HISTORY

 

Polynesians were Hawaii's first settlers 1,500 years ago. They traveled over 2,000 miles, from the Marquesas Islands in huge double-hulled 60 - 80 feet long canoes. They navigated the ocean using the sun, moon, stars and birds. Their canoes were capable of holding a family of 30; along with provisions, domestic animals and plants. They sailed back and forth to bring more family, pets, livestock, plants and trees. Approximately 250 Polynesians initially landed at the southern tip of Hawaii's Big Island.

They named the entire group of islands Hawaii. No one really knows the true origin of the name Hawaii. Some say the islands were named for the chief navigator on the first voyage whose name was Hawaii Loa. While others say it means "the heavenly homeland to the north."

Tahitians migrated to Hawaii 500 years later, between the years of 1100 and 1300.

In 1778, British Captain James Cook "discovered" the Hawaiian Islands. He named Hawaii the "Sandwich Islands" after his benefactor, John Montague (the Earl of Sandwich). However, the Hawaiians had been living on the islands for over a thousand years prior to his arrival.

The Hawaiian people thought Captain Cook was their god Lono and they treated him as a god. As time went on, the Hawaiians began to doubt that Captain Cook was their god. He wore his welcome out. In 1779, Captain Cook was killed on Hawaii's Big Island in a battle between sailors and Hawaiians.

When Captain Cook arrived on the shores of Kauai, there were over 400,000 Hawaiians. Within 50 years, half of the population was lost because the Hawaiians did not have immunity to European diseases.

King Kamehameha I united all the islands in 1810. For the first time, only one king ruled Hawaii. Lahaina, located on Maui, was the capital. In 1845, Honolulu was proclaimed the capital of Hawaii.

After Kamehameha I died in 1819, his successor Kamehameha II set about dismantling the kapu, a feudal system of laws. In 1820, missionaries arrived from Boston and were given permission to establish a mission. They began to change the island culture, both spiritually and socially. Three years later, most of the royalty had converted to Christianity.

In 1824, Kamehameha II died of measles while visiting London, England. Kamehameha III, his younger brother, ascended the throne at the age of 11, in 1825. During his reign a smallpox epidemic dwindled the population of Hawaii to less than 80,000 people. Years later during another difficult period, King Kamehameha III would utter the words, “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono”—“The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” These words have since become the State of Hawaii's motto.

In 1849, the first sugar refinery was built. To harvest sugar for the burgeoning sugar plantations, in years to follow, over 200,000 laborers were brought in from other countries by the foreign plantation owners. Workers from China came first, then Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Korea and the Philippines.

King David Kalâkaua was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He died on January 20, 1891, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. He is popularly referred to as The Merrie Monarch. During his reign as king, he built the 'Iolani Palace, revived the hula (which was previously banned) and traveled extensively internationally to improve the economy of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His reign as absolute monarch ended in 1887. He was forced to sign a new contstitution, now known as the Bayonet Constitution. The uprising was sponsored by foreign business interest.

In 1891, Queen Lili'uokalani inherited the throne from her older brother King Kalâkaua. She tried drafting a new constitution that would have restored the monarchy and voting rights to the Hawaiians. Her government was overthrown in 1893 by United States military and a new government was established that was composed of European and United States businessmen.

Hawaii was annexed as a United States territory in 1900. On August 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation making Hawaii the 50th State of the United States of America.