Culture of the Native Hawaiians

[1] Polynesia is made of multiple island groups which extend from Hawaii to New Zealand across the Pacific Ocean.

[2] Hula Auana reflects European/American influences and is performed with musical instruments (like guitars) that do not originate from the Hawaiian Islands.

He was known for restoring and elevating Hula in the Hawaiian Islands after the United States missionaries arrived.

Hula is more than a dance, but an art form that communicates the stories of Hawaiian politics, culture, and tradition.

As hula is now practiced and recognized around the world, a very limited repertoire has been brought to mainstream culture.

Much of the world views Hula as a fitness trend and cultural dance, but the genre has a much greater significance to the Hawaiian people, telling the stories of generations past.

[3] Polynesians traveled to Hawaii and throughout the Pacific region on voyaging canoes of their own design, navigating using only their senses, observing the skies, wind, water, and wildlife around them.

[4] Outrigger canoe paddling spread from Hawaii to become an international sport, educating people from all over the world about Hawaiian culture.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society works to preserve the skills of boat construction and navigation.

Portuguese, Mexicans, and Spanish brought musical instruments such as the ukulele and the guitar that Hawaiians adopted.

[18] The Native Hawaiian population was reduced to 20% of the total due to disease, inter-marriage and migration.

Unlike Europeans, Hawaiians had no history with these diseases and their immune systems were unprepared to fight them.