Hawaii is the only state in the United States of America that once had its own kings and queens. From 1795 until 1895 Hawaii was a monarchy.

Kamehameha I (c. 1758–May 8, 1819) – United all the Hawaiian Islands together to form the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810.

Kamehameha II (Liholiho) (c. 1797 – July 14, 1824) – He was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) (1813 – December 15, 1854) – He was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854.

Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) (1834–1863) – Reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii.

Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa ) (1830–1872) – Reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872.

William Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo) (January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) – He was King of the Hawaiʻi from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874. Hawaii’s first elected monarch who was king of the whole kingdom.

David Kalakaua – The Merrie Monarch, was the last king of the Kingdom of Hawaii

Helen Lydia Kamakaʻeha Liliʻuokalani Kawānanakoa (1905–1969) – Was a member of the House of Kawānanakoa and the second daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa. Known by many in the Hawaiian community as Princess Liliuokalani, although she never officially held such a title.

Native Hawaiians: History, Culture, and Heritage

Origins and Early Settlement

Native Hawaiians, or Kānaka Maoli, trace their ancestry to skilled Polynesian navigators who voyaged across the Pacific using celestial navigation, ocean currents, winds, and wildlife cues. They settled the Hawaiian Archipelago in two waves—first from the Marquesas Islands around AD 400, and later from Tahiti in the 9th or 10th century—building a distinctive island culture over centuries.

These voyagers developed complex agricultural systems, fishing methods, and social structures suited to island life. Oral traditions, chants, and place names preserved the memory of their origins, while mana (spiritual power) and kuleana (responsibility) guided their relationship with the environment.

Social Structure, Governance, and the Kapu System

Native Hawaiian society was structured around intricate social ranks—aliʻi (chiefs), kahuna (experts/priest-healers), makaʻāinana (commoners), and kauwā (outcasts). Governance was rooted in divine and hereditary authority, reinforced by the kapu system—a sacred code of conduct regulating everything from gender roles to social interaction.

The kapu system controlled daily living: ʻAi kapu, for instance, prohibited women from eating certain foods like pork or preparing taro, reflecting religious symbolism and spiritual taboos. These rules were enforced strictly, and violation could result in severe penalties. The system was abolished in 1819 by King Kamehameha II, who symbolically shared forbidden foods with women to dismantle hierarchical taboos.

Spiritual Beliefs, Language, and Connection to Land

Spirituality for Native Hawaiians is not separate from the land and sea—it’s deeply interwoven. Aloha ‘āina, meaning “love of the land,” embodies a worldview where loyalty and care for the land is sacred duty. The Kumulipo, a creation chant, recounts the emergence of life from Pō (darkness) into Ao (light), reinforcing the spiritual origins of the islands and all living beings.

Language—ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi—is itself a vessel of culture, encapsulating stories, genealogies, chants, and traditional knowledge. Despite near erasure during colonization, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is experiencing a revival through immersion schools, digital tools, and community programs.

Material Culture: Hale, Canoes, and Traditional Practices

Native Hawaiians built hale—traditional houses—using post-and-beam construction with locally sourced woods, thatched roofs, and natural binding materials. Designs varied: Hale Aliʻi for chiefs, Hale Noho for commoners, Hale Mua (men’s house), and Hale Pahu for sacred drums.

Ocean voyaging was central to Hawaiian life. Double-hulled canoes like Hōkūleʻa became symbols of cultural revival. Launched in 1975, Hōkūleʻa navigated across the Pacific without instruments, reaffirming ancestral wayfinding traditions. These voyages helped restore pride, inspired cultural movements, and influenced Hawaiian language recognition and media, including Disney’s Moana.

Arts, Music, and Dance

Hula is more than entertainment—it’s a sacred art form that conveys stories, genealogies, and the spiritual connection between people and land. Two major styles include Hula Kahiko (ancient form) and Hula ʻAuana (modern form with instruments). The Merrie Monarch Festival remains a globally celebrated venue for preserving hula traditions and passing knowledge between generations.

Chants, percussion instruments, featherwork, and barkcloth also formed part of the artistic life of the Native Hawaiians, blending artistry with spiritual meaning. Oral performance was a form of historical record as well as cultural expression.

Traditional Healing and Kahuna Practices

Indigenous healing—lāʻau lapaʻau—is rooted in holistic balance of mind, body, and spirit, using native plants and prayer. Kahuna lāʻau lapaʻau, trained in plant knowledge and rituals, played critical roles in pre-contact society.

With the arrival of missionaries and Western medicine in the 19th century, traditional healing was marginalized. Nonetheless, lā‘au lapa‘au endured and, as of 1988, gained recognition under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act. Today, integrative practices combining traditional and modern medicine are increasingly common in community health centers.

Historical Trauma and Colonization

Contact with Western settlers brought devastating disease that decimated Native Hawaiian populations—from hundreds of thousands to a fraction within decades. The overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 and subsequent U.S. annexation in 1898 caused massive cultural, political, and land losses.

Throughout the 20th century, Native Hawaiians endured cultural suppression, including banning the language and displacement from ancestral land, while struggling for recognition and restoring identity. Many institutions of government, law, and education were transformed or suppressed, further eroding Native authority.

Contemporary Cultural Revival and Sovereignty Movements

The cultural renaissance of the 1970s and beyond revitalized hula, language, navigation, and traditional arts. Hōkūleʻa’s voyages played a key symbolic role, and platforms from arts to politics rallied around reasserting cultural sovereignty.

Movements such as Native Hawaiian sovereignty and Aloha ʻĀina emphasize self-determination, cultural survival, and ecological stewardship rooted in Hawaiian values and identity.

Education and Cultural Transmission

Native Hawaiian culture-based education, including Hawaiian language immersion schools and charter schools, helps reclaim cultural knowledge and identity. Place-based pedagogies grounded in ʻāina connections foster engagement, well-being, and cultural resurgence.

Academic research and Indigenous-led initiatives continue to elevate Hawaiian perspectives in science, astronomy (such as the Maunakea protests), and education—seeking respectful integration of culture and modern disciplines.

Native Hawaiian Tribal Membership and Recognition Today

Unlike many Native nations on the continental United States, Native Hawaiians are not organized into separate federally recognized tribes. Instead, Native Hawaiians are considered an Indigenous people of a single homeland: the Hawaiian Islands. This status is unique and has led to long-standing political debates about sovereignty, recognition, and federal programs.

Blood Quantum and the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act

One form of official recognition for Native Hawaiians comes through the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, which set aside roughly 200,000 acres of land for Native Hawaiians. Eligibility for these homestead lands is limited to individuals who can prove at least 50 percent Native Hawaiian ancestry. This standard, based on blood quantum, has shaped community membership and access to housing programs for more than a century.

While this policy provided land for Native Hawaiians, it also created divisions within families and communities, as those with less than 50 percent ancestry are excluded from the program. Many Native Hawaiians today view this as a colonial imposition, contrasting with traditional identity rooted in genealogy (moʻokūʻauhau) and community ties rather than percentages of ancestry.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs

In 1978, the State of Hawaii established the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) as a public agency dedicated to improving conditions for Native Hawaiians. OHA manages trust funds, cultural programs, and advocacy efforts. To vote in certain OHA elections or participate in programs, individuals must prove Native Hawaiian ancestry, often through genealogical documentation or birth records. However, OHA does not function as a tribal government but rather as a state-level agency tasked with representing Native Hawaiian interests.

Attempts at Federal Recognition

For decades, Native Hawaiians have debated whether to pursue recognition similar to that of federally recognized tribes. Proposals such as the Akaka Bill (introduced in Congress in the early 2000s) sought to establish a formal government-to-government relationship between the United States and a reorganized Native Hawaiian governing entity. Although supported by some leaders, these efforts faced opposition both from within the Native Hawaiian community—who argued it might limit aspirations for full independence—and from outside groups who questioned its constitutionality. As a result, no federally recognized Native Hawaiian “tribe” exists today.

Native Hawaiian Roll and Self-Governance Efforts

In recent years, initiatives such as Kanaʻiolowalu (the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission) attempted to create a registry of Native Hawaiians who wished to participate in forming a self-governing body. This effort emphasized genealogy and self-identification, rather than strict blood quantum. Although thousands enrolled, the project faced legal challenges and political disagreements, leaving the future of formal self-governance unresolved.

Community and Identity Beyond Tribes

For Native Hawaiians, belonging is often defined less by federal recognition or blood quantum and more by genealogy, cultural participation, and connection to ʻāina (land). Lineage tracing back to Hawaiian ancestors, knowledge of family histories, and active engagement in cultural practices such as hula, language, or voyaging form the core of Native Hawaiian identity. Instead of multiple tribes, Native Hawaiians identify collectively as one Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi, united by shared history, land, and cultural heritage.

Native Hawaiians