Hawaiiaans

Hawaiians are the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the central Pacific. They are descendants of Polynesian navigators who settled the archipelago, probably beginning between the 4th and 9th centuries CE, and developed a distinct language, social structure, and culture. The Hawaiian language, part of the Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family, survived periods of suppression and has been revived and promoted in schools and public life alongside English.

In pre-contact times, separate chiefdoms coalesced into a unified Kingdom of Hawaii. King Kamehameha I, who united the islands at the end of the 18th century, presided over a traditional and increasingly cosmopolitan polity. Contact with Europeans began with Captain James Cook in 1778, bringing trade, new technologies, and new diseases. The 19th century saw rapid political and social change, including the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy by a coalition of planters and businessmen. Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898 and became a state in 1959. These events fuel ongoing debates over sovereignty, land rights, and self-determination among Native Hawaiians.

Culturally, Hawaiians maintain traditions such as hula, mele (song), and oli (chant), alongside voyaging and reef- and taro-based subsistence practices. The revival of the Hawaiian language and arts gained momentum from the late 20th century onward. Contemporary Hawaiians include people who identify as Native Hawaiian alone or in combination with other ancestries, with communities and organizations—such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and various educational and cultural institutions—working to preserve language, culture, and rights within Hawaii and the broader United States.