
Who were the first settlers in Hawaii?
The First Settlements in Hawaii by the Polynesians. When did people first come to Hawaii? The first settlements in Hawaii appeared around 300-600 A.D. The first people to reach Hawaii were Polynesians who came to the island from the Marquesas Islands.
What was the first European settlement in Hawaii?
EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. January 18, 1778 marked the arrival of Captain James Cook and the crews of his two ships, H.M.S. Resolution and H.M.S. Discovery, off the coast of the island Kauai. The British visitors recorded trading iron nails for fresh water, pigs, and sweet potatoes.
When did the Polynesians settle in Hawaii?
Discovery and settlement of Hawaii. There is no definitive date for the Polynesian discovery of Hawaii. However, high-precision radiocarbon dating in Hawaii using chronometric hygiene analysis, and taxonomic identification selection of samples, puts the initial first settlement of the Hawaiian Islands sometime between 1219 and 1266 A.D., ...
What is the history of Hawaii in World History?
History of Hawaii. That history begins sometime between 124 and 1120 CE, when the islands were first settled by Polynesians. Hawaiian civilization was isolated from the rest of the world for at least 500 years. Europeans led by British explorer James Cook arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778.

Where was the first settlement in Hawaii?
The first settlements in Hawaii appeared around 300-600 A.D. The first people to reach Hawaii were Polynesians who came to the island from the Marquesas Islands. These settlers built their homes near the ocean and started farming, providing food for themselves while on the island.
When was Hawaii first settled?
1,500 years ago: Polynesians arrive in Hawaii after navigating the ocean using only the stars to guide them. 1778: Captain James Cook lands at Waimea Bay on the island of Kauai, becoming the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands.
Who was the first explorer to discover Hawaii?
explorer Captain James CookOn January 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to travel to the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu.
Which Hawaiian island was settled first by Polynesians?
Polynesians first landed on the big island of Hawaii, at Ka Lae on the southern coast. The name Hawaii derives from the word Havaiki, the Polynesian name for a homeland they believed they all originally came from and would return to after death.
What was Hawaii called before it was called Hawaii?
the Sandwich IslandsMost everyone knows that Hawaii was once called the Sandwich Islands. Today that name is used infrequently to evoke a certain nostalgia and quaintness. During the early and mid-19th century, however, the name Sandwich Islands was used extensively, particularly by foreigners.
Who were the first families to settle in Hawaii?
Most anthropologists believe that the original settlement of Hawaii was by Polynesians who migrated northwest from the Marquesas Islands between the 4th and 7th centuries ce, to be followed by a second wave of immigrants that sailed from Tahiti during the 9th or 10th century.
What explorer found the Hawaiian Islands?
Captain James CookThe Island of Kauai's historic Waimea River is famous as the initial landing site of Captain James Cook, the first European explorer to establish western contact with the Hawaiian Islands.
Who named Hawaii?
Captain James Cook, RN, visited the islands on January 18, 1778, and named them the "Sandwich Islands" in honor of The 4th Earl of Sandwich, who as the First Lord of the Admiralty was one of his sponsors. This name was in use until the 1840s, when the local name "Hawaii" gradually began to take precedence.
Did Captain Cook eat?
No - the Hawaiian Islanders who killed Captain Cook were not cannibals. They believed that the power of a man was in his bones, so they cooked part of Cook's body to enable the bones to be easily removed. It was the cooking of his body which gave rise to the rumour of cannibalism.
Who was the first Hawaiians?
PolynesiansHawaiian, any of the aboriginal people of Hawaii, descendants of Polynesians who migrated to Hawaii in two waves: the first from the Marquesas Islands, probably about ad 400; the second from Tahiti in the 9th or 10th century.
What was the last large island discovered and settled by the Polynesians?
islands of New ZealandThe Polynesian islands were discovered and settled by seafaring people, who came from a group of islands off the coast of New Guinea. These daring explorers crossed the Pacific Ocean in simple, double-hulled canoes called “outriggers.” The islands of New Zealand were the last of the islands to be discovered.
What are native Hawaiians called?
Native Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians (Hawaiian: kānaka, kānaka ʻōiwi, kānaka maoli, and Hawaiʻi maoli), are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii was settled at least 800 years ago with the voyage of Polynesians from the Society Islands.
Who had Hawaii before the US?
Hawaii was a kingdom until 1893 and became a republic in 1894. It then ceded itself to the USA in 1898 and became a state in 1959.
How long has Hawaii been inhabited?
The first inhabitants of Hawaii may have reached the islands as early as 300 ce from the Marquesas Islands. Contact with and settlement by Tahitians began in the 9th century ce.
When was Hawaii colonized by the US?
1898When the Hawaiian islands were formally annexed by the United States in 1898, the event marked the end of a lengthy internal struggle between native Hawaiians and non-native American businessmen for control of the Hawaiian government.
Who owned the Hawaiian Islands before the US?
Until 1894, Hawaii was ruled by kings and queens. Hawaii was united under a single kingdom for 80 years, from the reign of King Kamehameha to Queen Lili'oukalani.
When was Hawaii settled?
Population estimates based on an initial discovery and settlement of Hawaii settlement date, of around 1150 AD, and a proposed growth rate at the highest in the world, and relying on the paleo-environmental evidence of early human impact on the land completely contradicts the constant population growth theory.
When was Hawaii discovered?
However, high-precision radiocarbon dating in Hawaii using chronometric hygiene analysis, and taxonomic identification selection of samples, puts the initial first settlement of the Hawaiian Islands sometime between 1219 and 1266 A.D., originating from earlier settlements first ...
What caused the depopulation of Hawaii?
Otherwise Hawaii State Statistician Robert C. Schmitt explained the severe depopulation as a result of declining fertility, high infant mortality, and emigration. The Hawaiians' customs and land use system also caused a downward spiral in the population from which after the diseases they could not recover.
What was the cause of the rapid depopulation of the Hawaiian people?
Schmitt explained the severe depopulation as a result of declining fertility, high infant mortality, and emigration. : 19
Why did King Kamehameha V establish the Board of Immigration?
In response to the rising immigration, King Kamehameha V established the Board of Immigration to control the importation of foreign labor. Although critical that Chinese male laborers were treated like slaves and whipped, the Hawaiian government asserted that the primary purpose was population reinforcement of the labor force to combat high mortality and depopulation off the islands. : 200 By 1881, however, they were prohibiting immigration of Chinese men altogether for a period because of mistreatment and exploitation.
What were the economic factors that reshaped the Kingdom of Hawaii?
Economic and demographic factors in the 18th to 19th centuries reshaped the Kingdom of Hawaii. With unfamiliar diseases such as bubonic plague, leprosy, yellow fever, declining fertility, high infant mortality (infanticide) introduction of alcohol, and emigration off the islands or to larger cities for trade jobs the natives in the Kingdom of Hawaii fell from around 150,000 in 1778 to 71,000 by 1853. Alternatively, faced with depopulation and a changing economy Kamehameha I and others sought tradesmen, including navigators, blacksmith, armorer, carpenter, sailmakers, etc. These men could expect to receive a gift of land and one or more native wives if they agreed to stay.
Why did the Chinese stop immigration?
By 1881, however, they were prohibiting immigration of Chinese men altogether for a period because of mistreatment and exploitation. Despite the ban on immigration, there were still large numbers of Chinese and Japanese who stayed after their contracts ended, creating a small Chinatown in Honolulu.
When was Hawaii first settled?
The history of Hawaii describes the era of human settlements in the Hawaiian Islands. The islands were first settled by Polynesians sometime between 124 and 1120 AD. Hawaiian civilization was isolated from the rest of the world for at least 500 years. Europeans led by British explorer James Cook were among the initial European groups ...
Who was the first European to visit Hawaii?
However, Spanish historians and some other researchers state that the Spanish captain Ruy López de Villalobos was the first European to see the islands in 1542. The Spanish named these islands "Isla de Mesa, de los Monjes y Desgraciada" (1542), being on the route linking the Philippines with Mexico across the Pacific Ocean, between the ports of Acapulco and Manila, which were both part of New Spain. Within five years after Cook's arrival, European military technology helped Kamehameha I conquer and unify the islands for the first time, establishing the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1795. The kingdom was prosperous and important for its agriculture and strategic location in the Pacific.
What was the first kingdom in Hawaii?
Within five years after Cook's arrival, European military technology helped Kamehameha I conquer and unify the islands for the first time, establishing the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1795. The kingdom was prosperous and important for its agriculture and strategic location in the Pacific.
How did Polynesians pass down their history?
The history of the ancient Polynesians was passed down through genealogy chants that were recited at formal and family functions. The genealogy of the high chiefs could be traced back to the period believed to be inhabited only by gods. The pua aliʻi ("flower of royalty") were considered to be living gods.
How did the American influence the Hawaiian government?
American influence in Hawaiian government began with U.S. plantation owners demanding a say in Kingdom politics. This was driven by missionary religion and sugar economics. Pressure from these plantation owners was felt by the King and chiefs as demands for land tenure. After the brief 1843 takeover by the British, Kamehameha III responded to the demands with the Great Mahele, distributing the lands to all Hawaiians as advocated by missionaries including Gerrit P. Judd. Kamehameha III also tried to modernize Hawaii's legal system by replacing indigenous traditions with Anglo-American common law.
How long did the Kingdom of Hawaii last?
The Kingdom of Hawaii lasted from 1795 until its overthrow in 1893 with the fall of the House of Kalakaua.
What was the main reason for the arrival of immigrants to Hawaii?
Immigration began almost immediately after Cook's arrival, led by Protestant missionaries. Immigrants set up plantations to grow sugar. Their methods of plantation farming required substantial labor. Waves of permanent immigrants came from Japan, China, and the Philippines to work in the fields. The government of Japan organized and gave special protection to its people, who comprised about 25 percent of the Hawaiian population by 1896.
Who was the first person to discover the Hawaiian Islands?
The beginnings of western infiltration into the islands were marked by the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook in the year 1778. He was the first to officially discover the Hawaiian Islands. More accurately, he was the first to plot and publish its geographical co-ordinates. He named them the Sandwich Islands after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, one of the sponsors of the expedition.
When did the first people settle in Oceania?
Australia and New Guinea were the first settlements in Oceania. From about the years 1600-1200 BC , the migration, or voyages, began across some 10 million square miles of the Pacific, leading to the eventual settlement of the Hawaiian Islands.
What was the impact of the arrival of the Haole?
The arrival of the haole, or foreigner to the Hawaiians, brought about much change to their culture and traditions. Before this, the Hawaiians’ main economic system was extended family run farms. But the introduction of “civilization” meant upheaval to the Hawaiians and never again would their islands or their way of life be the same.
What animals were brought to Hawaii?
Animals such as dogs, chickens and pigs, along with subsistence-providing plants like taro and breadfruit were also brought to Hawaii by these voyagers.
Where did the Polynesian people come from?
They first came upon the islands of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, and from here, the Polynesian culture began to develop some 900-1300 years later. Continuing on with their voyages, they moved eastward and settled Tahiti, the Cook Islands, the Marquesas and Easter Island, all up until about 300AD.
Who was the most powerful Hawaiian warrior?
There was constant warfare between them and each of the Hawaiian Islands eventually became a separate kingdom. The most powerful ali’i, Kamehameha, was a great warrior and from the year 1784, he began slowly taking control over island after island, chiefdom after chiefdom.
Who was the first Hawaiian monarchy?
The westerners brought with them weaponry and expertise which they shared with Kamehameha, and by the year 1810, the great ali’i had gained control over all of the Hawaiian Islands and established the first monarchy.
Why are Native Hawaiians concerned about the environment?
Because native Hawaiian religion, traditions, and values are closely associated with 'aina (the land) and respect for the environment, many native Hawaiians feel that American desecration of the environment, result ing from military and commercial exploitation, constitutes a grievous crime.
What was the name of the island that James Cook visited?
January 18, 1778 marked the arrival of Captain James Cook and the crews of his two ships, H.M.S. Resolution and H.M.S. Discovery, off the coast of the island Kauai. The British visitors recorded trading iron nails for fresh water, pigs, and sweet potatoes. Captain Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands," after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. Cook was killed by natives on the island of Hawaii one year after his arrival in a skirmish over a small boat that had been stolen from him.
How were religion and medicine related to Hawaiian culture?
Religion and medicine were closely related in traditional native Hawaiian life. People expected prayer to heal most things. There were several classes of Kahuna lapa'au (medical priest/healer) who treated physical and mental ailments according to a variety of traditions now mostly lost to history.
How many islands did Kamehameha control?
By 1795 he had obtained complete power over the eight main islands. With the technological know-how introduced by foreigners, called haoles , (a term that later came to apply exclusively to white people), Kamehameha was able to take advantage of political and economic opportunities.
Why was Cook named the Sandwich Islands?
Captain Cook named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands," after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. Cook was killed by natives on the island of Hawaii one year after his arrival in a skirmish over a small boat that had been stolen from him.
Where is the King Kamehameha Hula Competition?
Also sponsors conferences and seminars on traditional storytelling and ancient legends of Native Hawaiians. Address: 355 North King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96817 .
Where is the luau held?
Hawaiian luau . Today, luaus are held everywhere in Hawaii. Churches frequently hold luaus as fundraising events, and the entire community joins in the festivities and the eating. Tourists expect to enjoy a luau before leaving the islands.

The First Settlements in Hawaii Were Farmers and Fishermen
- While on Hawaiian Islands, the Polynesians were providing for themselves through farming and fishing. They did not arrive at the island empty-handed; on the ships, they brought their native seeds and plants, like taro and sugar cane, along with animals, including pigs and chickens. Sin…
What Was The Culture of The First Settlers?
- Besides the plants and animals native to their homeland, the first settlers from Polynesia brought their traditions, crafts, and religious beliefs. Consequently, Polynesian ancestry influenced Hawaiian native customs and traditions. However, Hawaiians perfected and refined the cultural aspects of Polynesian traditions. One of the examples is the clothing that Hawaiian settlers wer…
The People of Hawaii in The Present Day
- Hawaiians do their best to preserve their cultural heritage. Many natives participate in the arts and crafts dating back to their early ancestors. The people of Hawaii have a very close connection to nature, and it is perhaps the reason why they have a tight connection with the traditions of their ancestors. The Hawaiians are very kind and hospitable. Their culture is known for its welcoming …
Overview
There is no definitive date for the Polynesian discovery of Hawaii. However, high-precision radiocarbon dating in Hawaii using chronometric hygiene analysis, and taxonomic identification selection of samples, puts the initial such settlement of the Hawaiian Islands sometime between 1219 and 1266 A.D., originating from earlier settlements first established in the Society Islands around 1025 to 1120 A.D., and in the Marquesas Islands sometime between 1100 and 1200 A.D.
Ancient Hawaiian population
There is still controversy about how many Native Hawaiians were living on the islands when Captain James Cook arrived in 1778. The frequently hypothesized model is that population growth was constant until James Cook's arrival, and was then halted by disease, followed by a rapid decrease. This theory relies on a hypothetical settlement date that radiocarbon dating in Hawaii has since refut…
Eastern contact
James Cook was not the first outsider to visit Hawaii. Diseases to which Hawaiians lacked immunity may well have already been spread. Testing of a young woman's bones buried in O'ahu, dated sometime between 1422 AD and 1664 according to radiocarbon dating, indicated that she had congenital syphilis, a disease which can leave a variety of distinctive marks on bone. Syphilis has long been surmised to have originated in the American Hemisphere, and to have been impo…
Western contact
Economic and demographic factors in the 18th to 19th centuries reshaped the Kingdom of Hawaii. With unfamiliar diseases such as bubonic plague, leprosy, yellow fever, declining fertility, high infant mortality, infanticide, the introduction of alcohol, and emigration off the islands or to larger cities for trade jobs, the Native Hawaiian population fell from around 150,000 in 1778 to 71,000 by 1853…
Colonial-era immigration
With fewer natives to work on the sugar plantations and the rapid depopulation from emigration on ships and whalers, recruiters started to fan out across Asia and Europe for more male labor. As a result, between 1850 and 1900 some 200,000 laborers from China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Portugal, Germany, Norway and elsewhere came to Hawaii under contracts. This greatly diversified the islands. While most left the sugar plantations on schedule, Hawaii was viewed by …
Overview
The history of Hawaii describes the era of human settlements in the Hawaiian Islands. The islands were first settled by Polynesians sometime between 124 and 1120 AD. Hawaiian civilization was isolated from the rest of the world for at least 500 years.
An expedition led by British explorer James Cook is usually considered to be the first group of Europeans to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, which they did in 1778. However, Spanish historian…
Ancient Hawaii
The date of the first settlements of the Hawaiian Islands is a topic of continuing debate. Patrick Vinton Kirch's books on Hawaiian archeology, standard textbooks, date the first Polynesian settlements to about 300, with more recent suggestions by Kirch as late as 600. Other theories suggest dates as late as 700 to 800. The most recent survey of carbon-dating evidence puts the arrival of the first settlers at around A.D. 940–1130.
Contact
Captain James Cook (1728-1779) led three separate voyages (1768-1779) to chart unknown areas of the globe for Great Britain. On his third voyage he encountered Hawaii, first sighting the islands on 18 January 1778. He anchored off the coast of Kauai and met with the local inhabitants to trade and obtain water and food for his continued voyage. On 2 February 1778, Cook continue…
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii lasted from 1795 until its overthrow in 1893 with the fall of the House of Kalakaua.
The House of Kamehameha (Hale O Kamehameha), or the Kamehameha dynasty, was the reigning Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, beginning with its founding by Kamehameha I in 1795 and ending with the deaths of Kame…
United States territory
In March 1897, William McKinley, a Republican expansionist, succeeded Democrat Grover Cleveland as U.S. President. He prepared a treaty of annexation but it lacked the needed 2/3 majority in the Senate given Democratic opposition. A joint resolution, written by Democratic Congressman Francis G. Newlands to annex Hawaii passed both the House and Senate; it needed only …
Statehood
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act on March 18, 1959, which allowed for Hawaiian statehood. After a popular referendum in which over 93% voted in favor of statehood, Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1959.
For all of recorded history prior to annexation, including all census counts mad…
See also
• Women's suffrage in Hawaii
• Legal status of Hawaii
• List of conflicts in Hawaii
• List of Missionaries to Hawaii
Bibliography
• Beechert, Edward D. Working in Hawaii: A labor history (University of Hawaii Press, 1985).
• Craig, Robert D. Historical dictionary of Honolulu and Hawaiʻi (Scarecrow Press, 1998).
• Daws, Gavan (1968). Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0324-8.