The Hawaiian Spirit Lives On

During the early 19th century outsiders gained strong influence in the region by means of their Missionaries and settlers that gained the land reform allowing the outsiders to buy land and cultivate crops on it. The ages old Kapu system was abolished and new systems took over. This led to plantation culture which has been one of the most controversial ones in the history. The new house of rule ceded a lot of region to US for trade reforms and the dynasty was finally overthrown in the year 1893 by the US by means of a very peaceful coup. The main reason for this was the attempt to implement a new constitution for the region which brought forth a very controversial coup. The Hawaiian Kingdom came to an end and a republic was born out of the ashes from the burned empire. The republic wanted to join the United States and succeeded in their pursuit in the year 1898.

During the Second World War the Pearl Harbour was attacked by the Japanese Navy and the place suffered huge losses. The whole region was put under Martial Law which lasted for a long time. But in 1954 after a non violent revolution governorship of the state was restored and in 1959 President Eisenhower granted this restoration after a referendum that had 93 % votes in favour of statehood. However, not everybody was satisfied with the appointed officials of the U S government. People wanted to gain greater governance for themselves and thus led to Self Determination movements in 1960s that are known as Hawaiian Renaissance.

Such long and vivid history has created a civilization that is very proud of their heritage and lineage while keeping their connection with modern world alive. The Hawaiian native people have a very rich culture and like to be known for it but they have also adapted the modernization of the world and new technologies. The history of this US state even though very long in terms of timeline that spans over centuries doesn’t have detailed description and neither they have long descriptive texts like western civilizations or Asian countries that share the same timeline.

Imports and Exports of Hawaiian Economy

Hawaii is the only state in the United States that is made up completely of islands. It originally became a state in August 21st of 1959. Due to its remote location off the southern coast of California in the Pacific Ocean, the prices for consumer products are much higher than other places in the country. The fact is, many items have to be imported, which works to drive the cost up of various items even more.

Referred to as the “Aloha State,” Hawaii was first home to Polynesians approximately 1500 years in the past. Later, Tahitian settlers came to the islands and created a social system that was based on kapu, which actually translates to taboo. In 1778, Captain James Cook landed in the Hawaiian islands and brought a number of western ideas and thoughts to these Oceania islands. In 1820, 42 years later, a number of Protestant missionaries arrived in Hawaii and begin to establish various societal standards, which quickly replaced the Tahitian kapu (taboo) system. At this point, Hawaii was established as an active seaport and it catered to whalers and traders, which helped to solidify the future of the state as an exporter and importer of goods. At the time when Hawaii actually became a territory of the U.S. in 1898, some of the main exports included fresh fruits and sugar; however, sugar is not included as a top export in Hawaii. Also, the only fresh fruit that Hawaii is exporting in big numbers are papayas.

The largest imported items to Hawaii include petroleum oil and crude oil. In fact, in 2013, the total estimated value of these imports was around $3 billion. However, that is not all that Hawaii imports. It also brings in propane, precious metals, jewelry, semiconductors, coal, passenger vehicles and aircraft. The main exports of the state of Hawaii include parts for aircrafts, exotic fruit, petroleum and light oils, fresh shrimp, ferrous scrap, cocoa preparation, aluminum scrap and waste, drawings, paintings and stainless steel scrap.

There is a common misconception that Hawaii exports all things “tropics,” for example, coconuts and other exotic fruit. However, this is simply not the case. In fact, the state offers much more than just the tropical items that it is so well-known and loved for. The evolution of this state is diverse and as a result there are a number of products and goods that are unique to this area. However, due to its location, it costs more to import and export here. This is why there are many things that are sourced elsewhere, besides Hawaii.

Taking some time to get to know about the history of Hawaii, will help you understand why the state imports and exports the items it does. Being informed and educated can help you better understand about this unique state and what it has to offer.

The Beauty of Hawaii

Hawaii a place synonymous to tropical beauty long clean beaches and deep blue sea. Anybody can fall in love with this place on first sight. As soon as one get’s to lay their eyes on this magnificent and enthralling piece of land amidst vast Pacific Ocean, they can feel the waves and the music of nature playing calm and sweet tunes. This might be what the early settlers on these islands felt and thus settled down into this lovely place. To study the history of this group of islands one must start with the formation of them by various geological processes.

The formation of these islands in the middle of ocean has been a big mystery for scientists as well as geologists for a very long time. Recently after studying the data collected from the islands and rock structure of islands along with soil composition is has been decided that the volcanic eruptions were the major cause behind the existence of this island state. The island thus underwent a lot of geological changes with time and attained this form somewhere around 1 CE as per some historians and scientists.

After 1 CE the Polynesian people arrived to these islands in their boats while following stars for directions. Luckily they didn’t end up stranded in the ocean and made it this new land mass of Pacific Ocean. After that somewhere around the 1200-1210 CE the Tahitian people arrived and started settling here as well. The lands were fertile and availability of water was also in abundance leading to rise of well settled and new colonies for these settlers to live in. In 1778 the famous explorer, Captain James Cook, landed on Kauai and naming the place as Sandwich Islands but he was killed one year later in the Bay on Hawaii Island.

After about 500 years a local king rose to power by using modern technologies. He conquered all the tribes and unified the islands into the Kingdom of Hawaii. This newly formed state had a very important and strategic location in the ocean. The prosperity of the state was high and the newly formed empire ruled by Kamehameha was further ruled by his lineage until the Europeans arrived and took over the control of the kingdom. The rule of Kamehameha Dynasty came to end in the year of 1873.

Post written by Jay Hernandez. His writing can be found on CNN, the DailyBeast, and Fair Credit. He lives with his wife and two children in Roanoke, VA.