Migration to Hawai'i

Migration to Hawai'i

​7th Grade Social Studies

Dole Middle School

​

Learning Intention

• To understand the origins of the first people(s) that migrated to and settled in Hawai'i

Success Criteria

• Identify the 2 groups that migrated and settled Hawai'i

• Differentiate between the two groups that migrated and settled Hawai'i

Open Ended

Pre-Lesson Question

1) Where did the people that first migrated to and settled Hawaii originally come from?

The First Hawaiians

The first people who came to Hawaii have left us no stories. All we know for sure about them is what anthropologists and archeologists can tell us. The other people who came to Hawaii long after did tell about the first Hawaiians in their stories. Thus, we can put together the following picture.

The first people to arrive in Hawaii brought very little with them. They must have lived a very simple life, eating mostly fish and some fruit. There were no coconut trees and few, if any, animals. They did not know much about farming.

They probably came to Hawaii from the Marquesas Islands, just north of Tahiti. We do not know much more about them, but they must have been hardy people to have survived in a new place with so little.

Get ready! Questions incoming!

Multiple Select

These FIRST Hawaiians ate a diet mainly of...

*ONLY two of the following answers are correct

• Chicken

• Limited amount of fruits

• Wide variety of fruits

• Fish

• Pig/Pork

Multiple Choice

Where did the FIRST group of people that migrated to Hawai'i come from?

• Galapagos Islands

• Marquesas Islands

• Marshall Islands

• Marianas Islands

The Later Hawaiians

Around the 11th century, almost a thousand years ago, some people left the islands of Tahiti and set sail for Hawaii. With them they brought pigs, dogs, and chickens, and plants such as taro, coconut, banana, and wauke. They brought their gods with them, too. The newcomers were more cultured than the Hawaiian people who were already here. 

They planned for their long voyages carefully. A big and sturdy canoe had to be built and tested for its ability to take heavy seas. The people who were to make the voyage had to be healthy and strong. They would need food and water for the trip, and seeds and plants for food to be grown in the new place.

The basic food taken on the voyage was usually cooked and dried or preserved. In the atoll areas the food was pandanus fruit which was made into flour, then cooked and dried and wrapped in bundles in dried pandanus leaves. On the volcano islands they preserved breadfruit and cooked and dried sweet potatoes.

Pandanus tree and fruit

Pandanus fruit

Pandanus leaves could be used to make baskets as well

These canoes also carried dried seafood, coconuts,  chickens, dogs and pigs. Water was stored in gourds, bamboo cavities and coconut water jugs. During the journey fish, including sharks, were caught and cooked over a fireplace which was a bed of sand on the deck. Taro, coconut, banana and wauke plants for planting in the new place were carefully cared for. These successful journeys were planned and carried out by wise and courageous people. These people, it seems, were much more advanced than the first people who came to Hawaii.

The taro plant was an important staple for these Polynesians

The root of the taro can be cooked for food

Poi is made from pounding the taro root and mixing it with water

These later Hawaiians were skilled enough to catch shark for food during their voyages.

The first Hawaiians may have had smaller canoes that looked like the canoe in this picture. The later Hawaiians had double-hulled canoes which were quite bigger.

The later Hawaiians had larger double-hulled canoes that had more room for food and supplies.

Heads up! Here come more questions!

😳 🤞

Multiple Choice

The later Hawaiians migrated from...

• Marquesas Islands

• Tonga

• Marshall Islands

• Tahiti

Multiple Choice

The later Hawaiians introduced new animals like chicken, dogs and pigs to Hawai'i for the first time.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How did these later Hawaiians preserve their food?

• They kept animals on their boat and cooked them when they got hungry.

• They brought coolers with ice and kept their food in there.

• They dried the food and wrapped it in pandanus leaves.

• They ONLY ate pandanus fruit which stayed fresh and lasted a long time.

Multiple Choice

What is the main reason the later Hawaiians brought extra plants and animals on their canoes?

• Just in case they got extra hungry and had late night munchies

• To grow and farm on their new island

• Because they liked to garden for fun

• To share with new people they might meet

The Later and First Hawaiians Meet

Poll

Prediction

What do you think happened when these later Hawaiians met the first Hawaiians already living in Hawai'i?

• They will decide to ignore each other and live separately.

• The first Hawaiians will ask the later Hawaiians to leave.

• The later Hawaiians will conquer and take over the first Hawaiians.

• The later Hawaiians will share their new food and supplies and get along with the first Hawaiians.

The new people found the first people here when they came. Because of the difference in their diets, the amounts of food they ate, the first people were probably smaller than the new people. The small people were probably conquered and made to be slaves.

In parts of Oceania menehune is the name given to servants or slaves. The makers of legends later turned these small people into elves, also known as fairies, pixies, sprites, leprechauns, and so forth. It is said that Hawaii’s marvelous menehunes built fish ponds, temples and many amazing things overnight.

An imagined picture of menehune stacking rocks to build a wall

More questions...Yay?!

Multiple Choice

The first Hawaiians had a larger diet than the later Hawaiians.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Myths and legends say the menehune were creatures like elves, fairies or leprechauns.

However, the menehune were most likely just...

• things that people imagined in their dreams.

• the first Hawaiians that were smaller in comparison to the later Hawaiians.

• kids that they thought were little creatures.

• regular people that looked small from far away.

Were we successful?

Success Criteria

• ​Identify the 2 groups that migrated and settled Hawai'i

• Differentiate between the two groups that migrated and settled Hawai'i

Open Ended

Post-Lesson Questions

Directions: Answer both questions in COMPLETE sentences.

1) Where did the two groups of people that migrated to Hawai'i come from?

2) What were some differences between the two groups?

Key terms: migrate, Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, first Hawaiians, later Hawaiians, diet, advanced