Hawaiian history

[Leo Lakio]

Got a friend who wants to read a basic history of Hawai`i - pre-kingdoms through overthrow to statehood. Most of my reading has been in specific areas, so I don't know of a good, honest, single-volume general history book I can recommend.

I turn to the wealth of knowledge that is the members of HT. What say ye all?

[Keanu]

Got a friend who wants to read a basic history of Hawai`i - pre-kingdoms through overthrow to statehood. Most of my reading has been in specific areas, so I don't know of a good, honest, single-volume general history book I can recommend.

I turn to the wealth of knowledge that is the members of HT. What say ye all?


I'd be happy to provide him with notes from my highschool Hawaiian History class. ;)

[timkona]

I enjoyed Hawaii Pono. But it was only the modern history of Hawaii with emphasis on the various waves of immigration over the course of the years.

[Miulang]

Surprisingly enough, an economics book that I am about 2/3 through reading provides a pretty detailed (and fascinating) history of Hawai'i, from the time of the first settlers from Polynesia through the importation of plantation workers and up to the present. What's most interesting about this particular book is that it was written by one of the most pre-eminent economists in Hawai'i by the name of Dr. Thomas Kemper Hitch, who was an economist with First Hawaiian Bank for many years (he died in 1989). The book is called "Islands In Transition (http://www.amazon.com/Islands-Transition-Present-Hawaiis-Economy/dp/0824814983/ref=sr_1_1/102-5731093-3112908?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175736905&sr=8-1): The Past, Present and Future of Hawai'i's Economy".

I know most economics books tend to be very dry and boring, but this one is fascinating because it covers the period beginning from the 6th Century Polynesian society all the way through to Statehood and beyond. I've learned a lot about how economics and early Hawaiian society created what is Hawai'i today. Among some of the nuggets I got: when the Polynesians first settled in Hawai'i, they had no rulers (ali'i). This period of time is often referred to as the "ohana" economy when currency didn't exist. When the ali'i rose to power, one of the most interesting things (after the death of Kamehameha I) is they eventually changed the "government" of Hawai'i to benefit the maka'ainana by abolishing the kapu system, creating the first Hawaiian Constitution and Bill of Rights, and to some extent, the Great Mahele (but I think the Great Mahele also doomed the kanakas too because it also allowed outsiders to buy land). As Hitch describes it, the ali'i of Hawai'i were the first and probably only rulers of a sovereign nation who willingly gave up some of their power without having any external forces or bloody revolutions to force them into changing.

And if circumstances had been slightly different during the times of the explorers, the people of Hawai'i might be living under a Russian, French, Portuguese or Spanish flag instead of the American flag!:eek:

Miulang

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Got a friend who wants to read a basic history of Hawai`i - pre-kingdoms through overthrow to statehood. Most of my reading has been in specific areas, so I don't know of a good, honest, single-volume general history book I can recommend.

I turn to the wealth of knowledge that is the members of HT. What say ye all?

Honestly Leo I am unaware of a single tome that adequately covers it all. I prefer the newspapers and drawing my own conclusions.

For primordial history, I rely on the 19th century works (mostly newspaper articles) written in Hawaiian.

For most of the 20th century, the island dailies hold the best work.

Whenever I need to kick up my histamines, I take out Shoal of Time (http://www.amazon.com/Shoal-Time-History-Hawaiian-Islands/dp/0824803248/ref=cm_syf_dtl_pl_34_rdsssl0/104-2699763-4187103/104-2699763-4187103) by Gavan Daws and start to rash up in no time. Then I grab Lilikala's Native Lands and Foreign Desires: Pehea La E Pono Ai? (http://www.amazon.com/Native-Land-Foreign-Desires-Harmony/dp/0930897595) and calm down a bit (although parts of it still leaves me grinding my teeth). Her's would be the work I would suggest to your friend, if said friend really wants to learn about it.

For our current state of affairs, I read the mags, the blogs, but mostly the current "Hawaiian brain economy" is an underground, documented through the showcasing of other events.

[waioli kai]

. --Got a friend who wants to read a basic history of Hawai`i - pre-kingdoms through overthrow to statehood ...(want to) know of a good, honest, single-volume general history book I can recommend.--Leo Lakio
The Ancient History of Hawai'i Island::Exalted Sits The Chief by Ross Cordy could be a worthwhile read.

[PoiBoy]

My ancestors brought the Ali'i system to Hawai'i :)

[Leo Lakio]

WK: you know there's no `okina in the word "Hawaiian," yeah? It's an English word.

[cynsaligia]

Whenever I need to kick up my histamines, I take out Shoal of Time (http://www.amazon.com/Shoal-Time-History-Hawaiian-Islands/dp/0824803248/ref=cm_syf_dtl_pl_34_rdsssl0/104-2699763-4187103/104-2699763-4187103) by Gavan Daws and start to rash up in no time.

Daws' Shoal of Time is what we used for my high school Hawaiian History class. I found it approachable and easy to read. I'm no Hawaiian History expert but I'd say it's a good one-book primer if that is what one is looking for.

[Menehune Man]

An interesting timeline of Hawaiian history.
http://www.hawaiian-roots.com/timeline.htm

[anapuni808]

I suggest reading Tom Coffman's "Nation Within" and Michael Daugherty's "To Steal A Kingdom". They are pretty straight forward books, not espousing any particular side of the issue. They just provide a lot of facts & kind of let you make up your own minds.

[Leo Lakio]

An interesting timeline of Hawaiian history.
http://www.hawaiian-roots.com/timeline.htmHeh. Kind of amusingly simplified, though. I loved this part:"The Great Mahele is signed by the King, which has to do with land ownership"

[kani-lehua]

Daws' Shoal of Time is what we used for my high school Hawaiian History class. I found it approachable and easy to read. I'm no Hawaiian History expert but I'd say it's a good one-book primer if that is what one is looking for.


i, too, read the aforementioned book for high school. did you happen to go to sacred hearts academy?