Prehistoric Hawaii refers to the period in Hawaiian history that occurred before European contact. Hawaiian prehistory began around 300CE when Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands discovered and settled Hawaii and ended around 1778 CE when Captain James Cook and his crew accidentally found Hawaii while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage between Alaska and Asia.[1] Due to a lack of written records from this time period, nearly all of our knowledge of prehistoric Hawaiian society comes from archeology and Native Hawaiian oral histories.[1] Prehistoric Native Hawaiians were farmers and fishers and retained an essentially Neolithic level of technology during their entire prehistory but nonetheless were able to develop complex forms of social organization such as Chiefdoms during the end of this era.[1] Indeed by the end of the prehistoric period the native Hawaiians had developed the most complex political system in Oceana.[2]
Chronology
editPrehistoric Hawaii is composed of four distinct periods known as poop(doubtful), developmental, expansion and the protohistoric period.[1] Important cultural and technological developments differentiate all four of the respective periods such as an increase in the complexity of agriculture, tools and religious beliefs that typically occures during each period.[1]
Voyage to the Hawaiian islands
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Polynesian seafarers were skilled ocean navigators and astronomers. At a time when Western boats rarely went out of sight of land, they often traveled long distances on fleets of carefully crafted canoes that could withstand ocean winds and waves.
The early settlement history of Hawaiʻi is still not completely resolved. Some believe that the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaiʻi in the 3rd century from the Marquesas and were followed by Tahitian settlers in 1300 AD who conquered the original inhabitants. Others believe that there was only a single, extended period of settlement. Patrick Kirch, in his 2001 Hawaiki, argues for an extended period of contact but not necessarily for a Tahitian invasion:
- There is substantial archaeological as well as paleoecological evidence confirming Hawaiian settlement no later than 800 AD, and quite possibly as early as AD 300–500 (Kirch 1985; Athens 1997). The immediate source of the colonizing population in Hawai'i is likely to have been the Southern Marquesas, but continued contact between Hawai'i and islands in the core region is indicated by linguistic evidence (lexical borrowings from the Tahitic subgroup), abundant oral traditions (Cachola-Abad 1993), botanical indications, uniquely shared mtDNA sequences in populations of the Pacific Rat (Matisoo-Smith et al. 1998), and possibly some archaeological style changes as well. However, long-distance voyaging between Hawai'i and the central Eastern Polynesian core became less frequent after about AD 1200, and was little more than a memory encoded in Hawaiian oral traditions by the time of European contact.[3]
The only evidence for a Tahitian conquest of the islands are the legends of Hawaiʻiloa and the navigator-priest Paʻao, who is said to have made a voyage between Hawaiʻi and the island of "Kahiki" (Tahiti) and introduced many new customs. Some Hawaiians believe that there was a real historical Pa'ao. Early historians, such as Fornander and Beckwith, also subscribed to this Tahitian invasion theory, but later historians, such as Kirch, simply do not mention it.
King Kalakaua in his book, The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, claims that Paao was from Samoa. The religion he brought, the Kahuna religion was from Samoa. Paao was instrumental in bringing the High Chief Pili from Samoa to rule the island of Hawaii. Pili is a well known entity in Samoan mythology. His descendents were one of the highest ranked families in Samoa even to this day. According to the genealogy laid out by King Kalakaua, King Kamehameha was also a descendant of Pili. The big island of Savaii in the Samoan archipeligo was known as Hawaiki in ancient times.
Some writers believe that there were other settlers in Hawai'i, peoples who were forced back into remote valleys by newer arrivals. They claim that stories about menehune, little people who built heiaus and fishponds, prove the existence of ancient peoples who settled the islands before the Hawaiians.[4] Luomala, in her 1951 essay on the menehune, argues that these stories, like stories of "dog people" with tails living in deep forests, are folklore and not to be construed as evidence of an earlier race. Archaeologists have found no evidence suggesting earlier settlements and menehune legends are simply not mentioned or discussed in current archaeological literature.
However, there is one puzzling artifact on the island of Kauaʻi, one that has never been satisfactorily explained. Running alongside the Waimea River is an ancient aqueduct known as the "Menehune ditch." This channel once brought water from the Waimea River to irrigate taro fields. The rocks were shaped into rectangular bricks and carefully fitted together — a method of stonework requiring immense labor, and not typical of Hawaiian rockwork. This ditch is currently believed to have been constructed before Captain Cook's first visit.
Colonization period
editLittle is known about the earliest period in Hawaiian prehistory the Colonization period. However scientists do know that the Colonization period began around 300 CE when the island of Hawaii was settled by Polynesian tribes from the Marquesas Islands and ended around 600 CE when the more complex Developmental period commenced.[1]
The Socio-political organization of the Colonization period remains relatively speculative.[1] Much of what we know about the Socio-political organisation of the Colonization period is based on comparative ethnography and linguistic reconstruction. Although Colonization period societies in Hawaii like all Polynesian societies were likely to have possessed hereditary chiefs, the early Hawaiian societies of the Colonization Period were probably more egalitarian and less hierarchical than future Hawaiian societies and the difference between laypeople and chiefs was much less pronounced than in later times.[1] Warfare during the Colonization period was rare or non existent.[1]
The human population at the end of the colonization period was very low and probably consisted of 1,000 people at most.[1]
Little information is known about the Subsistence economies of the societies of the Hawaiian Colonization period though it is known that they practiced Fishing and Subsistence farming in the form of Shifting cultivation to survive.[1] Like Polynesians who colonized other islands the earliest Hawaiians intentionally introduced many foreign flora and fauna such as dogs, pigs, coconut plants and chickens to aid in their own survival though some animals such as rats were introduced unintentionally.[1]
Although the data regarding the Material culture and technology of Colonization period Hawaii is incomplete more is known about this particular aspect of Colonization period Hawaiian culture then other aspects of their culture.[1] The Colonization period Hawaiians possessed a diverse tool kit that included Fishhooks, Adzes and trolling luers.[1] Colonization period cultures possessed a more diverse stone adz kit than did later Hawaiian cultures.[1]
Developmental period
editThe Developmental period refers to the second period of Hawaiian prehistory.[1] The Colonization period extends from 600 CE to 1100 CE. Like the preceding period the Colonization period little is known about the developmental period due in part to the scarcity of archeological remains from this era.[1]
During the Developmental period Native Hawaiians developed their own distinct cultural pattern.[1] Like the preceding societies of the colonization period Developmental period societies were relatively egalitarian compared to later Hawaiian societies and did not yet develop Social stratification.[1] Warfare was likely to be infrequent and or non existent during the developmental period.[1] The population density during the Developmental period was low, however the population density was higher in the Developmental period than in the Colonization period and the Hawaiian population may have consisted of as many as 20,000 people when the Developmental period ended.[1]
The fishing tool kit of the Ancient Hawaiians became more elaborate during the Developmental period and bone hooks became more common than stone hooks.[1] The developmental period also witnessed an elaboration of the agricultural system.[1]
Expansion period
editThe Expansion period was the third period in Hawaiian prehistory. The Expansion period extends from 1100-1650 CE.
Social stratification was developing as evidenced by artifacts such as elaborate pig tusk ordainments which suggest the development of a more hierarchical society and by the oral traditions of the Native Hawaiians which suggest that by the end of the Expansion period (around the beginning of the 1600s) powerful chiefs were capable of uniting Large territories and even entire islands. The amount of warfare in prehistoric Hawaii was increasing during this time. Warfare was becoming more common in this time because the amount of land available for farming was decreasing which made defining territorial boundaries more important and success in warfare brought prestige to chiefs and elites. The scale of Hawaiian warfare escalated from small inter-island raids to intense long-term wars fueled by Hawaiian chiefs desire for wealth and dominance over their islands. This era saw the construction of large war temples around 1550 C.E.[5] The religious system of Prehistoric Hawaii also experienced elaboration and change during the expansion period. Fully developed Hawaiian communities appeared during this era around 1550 CE. The typical Hawaiian community was a strip of land that was strategically positioned near a variety of habitats such as forests, mountain tops and coastlines to meet the subsistence needs of the villagers and the tribute needs of the chiefs.[5] The social and cultural changes in Hawaiian society may have been caused (in part) by a Tahitian migration to Hawaii.
Architecture was becoming more elaborate during this time. The first large temples were built during this period. New research reveals that the first large temples in Hawaii may have been built as early as 1200 CE.
Large flightless geese and large rails became extinct on the island of Hawaii around 1550 C.E.[5]
Proto-historic period
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The Proto-historic period (roughly 1650-1795 CE) is the final period of Hawaiian prehistory.[1] Although written records provide us with a limited amount of information about this period most of our knowledge about this period comes from archeology and native Hawaiian oral traditions. The Proto Historic period ended when reliable written records about Hawaii became fairly common.
During the Proto-historic period a fully developed caste system consisting of a royal class (Aliʻi), a professional and priestly class (Kahuna), a peasant or commoner class (Makaʻāinana) and an outcast class (Kauwa) existed in Prehistoric Hawaii.
The system of land tenure in Proto-Historic Hawaii is similar to the feudal system prevalent in Europe during the Middle Ages. The maka'ainana (corporate decent groups that held land in common in earlier periods) were gradually broken up.
Conduct in Native Hawaiian societies was regulated by a set of taboos and guidelines known as the Kapu system. The Kapu system imposed food restrictions, limited fishing to specified seasons of the year, forbid men and women from eating together and forbid commoners from touching the shadow of a chief.[5] It enforced social hierarchies in Native Hawaiian society such as the Hawaiian class system and patriarchy.[5] Violating Kapu even by accident was punishable by death.
The four biggest islands, Hawaiʻi proper, Maui, Kauaʻi and Oʻahu were generally ruled by their own Aliʻi aimoku, high chiefs (also called king, local king). Under them, subordinate district aliʻi controlled their petty fiefs. All these dynasties were interrelated. They all regarded native Hawaiian people (and possibly all humans) as descendants of legendary parents, Wakea (symbolizing the air) and his wife Papa (symbolizing the earth). Their legend is similar to other creation myths, such as the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
Human sacrifices were offered at the temples to the god of war Kū.
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Kirch, Patrick (1985). Feathered Gods and Fishhooks. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. p. 348. ISBN 0-8248-1739-9.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) Cite error: The named reference "Kirch" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Journal of World Prehistory Springer Netherlands 0892-7537 Volume 4, Number 3 / September, 1990 10.1007/BF00974883 311-345
- ^ Kirch 2001, p. 80
- ^ The best survey of these stories, all collected in the latter part of the 19th century, is found in Beckwith's Hawaiian mythology, pp. 321-336.
- ^ a b c d e Peregrine, Peter Patrick (2001). Encyclopedia of Prehistory: East Asia and Oceania. Hawaii: Springer. p. 386. ISBN 0306462575.
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