Maui is comprised of four islands that are referred to as Maui Nui or Maui County. The outer lying islands Lahaina, Kahoolawe, and Molokai - are separated from Maui proper by the natural landscape, which served as kingdom boundaries in the days of island monarchies. Maui gets its name from the legend of a Polynesian navigator Hawai'iloa. The legend states that he named the island after his son, Maui, who was named for the demigod Maui, who is said to have raised all the islands of Hawaii from the sea.
Maui's history is rooted in the conflicts between warring kings. In early times, there were three kingdoms on the island - Hana, Waikulu, and Lahaina. In the sixteenth century, Maui's saving grace came in the form of Hana ruler Piilani, who united all of Maui's kingdoms. Piilani's rule was a time of peace and prosperity in Maui. He constructed irrigation ponds and began work on a paved road that was to circle the newly harmonious island. Piilani's decendants continued to work on his vision until it was complete and are also credited with building Hawaii's biggest heiau (temple) to Piilanihale, which still stands today.
By the mid-eighteenth century, Maui was once again thrust into the throes of turmoil as neighboring rulers resumed pushing boundaries on the island. It was a roundabout turn of events that led to establishing Maui as one kingdom. In 1759, Hana was captured by Kalaniopuu while its ruler, Kahikili, was away warring with neighboring Moloki. Fearing for his life, Kahikili escaped to Hana with his family and was welcomed by Kalaniopuu who had just stolen it for himself. Kahikili's wife gave birth to a daughter, Kaahumanu, who would eventually marry Kamehameha.
The arrival of James Cook to Kauai in 1778 signaled the beginning of disastrous times for Maui. Settlers, prospectors, merchants, and missionaries converged on the islands, bringing with them disease and strange customs. The natives endured many startling changes during the missionaries' attempts at their salvation. Nudity and the sacred hula dance were banned and the natives were forced assimilate to westernized ways of life. To their credit, the missionaries invented the twelve letter Hawaiian alphabet, allowing the history of the native people to be documented and preserved.
In 1819 the first whaling ship docked in Lahaina. At the height of the whaling era, Lahaina was a premiere stop on the whaling route. As many as 500 ships a year would dock on its shore. But, as with most prosperous times in Maui, Lahaina's good fortune was short-lived. In 1845 descendants of Kamehameha moved the capital from Lahaina to Honolulu just as the whaling industry began to flounder.
Settlers began planting what would become Maui's next boom sugar. In 1849, George Wilfong created Hawaii's first sugar plantation in Hana. In 1864, Danish immigrants created the second, and other farmers followed suit. In 1876, King Kalakaua entered into the Sugar Reciprocity Treaty with the United States. None of the natives imagined that sugar would be Hawaii's downfall.
In 1893, a mafia of sugar farmers, backed by the U.S. Military, overthrew Hawaii's last reigning monarch Queen Liliuokalani. Sanford Dole spearheaded the mafia that later controlled every financial aspect relating to the Hawaiian islands. Five years later, Hawaii was annexed by the United States.
Today visitors to Maui can still walk in the ancient footsteps of the natives. Piilanihale Heiau, the temple erected by Hana King Piilani to the god Piilanihale, is accessible to visitors via the National Botanical Gardens, located on the Hana Highway. Iao Valley State Park , located at the end of Iao Valley Road, is the final resting place to twenty six Hawaiian kings and queens and also the location where Kamehameha conquered Maui at The Battle of Kepaniwai. The Baldwin Missionary Home, located at Front and Dickenson streets, is a home built by missionaries in 1834 at the height of Lahaina's whaling industry. The Halekii-Pihana Heiau State Monument is a pair of stone temples created to celebrate the life of Maui's last ruler Chief Kahekili.
The moral of the story of Hawaii's history is that beautiful things are often birthed of tragedy. This rings true throughout Maui and all of the Hawaiian Islands.