Hawaiian Culture

There are certain iconic images that everyone associates with Hawaii. Many of these are geographical: the active volcanoes, the sandy beaches surrounded by high park lofts, palm trees, and sparkling water. However, the real heart of Hawaii lies in the culture that has thrived there for thousands of years. It is from Native Hawaiians that we derive those images that define the Hawaiian experience for us: surfing, grass skirts, luaus, leis, outrigger canoes, and the word aloha. To give you a brief overview of this fascinating culture, we've created this article on Native Hawaiians and their history on the islands.

Native Hawaiians arrived on the islands almost two thousand years ago from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. They share ethnic roots with many other peoples from Polynesian Islands in the South Pacific. They established kingdoms and cultural practices long before anyone had ever heard of Paris or Scarborough condos and remained largely undisturbed until their islands were "discovered" by English explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. Their independence was preserved for years afterward, however, by King Kamehameha I, who united the islands under one kingdom and developed alliances with the colonial powers.

At the time of Cook's arrival there were between 300,000 and 400,000 Native Hawaiians living on the islands. Unfortunately, as was the case with many first encounters, the Europeans brought with them endemic diseases Native Hawaiians had no resistance to, such as smallpox, whooping cough, the measles, and the flu, which reduced the Hawaiian population to about 45,000 in a hundred years. There are currently more people than that who own Prince Edward Island real estate and from there it only got worse. Today there are less than 8,000 full-blooded Native Hawiians.

The Hawaiian people have a separate language, from which the iconic word "aloha" comes. Although most people in Hawaii, even native people, speak English today because of the emphasis the kingdom of Hawaii and later the American government placed on learning the language. The Hawaiian language still exists, however, and a movement has begun to preserve and promote its use. Additionally, the Hawaiian language is the basis for the majority of the place names and businesses on the islands, so that you could find yourself purchasing Meadowvale real estate from a Chinese agent at Waikiki Realty. Public schools in Hawaii also require students to study native Hawaiian history, vocabulary, and lifestyles.

Visitors to Hawaii can experience Hawaiian culture and learn about their history by visiting the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, which has a vast collection of documents and artifacts relating to Hawaiian culture. The palace of King Kamehameha I can also be visited in Honolulu. Tourists, however, often prefer to attend luaus, or cookouts, try their hand at hula dancing, or go for a ride in an outrigger canoe. Though many of these events are as tourist-fied as real estate in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, they are based upon real cultural practices and offer the visitor a glimpse into a world they don't have time on their short vacations to understand in its entirety.