Ancient Hawaii
Videos
Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the establishment in 1795 of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the
Petroglyphs at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Priests traveling across Kealakekua Bay for first contact rituals. Each helmet is a gourd, with foliage and tapa strip decoration. A feather-surrounded akua is in the arms of the priest at the center of the engraving.
Hāpaialiʻi and Keʻeku Heiau
A drawing of a heiau at Waimea, Kauai.
Hawaiian Poi Dog
Videos
The Hawaiian Poi Dog is an extinct breed of pariah dog from Hawaiʻi which was used by Native Hawaiians as a spiritual protector of children and as a source of food.
Ancient Hawaii
…Upon their arrival, the settlers grew kalo (taro), maiʻa (banana), niu (coconut), ulu (breadfruit), and raised puaʻa (pork), moa (chicken), and ʻīlio (poi dog), although these meats were eaten less often than fruits, vegetables, and seafood. Popular condiments included paʻakai (salt), ground kukui nut, limu…
Hawaiian Poi Dog (left) in sketch by Louis Choris, c. 1816–17
Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of a native dog, Hawaii Island
A lei niho ʻīlio made from the teeth of the poi dog and olona fiber, Bailey House Museum
A female from the Honolulu Zoo program, c. 1969