Hawaiian religionHawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitians and other Pacific islanders who landed in Hawaii between 500 and 1300 AD. It is polytheistic and animistic, with a belief in many deities and spirits, including the belief that spirits are found in non-human beings and objects such as other animals, the waves, and the sky.
OahuOahu (oʊˈɑːhuː) (Hawaiian: Oʻahu (oˈʔɐhu)) is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. The island of O’ahu and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands constitute the City and County of Honolulu. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oʻahu's southeast coast. Oʻahu has a population of 995,638, up from 953,207 in 2010 (approximately 70% of the total 1,455,271 population of the U.S. state of Hawaii, with approximately 81% of those living in or near the Honolulu urban area).
HulaHula (ˈhuːlə) is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (oli) or song (mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form. There are many sub-styles of hula, with the two main categories being Hula ʻAuana and Hula Kahiko. Ancient hula, performed before Western encounters with Hawaii, is called kahiko. It is accompanied by chant and traditional instruments.
MauiThe island of Maui (ˈmaʊi; Hawaiian: ˈmɐwwi) is the second-largest island of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2), and the 17th-largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which include Molokai, Lānai, and unpopulated Kahoolawe. In 2020, Maui had a population of 168,307, the third-highest of the Hawaiian Islands, behind Oahu and Hawaii Island. Kahului is the largest census-designated place (CDP) on the island, with a population of 28,219 , and the island's commercial and financial hub.
KauaiKauai (kɐwˈwɐʔi), anglicized as Kauai (ˈkaʊaɪ or kɑːˈwɑː.iː ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Nicknamed the Garden Isle, Kauai lies 73 miles (117 km) across the Kauai Channel, northwest of Oahu. It is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park and the Na Pali Coast State Park.
LanaiLanai (Lānai, laːˈnɐʔi, naːˈnɐʔi, ləˈnaɪ,_lɑːˈnɑːi, also USlɑːˈnaɪ,_ləˈnɑːi,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The island's only settlement of note is the small town of Lanai City. , the island is 98% owned by Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle Corporation; the remaining 2% is owned by the state of Hawaii or its privately owned homes.
Nene (bird)The nene (Branta sandvicensis), also known as the nēnē or the Hawaiian goose, is a species of bird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and Hawaii. In 1957, it was designated as the official state bird of the state of Hawaii. The Hawaiian name nēnē comes from its soft call. The specific name sandvicensis refers to the Sandwich Islands, a former name for the Hawaiian Islands. The holotype specimen of Anser sandvicensis Vigors (List Anim.
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiian: Nā Moku o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly the group was known to Europeans and Americans as the Sandwich Islands, a name that James Cook chose in honor of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, the then First Lord of the Admiralty.
NiihauNiihau (Hawaiian: ˈniʔiˈhɐw), anglicized as Niihau (ˈniː(i)haʊ ), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii. It is southwest of Kauaʻi across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is . Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian coot, the Hawaiian stilt, and the Hawaiian duck. The island is designated as critical habitat for Brighamia insignis, an endemic and endangered species of Hawaiian lobelioid.
Mauna LoaMauna Loa (ˌmɔːnə_ˈloʊ.ə or ˌmaʊnə_ˈloʊ.ə; Hawaiian: ˈmɐwnə ˈlowə; Long Mountain) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The largest subaerial volcano (as opposed to subaqueous volcanoes) in both mass and volume, Mauna Loa has historically been considered the largest volcano on Earth, dwarfed only by Tamu Massif. It is an active shield volcano with relatively gentle slopes, with a volume estimated at , although its peak is about lower than that of its neighbor, Mauna Kea.
