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History and Culture of the
Hawaiian People
Allyx Smith & Taryn McGrew
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Original Colonization of the Hawaiian
Islands
 Archaeological
evidence dates back to as early as
300 CE
 Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas and
possibly the Society Islands populated the
islands between 300-500 CE
A
second wave of migration took place from
Raiatea and Bora Bora in the 11th century.
 The
first recorded European contact:
 1778- British explorer James Cook
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Polynesian Triangle

The Polynesian Triangle
 Region of the Pacific Ocean
 Three island groups at its
corners:
 Hawaii
 Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
 New Zealand

A large imaginary triangle in
the Pacific Ocean,
encompassing over 1,000
islands.

Polynesia ("many islands")
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Traditional Culture

Ancient Hawaiians had a structured social order with kānāwai
(strict regulations and a system of laws)

Kapu (sacred or forbidden).

The mō‘ī (king, queen) and his/her ‘aha kuhina (chiefs and
advisers) constituted the highest class--mana (divine power).

Below them were the nobility, known as ali‘i.

Next in rank were the kāhuna,


Maka‘āinana


priests as well as professionals with specific skills in particular fields.
Common people- mostly farmers
Kauā/Kauwā

Outcasts
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Making a Living

Agriculture was the biggest industry in Hawaii


Plantations were established in the 1820s and 1830s


Sugar, coconut, and pineapple formed the core of the plantation
system.
Native Hawaiian men were employed as farm workers while
Hawaiian women worked in the houses of white immigrants as
maids and washer women.
Fishing

Took place both inshore and offshore.

Many fishing techniques were used, each demanding different
equipment and procedures:

hand catching, snaring, spearing, basket trapping, netting, hook
and line fishing, and poisoning.
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Hula Dance
 Hula
or Hawaiian dance, is as much a celebration
of life as it is a proud statement of cultural identity.
 According
to legend, hula originated when Pele,
the Hawaiian goddess of fire, commanded her
younger sister Laka to dance.
 Schools
were begun in honor of the goddess of the
dance and temples were dedicated to her.
 Dancers
lived on the temple grounds, subjected to
strenuous training regimes and kapu (taboos)
befitting the sacred art of hula.
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Hula (con’t)
 Hula
passes along the stories and legends of the
culture to subsequent generations.
 Hula

ancient hula, uses dance and chanting to relate the
proud and somber history, customs, ceremonies and
traditions of ancient Hawaii and her people.
 Hula

kahiko:
auwana:
modern hula, is the dance form most people are
familiar with, combining dance and music for a more
playful, joyous and spirited recounting of
contemporary life in the islands.
 Missionaries
who arrived in the islands in the
1820s thought the hula to be a little too suggestive
and outlawed it as a pagan practice.
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Language

Hawaiian:
 language with the fewest letters in its alphabet
 a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w — 12 in all
 longer sounding vowels
 marked with a bar or macron above the letter
 Hawaiians call it a kahakö.
 Changes the length of the vowels

For example:
 kala is a type of fish
 kalä means 'the sun,’
 kälä means 'dollar' or 'money.’

English vowels can be lengthened in pronunciation

changes the emphasis but not the meaning of the word.
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Religion

Worship of all the powers of nature

There were four main gods:
 Kane (god of life, fresh water, provider of sunshine)
 Lono (god of rain, peace, agriculture, and the forest)
 Ku (god of war and medicine)
 Kanaloa (god of the ocean and ocean winds).

The Hawaiians believed that these gods took many forms.

Hundreds of lesser gods and goddesses.
 Pele (goddess of volcanoes)
 Lea (goddess of women and canoe builders)
 Laka (goddess of the hula).
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Religion (con’t)


Aumakua:

Ancestral guardian spirits/family ancestors who became personal
gods of their Ohana.

Prayed to for strength, guidance, and inspiration

Appeared as: sharks, lizards, birds, fish, stones, owl, or the eel.
Heiau:


Temples or places of worship
Religions of Hawaiian People Today:

Christians

Catholics

Buddhists

many others
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Captain James Cook
 Three Voyages- Thousands
of Miles
 Mapped lands from New
Zealand to Hawaii in the
Pacific Ocean in great
detail.

1778-landed on Kauai at
Waimea Bay.

natives believed he was a
god, a great chief with
divine power.
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Captain Cook (con’t)
 Cook
was killed in a fight with Hawaiians during
his third exploratory voyage in the Pacific in 1779.
 The Hawaiians greeted Cook and his men by
hurling rocks.
 The captain and his men fired on the angry
Hawaiians, but they were soon overwhelmed, and
only a few managed to escape to safety.
 Captain Cook was killed by the mob.
 A few days later, the Englishmen retaliated by
firing their cannons and muskets at the shore,
killing more then 30 Hawaiians
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The Beginning of a Kingdom

Kamehameha I aka ‘The
Great’

Full Name- Kalani Pai’ea
Wohi o Kaleikui
Kaeli’ikui Kamehameha
o’ Lolani I Kaiwikapu
Kaui Ka Liholiho
Kunuiakea

Halley’s Comet 1758

Naha Stone

Kanawai Mamalohoe“Law of the Splintered
Paddle”
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Unification
 Colonial
Alliances
 Cook- weapons and advisors
 Battles
 Iao Valley-
Maui
 Nuuanu Pali- Oahu
 Puukohola Heiau Fortress- Big Island- 1790
 Kingdom
of Hawaii- 1810
 King Kaumualii- Kauai
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Monarchs of Hawaii:
Queen Kaahumanu (1772-1832)
 Kuhina-nui
 Regent
for Kamehameha II
for Kamehameha III
 Leadership
role in the overthrow of the
Kapu system
 With the collapse of the system, she as a
woman could exercise political authority
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Kamehameha II (1797-1824)
Liholiho
 Split
power with
Kaahumanu
 Broke
Kapu
 Ate with noble
women in view of
public
 1823-
England
 measles
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Kamehameha III (1814-1854)
Kauikeaouli

Last son of Kamehameha
the Great to rule

Most difficult time in
Hawaiian History
 Increase in foreign
residents
 New problems in trade,
credit, land titles, and
plague

29 year reign- longest of
any Hawaiian monarch
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Kamehameha VI (1834-1863)
 First
grandson of
Kamehameha I to rule
 Beginnings
of tension
over potential
annexation by the U.S.
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Kamehameha V (1830-1872)
Lot
 Last
direct descendent
of Kamehameha I to
rule
 Last
King to rule in old
Hawaiian style
 Increased
annexation
anxiety
 Racial
troubles
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William Lunalilo (1835-1874)

Confirmed King in 1873
 Informal popular vote by
Hawaiian Legislature

Amended Constitution of
1864
 Property rights no longer
needed to vote

Attempted a reciprocity
treaty with U.S.– too much
protest

Died of tuberculosis after
less than a year as ruler.

Left his home to the poor
and the needy
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David Kalakaua (1836-1891)

Elected by Hawaiian
Legislature in 1874

For the People
 Filled administrative
positions with Hawaiians

“Merry Monarch”

End of Reign
 Cabinet overthrown
 New constitution stripping
power
 Replaced
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Liliulokalani (1838-1917)
 Regent
prior to
Kalakaua’s death
 Rivalry
between white
businessmen and
native politicians
 Committee
1893
 1895
Revolt
of Safety
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Princess Kaiulani (1875-1899)

Heir to throne
 Training equal to
European monarchs to
be
 Traveled widely
 Learned many
languages

Hawaiian’s “Last Hope”

After annexation- defiant

Died of rheumatism of
the heart- March 6, 1899
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Immigrants in Hawaii in the 1900’s
 English
 Cook
 Chinese
1852-1856thousands
 1884- 18,254

 Japanese-
1890- 12,610
 1900- 61,111
 1924- Federal
Exclusion Act

 Portuguese
 1878-1887-
17,500
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Immigrants (con’t)
 Koreans
 Puerto
 1903-
SS Gaelic
 1911-1924- picture
brides
 Filipinos
 1907-1931-
Ricans
 1900- Ship Rio de
Janeiro
 1950- 10,000
 Samoans
120,000
 1919-
Mormon
Temple
 1952- 1000
 1970’s- 13,000
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Our 50th State:
Introducing Business Relationships

1826- Hawaii U.S. Treaty
 Opened trade relations

1849- Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation
 Aimed for perpetual peace between the two nations
 Furthered trade privileges

1875- Treaty of Reciprocity
 Free access to U.S. market
 U.S. gained lands in Pu’u for Pearl Harbor Naval Base
 Large American investments in Hawaiian sugar plantations
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Our 50th State:
Annexation

President Grover Cleveland

President William McKinley -1896


June 1897- annexation treaty agreed upon

1898- treaty failed in the Senate – never ratified
Newlands Resolution

Joint resolution written by Congressman Francis G. Newlands

Approved July 4, 1898

Signed July 7, 1898
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Our 50th State:
Statehood

1950’s- shift of political power in Hawaii


Plantation owners vs. Descendents of immigrated laborers
March 1959


Congress passes Hawaii Admission Act
President Eisenhower signed the Act into Law

Vote cast to Hawaiian People

Modernization



Construction
Tourism
State Programs
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Important Post-Modern Figures of
Hawaii: Duke Kahanamoku

Practiced all throughout
youth
 Studied top Australians

1911- Organized Hui Nalu
 Club of the Waves

Olympic Trials
 March 1912
 13th- Chicago
 100 yard race
 15th- Pittsburgh
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Duke Kahanamoku
 Five
time Olympic
medalist in
swimming
 Most famous name in
surfing
 Hollywood actor
 Hero
 1925- Newport
Beach Boating
Tragedy
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Important Figures
Don Ho

Hawaiian and traditional
pop musician and
entertainer

Hawaiian, Chinese,
Portuguese, Dutch, and
German heritage

1953- University of Hawaii

1954- Joined U.S. Air Force

1959- left as a First
Lieutenant
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Don Ho
 One
of Hawaii’s
biggest entertainers
for 40 years
 1960’s- Tiny
 1970’s
 Don
Bubbles
– TV projects
Ho Show
 Died
April 14, 2007
+ Important Figures:
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole aka
Bruddah’ Iz
 Born May 20, 1959
Hawaiian last name
means “Fearless Eyed,
Bold Face”
 Ukelele
 Performed as early as
age 10
 Facing the Future- 1993
 Somewhere Over the
Rainbow/ What a
Wonderful World

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Recycling Tradition:
A Hawaiian Case Study
Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Beginning in the late 1960s and growing stronger during the past
forty years, old forms of Hawaiian structured movement systems
have resurfaced in Hawaii.

“Recycling traditions” for the Hawaiians is a main aspect of how
they choreograph new styles of dances.

Dancing for Hawaiians is a ritual and a way of expressing religion.

Taking religious movements and transforming them into
entertaining dances.

Hula is another structured form of movement which is considered a
form of theater and entertainment.

Understanding Hawaiian dances is difficult for most. The dancers
use movements that suggest a certain language using specific
gestures.
The Life of the Land:
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Missionary geography in the Hawaiian Islands
R.D. K. Herman
 Argument: Privatization
of land in Hawaii due to
missionary pressures
 Benefited foreign investors
 Native Hawaiians became a landless underclass
 Missionaries both victims and perpetrators of the
industrial-capitalist power shift
 One
Eye on the Land, One Eye on the Souls
 Missionaries
first educated westerners to reside
and try to learn the native customs
 Transitions from
preachertradesmenscholaradvisor to the
Crowngovernment figures and businessmen
The Life of the Land:
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Missionary geography in the Hawaiian Islands
R.D. K. Herman
 1820’s-1850’s
 Missionaries
only people with access to printing
press
 Only Westerners with Hawaiian language ability
 Missionaries
torn between spirituality and
ambition
 “The people are making progress in civilization,
increasing property” (MH 4/48:140)
 “As civilization advances…. We find it more and
difficult to keep an assembly together.”
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Conclusions
 Regardless of the purpose of the missionaries, the
change they brought about raised the material
status of living of Hawaiians.
 Purpose of the changes were for the benefit of the
West
 Political and economic greed combined with
disease made foreign contact with Hawaii more of
a taking relationship than a giving one.
 This taking climaxed with the annexation of
Hawaii.
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Literature Cited

Anissimov, Michael, and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 02 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

"Captain Cook Killed in Hawaii." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

De Mello, John. "IZ." The Official Site of Israel IZ Kamakawiwo`ole. Apple Mountain Company, n.d. Web.

"Don Ho." 2013. The Biography Channel website. http://www.biography.com/people/don-ho-271668.

"Duke Kahanamoku." Duke Kahanamoku, Official Web Site for The City and County of Honolulu. City and County of Honolulu, n.d. Web.

"HawaiiHistory.org - Hawaii History - Home." HawaiiHistory.org - Hawaii History - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

"Hawaii's Languages | Polynesian Cultural Center." Hawaii's Languages | Polynesian Cultural Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

"Hawaii-United States Treaty - 1826." Hawaii-United States Treaty - 1826. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Hawaii-United States Treaty -1849." N.p., n.d. Web.

Herman, R.D. K. "The Life of the Land: Missionary Geography in the Hawaiian Islands." Missiology: An International Review XXXIX.1 (n.d.): 59-74. ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web.

"Immigrants." Hawaiian Roots: Genealogy for Hawaiians. N.p., n.d. Web.

Kaeppler, Adrienne L. Recycling Tradition: A Hawaiian Case Study. Dance Chronicle , Vol. 27, No. 3 (2004), pp. 293-311

"King Kamehameha 1 and His 4 Statues." Hawaii's Official Tourism Site. Hawaii Tourism Authority, n.d. Web.

"The Monarchy." Hawaiian Roots: Genealogy for Hawaiians. N.p., n.d. Web.

Pitzer, Pat. "Winds of Profound Change Swept over Hawai`i in the 1890s, Turbulent times That Altered the Islands' Future Forever." The Overthrow of the
Monarchy. Spirit of Aloha, n.d. Web.

“William Charles Lunalilo." HawaiiHistory.org. Hawaii History, n.d. Web.
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Photos Cited

http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-The-Bermuda-Triangle-The-Polynesian-Triangle

http://stockphototops.blogspot.com/2012/08/hawaii-beach-stock-photos.html

takemoretrips.blogspot.com/2012/12/hawaii_13

www.travactours.com/tours/hawaii

hawaiiguide.com

http://www.zazzle.com/captain_james_cook_postcards-239468933722212894

http://www.biography.com/people/kamehameha-i-9359827

http://pacific-islander.blogspot.com/2007/05/we-will-remember-you.html

http://ukenewbie.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-pros-play-israel-kamakawiwoole.html

http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/07/29/sports/story1.html

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1511628032/tt0477500

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johnny_Weismuller_and_Duke_Kahanamoku_smiling.jpg

http://www.hawaiiforvisitors.com/monarchy/king-william-lunalilo.htm