities with the
feudal system Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring socie ...
prevalent in Europe during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The ancient Hawaiians had the '' ahupuaa'' as their source of water management. Each '' ahupuaa'' was a sub-division of land from the mountain to the sea. The Hawaiians used the water from the rain that ran through the mountains as a form of irrigation. Hawaiians also settled around these parts of the land because of the farming that was done.


Religion and the ''kapu'' system

Religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
held ancient Hawaiian society together, affecting habits, lifestyles, work methods, social policy and law. The legal system was based on religious '' kapu'', or
taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
s. There was a correct way to live, to worship, and even to eat. Examples of ''kapu'' included the provision that men and women could not eat together (Aikapu religion). Fishing was limited to specified seasons of the year. The shadow of the '' alii'' must not be touched as it was stealing his ''mana''. The rigidity of the ''kapu'' system might have come from a second wave of migrations in 1000–1300 from which different religions and systems were shared between Hawaii and the Society Islands. Had Hawaii been influenced by the Tahitian chiefs, the ''kapu'' system would have become stricter, and the social structure would have changed. Human sacrifice would have become a part of their new religious observance, and the '' alii'' would have gained more power over the counsel of experts on the islands. ''Kapu'' was derived from traditions and beliefs from Hawaiian worship of gods, demigods and ancestral ''mana''. The forces of nature were personified as the main gods of (God of war),
Kāne In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the three major Hawaiian deities, along with Kū and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and giv ...
(god of light and life), Kanaloa (god of death), and Lono (god of peace and growth). Well-known lesser gods include Pele (goddess of fire) and her sister Hiiaka (goddess of dance). In a famous creation story, the demigod
Māui Māui or Maui is the great culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology. Very rarely was Māui actually worshipped, being less of a deity ( demigod) and more of a folk hero. His origins vary from culture to culture, but many of his main expl ...
fished the islands of Hawaii from the sea after a little mistake he made on a fishing trip. From
Haleakalā Haleakalā (; Hawaiian: ), or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive, active shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Island of Maui. The western 25% of the island is formed by another volcano, Mauna Kahalawai, als ...
, Māui ensnared the sun in another story, forcing him to slow down so there were equal periods of darkness and light each day. The Hawaiian mystical worldview allows for different gods and spirits to imbue any aspect of the natural world.Dudley, Man, Gods, and Nature. pp. 77 From this mystical perspective, in addition to his presence in lightning and rainbows, the god of light and life,
Kāne In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the three major Hawaiian deities, along with Kū and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and giv ...
, can be present in rain and clouds and a peaceful breeze (typically the "home" of Lono). Although all food and drink had religious significance to the ancient Hawaiians, special cultural emphasis was placed on ''awa'' (''kava'') due to its narcotic properties. This root-based beverage, a psychoactive and a relaxant, was used to consecrate meals and commemorate ceremonies. It is often referred to in Hawaiian chant. Different varieties of the root were used by different castes, and the brew served as an "introduction to mysticism".


Chiefs

The four biggest islands, the island of Hawaiʻi,
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
,
Kauaʻi Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 mi ...
and Oʻahu were generally ruled by their own '' aliʻi nui'' (supreme ruler) with lower ranking subordinate chiefs called ''aliʻi ʻaimoku'', ruling individual districts with land agents called '' konohiki''. All these dynasties were interrelated and regarded all the Hawaiian people (and possibly all humans) as descendants of legendary parents,
Wākea In the Hawaiian religion, Wākea, the Sky father weds Papahānaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the parent couple of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii. ''Wākea'' was the eldest son of Kahiko ("Ancient One"), who lived in Olalowa ...
(symbolizing the air) and his wife Papa (symbolizing the earth). Up to the late eighteenth century, the island of Hawaiʻi had been ruled by one line descended from
Umi-a-Liloa ʻUmi-a-Līloa (fifteenth century) was the supreme ruler Aliʻi nui of Hawaii, Aliʻi-ʻAimoku (High chief of Hawaiʻi Island) who inherited Hawaiian religion, religious authority of the Hawaiian Islands from his father, High Chief Līloa, whose li ...
. At the death of Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku, a lower ranking chief, Alapainui, overthrew the two sons of the former ruler who were next in line as the island's ''aliʻi nui''. Assuming five to ten generations per century, the ''Alii ʻAimoku'' dynasties were around three to six centuries old at 1800 CE. The Tahitian settlement of the Hawaiian islands is believed to have taken place in the thirteenth century. The '' alii'' and other social castes were presumably established during this period.


First recorded European contact

By chance in January 1778, British Captain
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
encountered the Hawaiian Islands while crossing the Pacific during his third voyage of exploration. He landed first on Kauai, then
Niʻihau Niihau (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the seventh largest island in Hawaii and the westernmost of the main islands. It is southwest of Kauai, Kauai across the Channels of the Hawaiian Islands#Kaulakahi Channel, Ka ...
before leaving the vicinity to continue his mission to explore the Pacific coast of North America. Cook's two ships returned to the islands in November to re-supply, first sailing along the coast of Maui before eventually reaching an anchorage at
Kealakekua Bay Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona. Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples ( heiaus) an ...
on Hawaii island. Some Hawaiians believed Cook was a sign from their god Lono. Cook's mast and sails coincidentally resembled the emblem (a mast and sheet of white '' kapa'') that symbolized Lono in their religious rituals; the ships arrived during the '' Makahiki'' season dedicated to peace. Later, Cook was killed as he attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief of the island of Hawaii and left behind on the beach by his retreating sailors. The British demanded that his body be returned, but the Hawaiians had already performed funerary rituals of their tradition.Kamakau 1961, pp. 103–104 This first European contact with the Hawaiian islands marked the beginning of the end of the Ancient Hawaii period. After Cook's visit and the publication of several books relating his voyages, the Hawaiian Islands attracted European and American explorers, traders, and whalers, who found the islands to be a convenient harbor and source of supplies. Within a few decades
Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...
used European warfare tactics and some firearms and cannons to unite the islands into the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
.


See also

*
Māori culture Māori culture () is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Polynesians, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of Culture of New ...
* Mary Kawena Pukui, scholar of ancient Hawaiian culture *
Polynesian culture Polynesian culture is the culture of the indigenous peoples of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. The development of Polynesian culture is typically divided into four different historical eras: * Exploration and ...
* List of monarchs (Aliʻi ʻAimoku) of Hawaii * List of monarchs (Aliʻi ʻAimoku) of Kauai * List of monarchs (Aliʻi ʻAimoku) of Oahu * List of monarchs (Aliʻi ʻAimoku) of Maui * List of monarchs (Aliʻi ʻAimoku) of Molokaʻi


Notes


References


Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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External links

* * * * {{cite web , url= http://www.hawaiianhistory.org/ref/chron.html , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124141942/http://www.hawaiianhistory.org/ref/chron.html , archive-date=2010-01-24 , url-status=dead , publisher= Hawaiian Historical Society , title= Significant Dates in the History of Hawaiʻi , access-date=February 18, 2015 Ancient peoples Polynesian culture ja:ハワイの歴史#先史時代