Much Of The History Of Hawaii Lost In Translation
Much Of The History Of Hawaii Lost In Translation
As tourists plod the beaches and swim in the Pacific waters, much of the history of Hawaii is lost in the moment. Although many of the attractions featuring the chantings and native dances offer message about the islands beginnings, very few tourists take the time to understand the history of Hawaii. There are two theories about the islands' first inhabitants being through one or two migrations to the islands, but it is generally accepted the first inhabitants arrived around 500 AD.
In its infancy, people of the islands kept no written records and all history of Hawaii was in the form of chants and dances. The elders, known as Kahunas, were charged with passing down its history to subsequent generations, but with their death many details about the immigration from tropical islands to the south has been lost. Other important aspects of the history may have been presented wrong or misunderstood.
Over time, the island was controlled as a kingdom and had good relations with many countries, including Spain, the United States and Britain. In fact many of the inhabitable islands flew the British Union Jack noting their belonging to Europe. The history of Hawaii received a black eye in 1893 with the overthrow of the kingdom.
U.S. Culpability Often Questioned
Although the United States denied any involvement in the overthrow of the Hawaiian government, many in the country believe the history of Hawaii shows otherwise and when the United States sought to annex the islands as a territory, repeated objections kept that from happening until 1900. After it became known as the Hawaii Territory if the United States, based largely on the agreement with the U.S. in 1876 selling sugar to the mainland.
With this new buyer for its native crop, sugar production increased tremendously and water facilities were built to aid in irrigation of the sugar plantations. With America being an important ally in trade, Hawaii willingly became an annexed territory. In 1941, when the Japanese bombed the U.S. Naval station in Pearl harbor, the islands became more recognized by most citizens. Following the bombings, the history of Hawaii would be forever changed.
The biggest event occurred in 1959 when the territory was officially made a state of the union, resulting in unfettered trade and travel. Since then, tourism from around the world has become the states largest contributor in terms of income. Close to 25 percent of the state's income is a direct result of its tourism industry.