The Polynesian and Japanese Influence on Oahu and Kaui History
Travel to Oahu is a fantastic way to spend your time in Hawaii. The beautiful beaches are perfect for the surfer and the lounge artist. The exquisite food is perfect for the amateur foodie and the experienced epicurean. The rich history is perfect for the history buff and the lifetime student. Perhaps this history is the reason why Ohau is such a great island to visit. For instance, its beginnings are quite mysterious. There is no known record of who first settled the island. Historians suspect people from Tahiti or Marques Island landed there and began building a life in 200 AD. With such long and thick roots into the history of the island, it is not surprising that the Polynesian influence still maintains such a strong hold over the society today.
In fact, the Polynesian influence makes up what people today call the Polynesian triangle. It is a place in the Pacific ocean where there are 3 groupings of islands that all have some influence from the Polynesian culture. The Hawaii islands are one of these groups, along with New Zealand, and parts of southern Asia. Other islands also make up this grouping. All people from these islands have a similar protoculture as New Zealand or Kauai travel will demonstrate to any traveler. There are physical features that have a great deal of similarity among the native peoples of these islands. They also have similarities in language, though it may difficult to hear how this is so as years of culture and tradition have created a uniqueness to each culture.
This culture became infused with Japanese influence in the 2oth century. The Japanese original came to the island for work, though they were treated poorly due to their status as a minority. They worked on sugar plantations. Surprisingly, they outnumbered the native Hawaiians due to disease that knocked down the population to about fifty thousand. This history explains their great presence on the island and the additions to the culture, from the shirts to the plate lunches.
Other islands also have just as rich and complex a history as Oahu. Kauai travel will provide people vacationing with a great way of enjoying the island culture and its history in addition to the usual fare associated with the Hawaiian experience. The hard part is choosing which island you want to visit first.