How Well Do You Know Hawaiian and Polynesian History?

Queen Lili'uokalani was the last Hawaiian sovereign to rule over the archipelago of Hawaii. In 1895, she was forced to abdicate her throne by those campaigning for the islands to be annexed by the United States. During this time, Lili'uokalani composed the song “Aloha Oe,” which means “farewell to thee.” It was immediately popular and has become an important cultural symbol for the Hawaiian people.

In 2003, astronomers at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain first observed a new dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. It was officially named 2003 EL61 but is more widely known as Haumea, after the Hawaiian fertility goddess. Haumea is one of the most important goddesses in Hawaiian mythology and is the mother of many other gods and goddesses, including Pele and Kapo.

Maui is one of the most popular characters from Polynesian mythology. One story tells how Maui went fishing with his magical fish hook, which he’d baited with a sacred feather. He usually caught very little, so his brothers weren’t expecting much. However, one day, his hook caught something big. His brothers looked on in amazement as Maui dragged up eight beautiful islands, creating the Hawaiian archipelago.

Kapu is the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct and is related to the Polynesian concept of tapu. The word is rendered in English as “taboo” and means anything that is forbidden. In Hawaii, the kapu system covered all areas of life and was highly complex. One example was kapu noho, which meant that everyone must be seated in the presence of the chief. The penalty for breaking kapu was often death.

Captain Cook was the first European to catch sight of the islands of Hawaii on January 18, 1778. Two days later, he landed on Kauai and named them the Sandwich Islands in honor of his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. In 1810, King Kamehameha I negotiated the unification of the islands and renamed them Hawaii. The islands remained an independent kingdom until 1898, when they were annexed by the United States.

In Hawaiian mythology, Kamapua'a is a shape-shifting god who is half-man, half-hog. He had a dark side but managed to woo and marry the goddess Pele. Over time, their love soured and they fought viciously and tore up the landscape with fire and water. Kamapua'a began to burn, so he changed into a reef triggerfish and escaped. Legend has it that this is why the fish makes a noise like a hog.

According to legend, Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, created Hawaii. In Hawaiian culture, Pele is considered “akua,” which means she is the embodiment of a natural element. Pele is said to appear to locals to warn them when a volcano is about to erupt. Anyone who takes a rock away from the island is thought to be stealing a piece of Pele herself and will suffer bad luck until it is returned.

Nature is central to Polynesian religion and mythology. They believe that all animals, humans, and plants contain a supernatural energy known as “mana.” This power could be both good and evil, but regardless, it's sacred.

Hawaii was first settled around 400 CE by Polynesians who traveled from the Marquesa Islands in wooden canoes. It’s thought that they first made their homes on the Big Island, where they set up small fishing communities. A second wave of settlement occurred in the 10th century when the Tahitians arrived.

Surfing developed in Polynesia, where it had a religious and cultural significance. Tahitians and Samoans used surfing as a method to train warriors. In Hawaii, they considered surfing an art form, calling it “heʻe nalu,” which translates to "wave sliding." One of the first written records of surfing comes from Captain Cook, who was amazed to witness Tahitians riding the waves on planks of wood in 1778.