
Hawaiian Culture and History

The culture of Hawai'ian people, along with that of the rest of the Polynesians is unique primarily due to isolation of the islands. A scholar once wrote that the Hawaiian culture disappeared before it could be properly recorded...
Hawaiian Food and Agriculture in History

Many areas in Hawai’i have good soil and abundant water, and the sunny, subtropical climate encourages growth year round. The original Hawaiian settlers brought with them, in their canoes...
Hawaiian Housing and Lifestyle

The people lived in villages usually located along the shore and near the mouths of streams. The Hawaiian house’s purpose was to protect the occupants from rain, sun, and winds. Due to a mild climate...
Hawaiian Language and Alphabet

The Hawaiian language is poetic and expressive with a vocabulary of some 25,000 words. Before the arrival of the “white” man, communication in Hawai’i consisted of the spoken word either through talking, singing, or chanting...
Health In Historical Hawaii

The Hawaiian people, before the Europeans came, were healthy, hardy and free from disease. They maintained their health through practices we now acknowledge as being important. These included...
Kapu

Kapu was the system of laws regulating the people. Some kapu were the long-standing laws of the land much like the Jewish system that western man incorporated into his daily life. The best known, affecting all...
Location of Heiaus

While many of the heiaus have been destroyed through the ages, some have been restored, and can be visited. Many can be identified by a remaining wall of rock in ruins.
Religion

Hawaiian religion had many deities, and was also based on a belief that spirits are found in animals, the waves, the sky, volcanoes, etc. Religion was not something one partook in one day a week, but rather it was part of everyday life.
Temples in Historical Hawaii

A variety of places were provided for religious observances. Typical heiaus were enclosed by sturdy walls of lava stone, the floors were covered with smooth rocks, and the roof was open to the sky...
The Hawaii Kahuna, Priest, and Healer

While religion figures prominently in all of the activities of the kahuna, they were also experts in their professions or crafts. The temple priests were closely associated with their chiefs and advised them in all important matters...
Transportation in Historical Hawaii

Transportation in historical Hawaii was mostly by water and on foot due to the absence of roadways. Canoes were ideal since their hulls could clear the coral reefs.




























