Paper Example: History and Culture of Hawaii

Hawaii is one of the world’s most famous travel destinations. It is known for its beautiful beaches, mountainous terrain with numerous waterfalls, and the rich culture and tradition of the native Hawaiians. The native Hawaiians are the descendants of the aboriginal Polynesian people who first settled on the islands. Most of the culture and traditions of the Hawaiian people have Polynesian roots. However, those are not the only people to have influenced Hawaiian culture. Their contact with the outside world, allowed the Hawaiian culture to be influenced by the European and American cultures. That caused the Hawaiian culture to be transformed into something unique that is different from that of their Polynesian ancestors. Therefore, this essay is going to discuss the history and culture of Hawaii by identifying its Polynesian history and how Captain Cook and the United States transformed it.

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Hawaiian Culture and History

The foundation of Hawaiian culture is in the expression of Aloha. The Hawaii Tourism Authority keeps comprehensive documentation of the various cultural practices of Hawaii. According to Go-Hawaii (n.p), the expression of Aloha is one of the oldest Hawaiian chants that describe the Hawaiian Islands, the spirits that inhabit them, the forces of nature that shaped them, and the living things within them being inseparably connected. According to the Hawaiian culture, everyone has a responsibility to care for one another and the environment. It teaches peace, kindness, responsibility, and compassion. The people of Hawaii use chants, music, arts, hula, and cultural practices such as warm greetings, and food to express such lessons. The history of Hawaiian culture dated to as far back as 1500 years ago when the first batch of Polynesians arrived on the islands after navigating the sea using the stars as a guide. The Hawaiian culture remained Polynesian until 1778 when British explorer Captain Cook landed on the Island of Kauai, hence becoming the first European to set foot on the Hawaiian Islands (Go-Hawaii). The History website, which is part of the A&E Television networks, described Captain Cook’s last moments after finding the Hawaii Islands. Based on the information provided by History.com (n.p), Captain Cook was killed a year later by the natives, while making his third visit to the island group. The residents of the various Hawaiian Islands engage in a series of battles over the next three decades that ends when Kamehameha I conquer all the Hawaiian Islands and unites them. It was during the rule of the Kamehameha I that the Polynesia culture that had dominated Hawaiian culture started to recede. For example, during the rain of Liholiho, the kapu system, which prevented men from dining at the same table as women, was abolished, when the king defied the tradition. The kapu was a long-held taboo system that had been part of Hawaiian culture since the Polynesians set foot on the island. It also prevented women from eating pork and some other foods such as bananas.

Impact of Captain Cook, the Missionaries, and United States on Hawaiian Culture

Although Captain Cook had arrived before the start of the Kamehameha dynasty, his arrival made a significant impact on Hawaii. His arrival introduced the first bits of modernism to Hawaiian culture. His discovery of Hawaii opened up Hawaii to outside influence through settlers, missionaries, and military conquest. According to AirtoHawaii (n.p), the British and Hawaii royalty would later form a strong relationship with each other despite the tragedy that had happened to Captain Cook. The strong relationship between the two monarchs paved the way for the coming of missionaries, who started spreading western culture in Hawaii.

Captain Cook and the missionaries caused the Hawaiian dress code to start changing. According to Hawaii History.org (n.p), the traditional Hawaiian attire was made of Kapa, barkcloth from Wauke, or hau plant fibers. These materials are produced all across Polynesia and were brought into Hawaii by the first Polynesian settlers. Also, the Kapa had other uses such as bedding, banners, or wrapping materials. The westernization that took place after Captain Cook brought fabrics that were made of cotton, wool, and even leather. Bayman indicates that “Hawaiian women quickly adopted selected styles of western clothing” (p.3). There is also the issue of religion started to evolve.

Before contact with Captain Cook, the Hawaiian religion was centered around the worship of gods attached to various aspects of nature. For example, Kane, who was the god of the sky and creation, Ku, who is the god of war and male pursuits, and even the god of the ocean, Kanaloa. The coming of the missionaries from the United States started to dilute that aspect of Hawaiian culture. So much so that in 1819, there was the near dissolution of the traditional Hawaiian religion (Bayman 4). However, while the Hawaiian traditional religion, economy, and mannerisms had started to change after coming into contact with Captain Cook, their politics had primarily remained the same until the late 19th century when the government was overthrown by the United States and annexed as part of its territory. The United States government overthrew the kingdom, and the Hawaiian society ends up transitioning from a monarchial system to a representative parliamentary system that is still in place to date. They also started the Americanization through the education system. They outlawed the native language of Hawaii from being spoken in schools and started teaching the children American mannerisms.

Works Cited

AirtoHawaii. “The Legacy of Captain Cook in Hawaii - Air to Hawaii.” AirToHawaii.com, AirtoHawaii, 19 Sept. 2017, www.airtohawaii.com/captain-cooks-influence-hawaii/.

Bayman, James M. “Ideology, political economy, and technological change in the Hawaiian Islands after AD 1778.” Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 27 (2007): 3-11.

Go-Hawaii. “Hawaiian Culture & History.” GoHawaii, Hawaii Tourism Authority, 6 Jan. 2020, www.gohawaii.com/hawaiian-culture.

Hawaii History.org. “Clothing.” HawaiiHistory.org - Hawaii History - Home, InfoGraphic Inc, 2020, www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page.

History.com Editors. “Captain Cook Killed in Hawaii.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/captain-cook-killed-in-hawaii.