Category: Hawaiian History

Tattooing – A Gift to the World from Hawai’i and Polynesia

Tattooed Hawaiian man with sunglasses

When I tell someone that the art and practice of Tattooing first originated in Polynesia and Hawai’i, people do not believe me.  However, it is true. The art form of Tattooing was utterly unknown in the western world before Captain Cook’s first voyages through Polynesia and Hawai’i.  Even the word, Tattoo, is one of a… Read more »

A Small, But Absolutely Mighty Island That Shows the Way

Kaho’olawe is the smallest main island in the Hawaiian chain.  But don’t let that fool you. It is small but mighty, a 45 square mile island that has endured an unimaginable, punishing past. The good news is that today it is making a huge comeback. This May marks the 28th year since the return of… Read more »

How Hawaii’s Anthurium Became Its Most Popular Bouquet Flower!

  Anthurium flowers never fail to mystify people.  From this day since they were first introduced people ask if they are real.  These stunning flowers were brought to Hawai’i from London in 1889 by Samuel Damon. Their cultivation and propagation went well until the 1970s when a fungal disease first appeared. This pest spread so… Read more »