by M. Torres

Created on: July 20, 2008   Last Updated: January 27, 2012

Kauai is the oldest of the eight main islands that make up the Hawaiian archipelago. Kauai was first settled by the Marquesans who came the area from Polynesia in 400 A.D. In 1,000 A.D. The Tahitians arrived and forced their cultures and religion on the area by overpowering the original settlers. Some seven hundred years later, in 1778, the famous Captain James Cook stumbled upon the island of Kauai. Cook's arrival signified many things for the island of Kauai, but namely the end life as the Kauai inhabitants knew it. Following Cook's lead, an influx of settlers, missionaries, merchants, and business people brought with them disease and new cultural influences that all, but suffocated the culture and people of Kauai. The missionaries took the liberty of setting forth guidelines to which the natives were force to assimilate. Due to the puritan methodology of the missionaries, nudity was outlawed in Kauai. Women were made to wear long loose-fitting gowns, from which the traditional Hawaiian muumuu evolved.

By the early 1800s, Kauai's King Kaumuali'i was still determined to hold on to his tropical paradise. King Kamehameha, ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom, had taken all of the other seven main islands by force from their people, leaving vast amounts of blood spilled in his wake. King Kaumuali'i was able to fend off Kamehameha's aggressive advances for quite sometime. However, Kaumuali'i decided to sacrifice his land to spare the blood of his people and ceded to Kamehameha in 1810 upon his death. Sadly, this would not be the last time Kauai and its people would be forced to surrender to the demands of outside influences. In 1893, a group of Caucasian businessmen wanting to protect their investments in the Kauai region overthrew the last remaining monarch of Kauai - Queen Liliuokalani, with the help of U.S troops. Seven short years later, Kauai became a territory of the United States and the rest is history a history that the people of Kauai want to keep alive.

In Kauai today, there are many historic sites of significance to make sure that the plight of the Kauaiian people is not forgotten. Kauai boasts fifty-nine historic markers telling the stories of the people, places, and events behind the evolution of the island. There are museums and living history presentations throughout the island offering people an inside look at how things were and how things might have been for the Kauaiian people.

There are many places where visitors to Kauai can transport themselves back to where it all began. Strolling through the landscape of Nualolo Kai, where the natives lived, farmed, and worshiped the region's shorelines and valleys as far back as 1300 A.D., offers an up close and personal view of the seaside tranquility enjoyed by the original settlers of Kauai. Captain Cook's Landing, located in Waimea Bay, marks the spot where James Cook descended onto Kauai, setting off the chain of events that put Kauai into the throes of cultural turmoil. Overlooking the bend of the Wailau River, Kamokila Hawaiian Village is now ancient ruins of a Hawaiian village, but used to be a meeting point for the warring canoes of King Kaumuali'i. Waioli Mission House located in North Shore was home to several of the island's first missionaries. Further, Kaua'i Museum, located at 4428 Rice St. in Lihu'e, houses artifacts from varying eras of significance in Kauai, such as the plantation and missionary periods as well as information about flora and fauna that call Kauai home.

The island of Kauai welcomes over one million visitors each year offering their culture, their lifestyle, and their history - with much aloha in an experience that won't be soon forgotten.

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