Native Hawaiians

Native Hawaiians (in Hawaiian, kanaka ‘oiwi or kanaka māoli) are the indigenous Polynesian peoples of the Hawaiian Islands who trace their ancestry back to antiquity before the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. According to the U.S. Census Bureau report for 2000, there are 476,000 people who identified themselves as being native Hawaiian, part native Hawaiian and mixed native Hawaiian. Most native Hawaiians are residents of the United States in California, the State of Hawaii, Nevada and Washington. Two-thirds live in the State of Hawaii while the other one-third is split among mainland states. Almost half of the mainland share of the population is in California.

Language

Nearly all native Hawaiians are fluent in the English language as a result of over a century of contact with English-speakers from Britain and the United States of America. Some also speak the native Hawaiian language and Hawaiian Pidgin developed during Hawai‘i's plantation era in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Related Topics:
English language - Hawaiian language - Hawaiian Pidgin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hawaiian language has been promoted for revival most recently by a state program of cultural preservation enacted in 1978. Programs included the opening of Hawaiian language immersion schools and the establishment of a Hawaiian language department at the University of Hawaii Manoa. As a result, Hawaiian language use has climbed.

Related Topics:
1978 - University of Hawaii Manoa

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~