Oahu Travel Planner 2008 - (Page 26) TRADITION LONG BEFORE CAPTAIN COOK STOPPED HERE ON HIS SEAFARING VENTURES, OR DUKE KAHANAMOKU SURFED a mile along the O‘ahu shore, or the Waikı kı skyline glittered into the night, ¯¯ a group of Polynesians sailed across the Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. They crossed thousands of miles of ocean, bringing with them food provisions, plants and domestic animals, as well as knowledge of ocean navigation based on the stars. They traveled with the intent to settle, which they did, but also made many return voyages to their homelands. Here the Polynesians developed a new culture while maintaining the social and political structure of their homeland. The islands were divided into small kingdoms, each ruled by its own high chief who received guidance from a council of chiefs (ali‘i) and a high priest (kahuna). The distinction between those with power and the maka‘ainana (commoners) was maintained through the stringent enforcement of kapu (taboos, rules). The kapu system permeated everyday life, ruling, for example, that men and women could not eat together or partake of the same foods. Until the late 1700s the Hawaiians had known of people only from neighboring Pacific kingdoms. But with the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778, the lives of the Hawaiian people were altered forever. Captain Cook happened upon the Hawaiian Islands during an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage and named them the Sandwich Islands. At about the same time, island chiefs were battling for supremacy. In a series of decisive battles, King Kamehameha I became the first of Hawai‘i’s great monarchs. Over the next century, each ruler – kings and queens – added to the vibrant traditions of Hawaiian culture. Their contributions are visible today in the island’s palaces, museums and other landmarks throughout the island. The influence of missionaries and Christianity grew. Many of O‘ahu’s historic churches are reminders of that time, such as Kawaiaha‘o Church, which was the place of worship for Hawaiian kings and ali‘i. The Hawaiian Islands were recognized for their prime agricultural land, but agriculture also impacted the islands’ political and social structure. Plantation owners imported workers from China, Japan, Russia, Korea, Puerto Rico, Portugal, the Philippines, and Europe, many of whom settled permanently and contributed their own traditions to the appealing blend of island culture (and cuisine!). Honolulu Harbor, a natural anchorage “discovered” by the British, proved ideal for whalers and sandalwood traders, and eventually for freighters and ocean liners. The islands have played a strategic role as a U.S. military command center, and have offered an ever-tempting allure to visitors from all parts of the world. The islands were formally annexed in 1898 and Hawai‘i became the 50th state on August 21, 1959. Captain Cook is killed in a violent confrontation over 1779 A STOLEN BOAT HERITAGE O‘ahu’s history is a royal tapestry of kings, queens, monarchs and princes. 1795 1100 -1300 KING KAMEHAMEHA I (Kamehameha the AD POLYNESIANS Great) becomes the first ARRIVE by outrigger of Hawai‘i’s great monarchs canoe from Tahiti. 1778 CAPTAIN COOK discovers Hawaiian Islands and names them the Sandwich Islands after Britain’s Earl of Sandwich. 26 THE ISLAND OF O‘AHU
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