Native Hawaiians

Native Hawaiians are the first people of the islands.

They sailed there a long time ago. They made a special culture. They love the land and their family.

They grow a plant called taro. This plant is very important to them. They also do a dance called hula. Hula tells stories with movements. It is a beautiful way to share history. These people still keep their traditions alive today.

Native Hawaiians are the first people of the Hawaiian Islands.

They arrived by sailing from other islands long ago. Over time, they made a unique culture. Their religion focuses on family and the land. They call themselves kamaʻāina, which means "people of the land."

They grow a plant called taro. This plant is very important to their history.

In 1795, a leader named Kamehameha the Great began to unite the islands. He formed the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Later, many new people arrived from Asia and the United States. This brought many changes. Many Native Hawaiians also got sick from new diseases. This was a very hard time for the people.

Today, many people work to keep Hawaiian culture alive. They teach the language and hula dance in schools. They also use traditional canoes to sail the ocean.

Native Hawaiians live in all 50 U.S. states today.

Native Hawaiians are the original people of the Hawaiian Islands.

They are also known as Kānaka Maoli. These people first arrived at least 800 years ago. They were Polynesians who sailed from the Society Islands. Over a long time, they became separate from their old homes. They built a new and special culture in their new land. This culture helped them pass knowledge to their children.

Their way of life is tied to the land and family. They call themselves kamaʻāina, which means "people of the land." Their religion focuses on the land, or ʻāina, and the family, or ʻohana. They believe their ancestors came from the land itself. One important plant is taro, which they grow in patches.

This plant is a symbol of their deep roots. They also use hula dance to tell stories. Some hula is traditional and uses drums and chanting. Other hula uses guitars and colorful outfits for visitors to see.

History changed when different people arrived from far away. In 1778, Captain Cook arrived at the islands. At that time, the population was very large. It was between 250,000 and 800,000 people. However, new diseases like smallpox and measles arrived too. These illnesses were very hard on the people. Many Native Hawaiians died because they had no resistance to them. This was a very sad and difficult period in their history.

One great leader helped bring the islands together. His name was Kamehameha the Great. In 1795, he began to unite the different islands. He conquered Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi to form a kingdom.

By 1810, the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau joined the kingdom too. Later, the islands became part of the United States. People from the United States and Asia also moved to the islands. This brought even more changes to the Hawaiian way of life.

Today, many people work to keep Hawaiian traditions strong.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society builds double-hulled canoes. They use these canoes to practice old sailing ways. Schools also teach Hawaiian language and history to students. Many Native Hawaiians live in all 50 U.S. states now. In 2010, over 540,000 people reported Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander ancestry. This group was one of the fastest-growing in the country. They continue to honor their past through holidays and art.

Native Hawaiians, also known as Kānaka Maoli, are the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. They are part of a broader Polynesian family that shares similar languages and traditions across the Pacific. The history of these people began at least 800 years ago. Polynesians sailed from the Society Islands to settle the archipelago. Over many centuries, these settlers became distinct from their original homelands. They developed a unique culture, religious systems, and a specific identity. This new civilization was built to pass vital knowledge from one generation to the next.

The spiritual life of the Kānaka Maoli is deeply connected to the land, or ʻāina, and the family, or ʻohana. Their religion is polytheistic, meaning they worship many gods. Two primary gods are Wākea and Papahānaumoku, the mother and father of the islands. Their second child, Hāloa, is the god from whom all Hawaiians descend. Because of this connection, they call themselves kamaʻāina, which means "people of the land." This bond is symbolized by the cultivation of taro. Taro is a plant considered the manifestation of Hāloa and represents the deep roots of the people.

Ancient Hawaiian society used a specific system to manage land and resources. Each island was divided into large areas called moku. These were given to people of high standing and kept within families. Each moku was further split into smaller sections called ahupuaʻa. An ahupuaʻa typically ran from the mountains down to the sea. This design ensured that every community had access to all necessary resources. They could find hardwoods in the mountains and food sources by the ocean. Managers oversaw these areas and collected tributes for the island chiefs.

The political history of the islands changed greatly through unification. Before 1795, the islands were independent. Kamehameha the Great, a leader from the island of Hawaiʻi, began a campaign to unite them. In 1795, he conquered Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi. By 1810, the last inhabited islands, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, joined the kingdom. This created the Hawaiian Kingdom, a unified monarchy. History is often divided into four periods: pre-unification, the unified monarchy and republic, the U.S. territorial period, and the U.S. statehood period.

Contact with outsiders brought massive changes and great loss to the population. When Captain Cook arrived in 1778, the population was estimated between 250,000 and 800,000 people. This was the peak of the Native Hawaiian population. However, immigrants and visitors brought diseases like smallpox, measles, and whooping cough. The Kānaka Maoli had no natural resistance to these illnesses. This caused a catastrophic die-off that lasted for many years. By 1950, the population reached a low point after a long period of decline.

Despite these challenges, there has been a significant cultural renaissance since the 1970s. The 1978 Hawaiʻi State Constitutional Convention helped commit the government to preserving Hawaiian history and language. Today, Hawaiian culture is taught in public schools. Organizations like the Polynesian Voyaging Society work to revive traditional sailing. They build double-hulled canoes, such as the Hōkūlea, to practice ancient navigation techniques. These voyages help people appreciate the connection between the environment and Hawaiian culture.

Modern demographics show a growing and widespread population. In the 2010 U.S. census, 540,013 residents reported Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander ancestry alone. Of those, 135,422 lived in Hawaiʻi. When including other races, 1.2 million people in the United States identified with this ancestry. People with Native Hawaiian roots now live in all 50 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The Hawaiian sovereignty movement continues to seek autonomy or independence for the islands.