Hump Day Hawaii

 

On this day in 1959, Hawaii became our 50th state.

But I'm not really going to celebrate that, because from my perspective, in just 65 years we've nearly decimated a beautiful and culturally rich set of islands.

My feelings aren't helped by a video I watched this week, from Last Week Tonight.

The first known settlers of the islands were Polynesian voyagers who arrived sometime in the 8th century from the Marquesas Islands.  Some time later, more voyagers arrived from the Society Islands.  They claimed descent from the greatest gods, and ruled Hawaii.  After a few hundred years though, contact with Polynesia ceased, and a unique Hawaiian culture developed.

Laws, Governance, and Social Structure

In 1893, a group of American expatriates and sugar planters, with support from the US Marines, deposed Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii.  Sanford B. Dole became the first president of the protectorate, and we can clearly see the motivations.