Hawaiians

Oceaniaother subsistence combinations
Map
expand_more Description

Hawaiians are the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. Now a disadvantaged minority in their own homeland, they are the descendants of Eastern Polynesians who originated in the Marquesas Islands. The early Hawaiians lived on marine resources. They later developed a large and productive agricultural economy based on the cultivation of taro. In the 1840s the Hawaiian king was persuaded by resident foreigners to create private property; within a few decades most Hawaiians were without land. Foreigners bought huge tracts for plantations and ranches and the laborers they imported soon outnumbered the Hawaiians. The shift to wage labor began during the 19th century as Hawaiians increasingly worked on foreign-owned sugar cane plantations. About one-quarter of Hawaiians are engaged in agriculture with most working in service industries.

Identifier
Region
  • Oceania
Subregion
  • Polynesia
Subsistence Type
  • other subsistence combinations
Samples
Countries
  • United States
External Links