Changes

===Discovery by the West===

===Discovery by the West===

[[James Cook]] discovered the islands during his third voyage to the Pacific in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands after the then Lord of the Admiralty, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. He would die there the next year at the hands of the natives. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific.  The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800's.  Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

[[James Cook]] discovered the islands during his third voyage to the Pacific in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands after the then Lord of the Admiralty, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. He would die there the next year at the hands of the natives. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific.  The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800s.  Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 19th Century==

==The 19th Century==

The missionaries were not initially trusted by Liholiho, who instead placed them under probation.  A missionary headquarters was established in Honolulu, and one of the first priorities was to develop a consistent written form for the Hawaiian language, which was only spoken up to that time.  They also set up the first island printing press, and as other companies of missionaries arrived, they influenced changes in Hawaiian society as well as developments in education, organization of government and entrepreneurism. 0<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=277&returntoname=Short%20Stories&returntopageid=460</ref>

The missionaries were not initially trusted by Liholiho, who instead placed them under probation.  A missionary headquarters was established in Honolulu, and one of the first priorities was to develop a consistent written form for the Hawaiian language, which was only spoken up to that time.  They also set up the first island printing press, and as other companies of missionaries arrived, they influenced changes in Hawaiian society as well as developments in education, organization of government and entrepreneurism. 0<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=277&returntoname=Short%20Stories&returntopageid=460</ref>

Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the long-term benefit of the native Hawaiian culture.  One particular example was the disapproval and suppression of the ''hula'' by the missionaries.  The ''hula'' is a deep and complex form of recording legends, history and insights about man and nature into patterns of movements that to the uneducated look like elaborate dances.  The Hawaiians had no written version of their language prior to the arrival of the missionaries, and the rich collection of hulas passed from generation to generation was their primary form of recorded culture.  The Protestant missionaries arriving in 1820 believed that the ''hula'' dangerously promoted old heathen beliefs and celebrated physical enjoyment.  With this misunderstanding, they strongly pressured the Hawaiians who had converted to Christianity, including members of the monarchy, to eradicate ''hula''.  Their efforts drove the practice underground, and while much of Hawaii's ancient history and heritage was lost as a result, public appreciation and study of the true ''hula'' (as opposed to dances for tourists) was reawakened in the 1970's, studied, and documented for posterity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=253</ref>

Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the long-term benefit of the native Hawaiian culture.  One particular example was the disapproval and suppression of the ''hula'' by the missionaries.  The ''hula'' is a deep and complex form of recording legends, history and insights about man and nature into patterns of movements that to the uneducated look like elaborate dances.  The Hawaiians had no written version of their language prior to the arrival of the missionaries, and the rich collection of hulas passed from generation to generation was their primary form of recorded culture.  The Protestant missionaries arriving in 1820 believed that the ''hula'' dangerously promoted old heathen beliefs and celebrated physical enjoyment.  With this misunderstanding, they strongly pressured the Hawaiians who had converted to Christianity, including members of the monarchy, to eradicate ''hula''.  Their efforts drove the practice underground, and while much of Hawaii's ancient history and heritage was lost as a result, public appreciation and study of the true ''hula'' (as opposed to dances for tourists) was reawakened in the 1970s, studied, and documented for posterity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=253</ref>

===Westernization===

===Westernization===