The Hawaiians came to these islands across two thousand miles of ocean at a time when European sailors were afraid to lose sight of shore. They came from the Marquesas and later from Tahiti. They traveled in open canoes, navigating by the stars and the character of the ocean surface. |
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The Hoku Le'a is a traditional Polynesian double hulled sailing canoe. |
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Iwa means thief, a descriptive name for the great frigate bird. |
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The sailors knew that some sea birds return to land each night. The great frigate bird heads for land to weather storms. |
A patch of floating vegetation could mean an island somewhere upwind or upcurrent. |
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Hinahina is an indigenous shoreline plant. |
Eruption of Mauna Loa |
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When they approached Hawai'i they might have seen the glow of lava in the night sky. |
