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Maui History
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Due to a volcanic eruption five million years
ago, a beautiful Island filled with greenery and life evolved
to the surface and formed the island we now call Maui. In the
early years Maui was made up of three kingdoms, Hana, Waikulu,
and Lahaina. Today, the most popular of them all, Lahaina still
remains as beautiful and ancient with the local Hawaiians, with
a rich and preserved history that is shared with all the visitors
and tourists that come to visit Maui. |
The first people to migrate to Maui were the Marquesas. The Marquesas
sailed in canoes from the pacific and reached Maui in 750 A.D. The
Tahitians followed the Marquesas’ route and introduced the
island to the Kapu system, a strict social order that became the
core of ancient Hawaiian culture. Even though the Marquesas, and
the Tahitians were the first people to set foot on the island; Maui
was discovered on November 26, 1778 by Captain James Cook. Hawaii
then began to build it’s own culture as settlers built temples,
fishponds and taro plantations.
Taro, a cultivated crop to make Poi, a traditional Hawaiian dish,
is the oldest native food known to Maui. Poi is a sacred food to
the Hawaiians and taro is usually only pounded and planted by men.
All visiting members of Maui should taste Poi due to its historical
relevance and importance in Hawaiian culture.
In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States, with
the last star being added to the star and stripped flag. The year
1959 also brought important achievements for Hawaii, since it was
the year jet airliners arrived bringing over 250,000 tourists to
the state. By the year 1970’s over 1 million visitors were
arriving to Maui and that number doubled in the next two years that
came. Maui’s tourism replaced agriculture, as is now considered
it’s number one industry.
Today, Maui is a considered the number one location to visit in
the world. With its exotic mix of sun and rain, this pleasure spot
cannot beat any other paradise on earth. Maui strives to be the
ideal destination for every age group, by continuing to be rooted
in it’s past, yet also preserving and sharing its cultural
and historical wealth.
More Information
 www.state.gov
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