Brief History of the Big Island

The first of the volcanic islands that would become the Hawaiian archipelago rose in molten rock and smoke from the ocean some 70 million years ago. It was born at a “hot spot” in the Earth’s crust where Hawaii Island exists today.

But over the millennia, that first island and the following ones that erupted at about the same place, have inched northwest in a curving line on the huge drifting tectonic piece of the Earth’s crust called the Pacific Plate. The most ancient islands have long since eroded and returned beneath the sea. Others to the east, surviving only as coral atolls or rocks jutting from the sea, are known as The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Then, farther east, there are the eight youngest islands — what we call the “main” islands — stretching from Kauai to Hawaii Island, the easternmost island — for now. Because the next Hawaiian island is already forming about 3,000 feet beneath the ocean surface off the southeast coast of our island. This seamount already has a name: Loihi. But don’t bother staring offshore waiting for it to appear. Though Loihi already rises some 18,000 feet from the sea floor (actually on the undersea flank of Mauna Loa), many thousands of years will pass before it breaks the surface.

The human history of the Hawaiian Islands begins with the discovery of this island, the Big Island, sometime between AD 400 and AD 800. It is believed that the first discoverers, traveling in double-hulled canoes, sailed from the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific. Using the stars, the currents and the “feel” of the ocean as their guide, the voyagers’ first landfall on these islands was probably near Ka Lae at the southern tip of Hawaii Island. These first Hawaiians lived in isolation for 500 or 600 years before Polynesians from Tahiti began arriving to this place they referred to as Havaii or “ancient homeland.”

Over the centuries the Polynesians introduced plants and animals: dogs, pigs, chickens, breadfruit, bananas, sugarcane, yams, taro, coconuts, gourds, ti and other “canoe plants.”

Hawaiian life was regulated under laws of kapu, a variation of the Tahitian word tapu, or taboo. Society was feudal and defined by island, often with two or three chiefs vying for control. Beneath the chiefs were other alii (noblemen), and kahuna (priests, healers). Next came the kanaka wale (craftsmen, artists, hula dancers, fishermen). The maka ainana (commoners) worked the land. At the bottom were the social outcasts or slaves called the kauwa-maoli.

In 1778, British explorer Captain James Cook, stumbled upon the Hawaiian Islands after seeking the fabled Northwest Passage across North America. His first landfall was on the island of Kauai. He dubbed these the Sandwich Islands after his friend and patron, the Earl of Sandwich.

In January of 1779, Cook returned to Hawaii to refit and re-provision. His two ships, the Resolution and the Discovery anchored in Kealakekua Bay on the southwest coast of Hawaii Island. His arrival happened at the time of the annual makahiki celebration, a time of tribute to the God Lono. The Hawaiians saw Cook’s arrival as Lono’s return, and he received a great welcome. After two weeks, Cook and his ships set sail towards Maui, but came limping back just days later with storm damage to the Resolution. Now, the makahiki festival was over, and the Hawaiians were surprised to see Lono return, having sustained such damage. Their greeting was not as generous now. Thefts of nails and other pieces of iron form the ships increased. When a cutter was found missing, Cook took a chief hostage until the boat was returned. A skirmish broke out between Cook’s men and the Hawaiians, leading to Cook’s death in the shorebreak of Kealakekua Bay. Today, a monument marks the spot where Cook died. This monument stands officially on British soil.

During this time, there was a young warrior, Kamehameha, born in Kohala at the north tip of the Big Island, who had a vision to unite all the islands under one rule. Kamehameha fought a 10-year war to dominate Hawaii Island, then conquered Maui, Molokai, Lanai and finally Oahu. In 1796, his invasion of Kauai was disrupted by a storm and it took another 14 years before Kauai came under his control.

Having united all the islands under his rule, King Kamehameha (“Kamehameha the Great”) gave the name of Hawaii Island to the name of his kingdom. He ruled from his home in Kailua-Kona until his death at Kamaka Honu, or “Eye of the Turtle,” today found on the grounds of King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. He was about 63 years old.

Soon after the death of Kamehameha I in 1819, his son and successor, Liholiho, heavily influenced by Kamehameha’s favorite wife, the powerful Kaahumanu, decided the old “kapu” system should be done away with. This was a ripe moment for American Christian missionaries to arrive. Kaahumanu was one of the first converts, and the numbers steadily grew, though there were strong cultural clashes.

Besides missionaries, Hawaii was flooded with traders, whalers and other foreigners. They established footholds and gained power and influence. By the early 1840’s the Kingdom of Hawaii was recognized by the United States, France and Great Britain.

Sugar, which was first grown commercially in Hawaii in 1835, became the principal industry. Much-needed laborers from China, Japan, Portugal, Korea and the Philippines were soon arriving in droves. Immigration continued into the early 1900s. From these mixed ethnic groups evolved Hawaii’s identity as a cosmopolitan melting pot.

Adding to the mix were the paniolo, the Mexican cowboys who first arrived on Hawaii Island during the 1830s to help with the growing cattle industry spreading out from Parker Ranch. The paniolo (the word comes from Espanol, ie. Spanish) brought with them a small guitar that has evolved into the instrument that is today synonymous with Hawaii: the ukulele.

About the same time, another Hawaii Island agricultural industry was taking root. The lower slopes of Mauna Loa above the Kona Coast proved to be ideal for growing coffee, and now Kona coffee is world famous.

As more and more foreigners came to Hawaii during the 19th century, the native Hawaiian population declined. They had numbered around 600,000 at the time of Captain Cook’s arrival, but by 1850 there were about 85,000, and by 1890 about 40,000. The main reason was the introduction of Western diseases for which the Hawaiians had no immunity. The rapid introduction of Western culture was also a factor.

The Hawaiian monarchy remained until 1893, when a group of American businessmen overthrew Queen Liliuokalani. It was a sad time for the people as a provisional government headed by Sanford B. Dole took control. In August of 1898, the Hawaiian Islands were annexed as a territory of the United States. The early 1900s were years of relative peace and quiet development. Then on December 7, 1941, Hawaii was thrust onto the world stage with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. Hawaii played a principal role in World War II in the Pacific as an American military base. The postwar years saw tremendous growth and economic development. In 1959, Hawaii was admitted to the Union as the Fiftieth State.