3 of 10

Write now Article Tools

The history of the island of Kauai is a history of voyages. The most famous voyage is that of Captain Cook in 1778, but many others contributed to the island we know today. The first settlers from the Marquesas, back in the fifth or sixth century, brought with them the crops and livestock that would make the island habitable. A later wave of settlers from Tahiti, perhaps as recent as 1000 AD, carried the classic culture of Hawaii with it.

In the wake of the Cook expeditions, the warlord and future King Kamehameha set about conquering all of the Hawaiian islands. Kauai's position relative to the other islands made invasion rather more precarious, and not once but twice Kamehameha gathered his forces in a failed attempt. The first attempt foundered at sea when storms scattered the fleet; those that pressed on to carry out the attack were wiped out. The second attempt failed because of disease, but evidently, King Kaumualii of Kauai could see that his luck would not long hold out. In 1810 he sailed to the island of Hawaii to submit to Kamehameha, marry into the royal family, and never again to sail back to his home.

In the 1820's Westerners, especially Americans, made the voyage to the Hawaiian islands, including Kauai. Missionaries, whalers and merchants came, gradually coming to dominate the local economy. The sugar industry soon becomes the key industry. By the 1870's, many Hawaiians had succumbed to diseases, and efforts to bolster the workforce brought many more voyages from the Philippines, China, and Korea.

The Nineteenth Century saw many changes in Kauai, from the abandonment of traditional taboos, or kapu, to the decision to allow the sale of land in 1848, but the last decade brought the most rapid change. In five years, a coup sponsored by local business interests known as the Big Five deposed Queen Liliuokalani, set up a temporary republic, and petitioned for annexation into the United States. Ultimately this effort was successful, but statehood was still some sixty years away.

Visitors to Kauai can make a variety of trips into the past. Those who are interested in the early history of the island can visit temples, or heiau, the largest of which is Polihale Heiau. The Hauola Place of Refuge offers a different view of native customs, as it was a place to which one came after violating kapu, but it was still considered a holy place; here and at the traditional temples, a respectful attitude is expected. A more casual atmosphere reigns at the Kamokila Hawaiian Village, which is a local exercise in "living history," offering the visitor the best opportunity to visualize traditional life in Hawaii.

The Nineteenth Century is well represented on Kauai. The advent of the missionaries is documented at the Waioli Mission House, built in Hanalei in 1837. The more worldly side of western involvement can be seen at the Grove Farm Homestead, which preserves a sugar plantation of the 1860's. Less vital to the history of the island, but still fascinating as an example of "strange history" is Fort Elizabeth, the product of an abortive effort to exert Russian influence in the region.

Noteworthy sites of the Twentieth Century include the Kilohana Plantation, carrying the visitor back to the 1930's, and the Kilauea Lighthouse, which served from 1913 to 1970. Plan your own voyage, and let Kauai take you on a journey through its past.

Learn more about this author, Michael Fassbender.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Historical Hawaii: Kauai?
We want to hear your view. Write now!