Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Hawaii's discovery and colonization is one of humanity's great epic tales,
starting with ancient Polynesians who found their way to these tiny islands
- the world's most isolated - in the midst of Earth's largest ocean. Almost a
millennium passed before Western explorers, whalers, missionaries and en-
trepreneurs arrived on ships. In the tumultuous 19th century, a melting pot
of global immigrants came to work on Hawaii's plantations before the king-
dom founded by Kamehameha the Great was overthrown, making way for
US annexation.
The paintings of acclaimed artist, historian and Polynesian Voyaging Society co-founder
Herb Kawainui Kane give a glimpse into Hawaii's mythic and historical past, including in
his illustrated book
Voyagers
(2005). Several dozen of his artworks are on display at King
Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel on the Big Island.
Polynesian Voyagers
To ancient Polynesians, the Pacific Ocean was a passageway, not a barrier, and the islands
it contained were connected, not isolated. Between AD 300 and 600, they made their
longest journey yet and discovered the Hawaiian Islands. This would mark the northern
reach of their migrations, which were so astounding that Captain Cook - the first Western
explorer to take their full measure - could not conceive of how they did it, settling 'every
quarter of the Pacific Ocean' and becoming 'by far the most extensive nation upon earth.'
Although the discovery of Hawaii may have been accidental, subsequent journeys were
not. Polynesians were highly skilled seafarers, navigating over thousands of miles of open
ocean without maps, and with only the sun, stars, wind and waves to guide them. In
double-hulled wooden canoes, they imported to the islands their religious beliefs, social
structures and over two dozen food plants and domestic animals. What they didn't possess
is equally remarkable: no metals, no wheels, no alphabet or written language, and no clay
to make pottery.
Wanna know more? The community website
www.hawaiihistory.org
offers an interactive
timeline of Hawaii's history and essays delving into every aspect of ancient Hawaiian cul-
ture, with evocative images and lots of links.
