It was quite a contrast exploring the North Shore versus Waikiki on Oahu. We went from cruising around a sleepy little town that was dedicated entirely to the surf gods to feeling like we were back in the suburban shopping areas of the USA that I grew up in. From food trucks in small clusters serving acai bowls or the famed garlic shrimp of the island in the north to the fast-food restaurant chains and hoards of people in the south, it was as if that hour drive took us away from the edges of earth, and back closer to its innards.
It was as if culture was stripped out of the area, leaving behind only a distant memory of bygone days in Hawaiʻi. But this feeling was not an isolated experience. It was something we witnessed several times as we explored other parts of the archipelago. The once thriving tourist hotspot, Lahaina on Maui was one example. That is, before the horrific fires that took place in August 2023 left the entire zone burnt to a crisp. The devastating fires took out the entire area, killing over 100 people and destroying close to 2,300 buildings. But there’s another tourist hub on Hawaiʻi Island, Kona, making one of the formerly less sought after islands a newly popular destination for visitors.
This directly contributes to the survival of many, as tourism is the number one economic driver in the whole island chain. Meeting quite a few locals—from native Hawaiians (kānaka maoli) to people whose families relocated here generations ago—we got an extraordinarily small glimpse into what life was like then and a much larger glimpse of what it’s like now. But aside from our own experiences on the island, we also got to hear their views on what has really happened here. Please note, that this is an aggregation of many conversations we had over a month period, ranging from recent college graduates in the environmental sector, dive professionals who have called the islands home for 40 years, as well as indigenous community representatives.
To start, Hawaiʻi is an archipelago of volcanic islands that sits about 2,400 miles from mainland USA and is considered the “most isolated population center” in the world. This is not to be confused with Perth, Western Australia, which is by contrast considered the most isolated city in the world sitting 1,242 miles from any other neighboring city. Hawaiʻi comprises 137 recognized islands that make up the state, with only seven of them being inhabited: Hawaiʻi (aka Big Island), Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau.
As the only island chain of the US states, Hawaiʻi is part of the “Polyenisian Triangle,” which has been a source of culture and contention over centuries. There’s been a longstanding history of language and tradition that has stood the test of time for many in Hawaiʻi. The islands became developed by those traveling from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands and turned each Hawaiian island into a hub for specific types of trade. For example, Maui was the center for canoe building while Oahu was focused on cloth manufacturing. This in turn brought rise to kings governing distinct regions, which at the time were Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu and Kaua’i.
James Cook, also known as Captain Cook, arguably went on one of the greatest voyages our world has ever known. Some see him as a hero, while others a villain for what he ultimately ended up doing to the islands he explored. Some even think that the villain in Peter Pan, Captain HOOK, was modeled after Cook himself. But this is all speculation and fan theory.
When Cook opened the world up to the Hawaiʻi islands after landing on Kauaʻi, he’d opened the flood gates to a long reign of colonization. Years later in the 1800’s, missionaries started to infiltrate the islands. From the native Hawaiian perspective, their religion believes in four gods—Lono, Kāne, Kanaloa and Kū. Being a polytheistic animistic religion, they also believe in spirit animals and personified elemental deities that represent their connection to the natural world, guiding them through life and death. With Protestant missionaries coming into the territory, there were 40 years worth of churches established, converting the community to Christianity, which in turn became the official religion of Hawaiʻi.
It wasn’t just Cook and the missionaries coming in, but European whalers as well, which would ultimately transform the seascape of the islands in another drastic way. According to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument team, “the whaling industry transformed the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century. Vessels stopped in Honolulu ports for provisions and to recruit new whalers. At one time, Native Hawaiians comprised nearly one-fifth of the sailors in the Pacific-based American whaling fleet.” Simply put, the whaling community shifted Hawaii from a trading nation to a cash-focused one.
Next followed the agricultural movement which put a heavy focus on sugar cane, coffee and of course, the pineapple. People from America were coming with loads of cash and setting up shop, essentially altering the course of ag-history for the islands forever. The History Channel reported that, “by 1853, Native Hawaiians made up 97% of the islands' population—which dropped to 16 percent by 1923” due to the influx of agriculturally related immigration needed to run these plantations.
The Dole family, who started the well-known Pineapple Company, had set up shop in Hawaiʻi. Backed by the USA government, Stanford Dole took over the Hawaiian monarchy alongside a group of other businesspeople and appointed himself the president of Hawaiʻi. After what seemed to be an intense struggle between the Hawaiians and the businesspeople, Hawaiʻi was annexed by the USA in 1898. And 50 years later, after being the stomping grounds for the Spanish-American War, Hawaiʻi became the 50th US state, very much against the native people’s will.
More recently, Hawaiʻi transformed into the tourist hub it is today, with people flocking from all around the world to experience the islands—especially the mega rich. The ultra-high-net-worth started to establish Hawaiʻi as their second or third home, with people like Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, buying 98% of land on Lanai island. Execs like Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, The Rock and Marc Benioff all have properties in Hawaiʻi as part of their portfolios. And with that, more development started to form around the islands, causing a whole slew of new issues, further compounding to those the state had seen in the past.
Hawaiian language, culture and traditions have been passed down orally across generations. Because of this, a lot of the rich history from the native perspective has been lost due to colonizing outside forces. Yet the primary catalyst for this loss of native history was that, in 1898, speaking Hawaiian was literally banned. Today, there are only 2,000 people left on the Hawaiian islands that have grown up learning their native language. And they are the only remaining individuals able to keep the remaining pieces of their heritage intact. Meeting a few who still hold on to their native language, we recognized that there was an overwhelming desire to keep it alive well beyond they were gone.
It’s critical that we reiterate that we are by no means experts when it comes to native Hawaiian culture or the history of the islands. My team and I have no direct ties to this land beyond simply our love for it. What we aim to suggest is that if you are to visit new places, take the time to learn about the past, present and desires for the future from many angles. Try, with your limited time and knowledge, to understand as many perspectives as possible and consume as much information as you can. This is the backbone of conscious exploration, and it most importantly means that as travelers, we must listen and learn.
Our newfound friend on Hawaiʻi Island, Heather Kahaulani Remo, put it perfectly from her unique perspective: “We warmly welcome visitors who respect our island and are eager to learn about our history, with the hope they'll share this knowledge after their stay. Mindfulness, respect for our community, and an understanding of the injustices we are healing from are crucial. While I've encountered remarkable individuals among our guests, the negative effects of inconsiderate tourism cannot be ignored. As you plan your visit to Hawaiʻi, come with a heart ready to understand, respect, and positively enhance our community.”
Throughout our time in Hawaiʻi we found ourselves asking, “how can we help?” The overwhelming response was to just take the time to “talk story.” This is the Hawaiian way of saying “to pass on wisdom and knowledge.” Sometimes the greatest thing we can do is be thoughtfully curious and to actively listen, to ensure that history and culture have the chance to pass on in any way possible.
To be continued …
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