Natural History of Hawaii. 



SECTION ONE 



Tilt: HAW All AX I'EVl'LE. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE COMING OF THE HAWAIIAN RACE. 



Hawaiians the First Inhabitants. 



The.Polyuesian ancestors of the Hawaiian race are believed to be tlie first 

 human inhabitants to set foot on Hawaii 's island shores. Inasmuch as the group 

 comprises the most highly isolated island territory on the globe, it seems logical 

 to infer that this sturdy race must have migrated to Hawaii from other lands. 

 By tracing the relationship of the original inhabitants it has been found that 

 they belong to the same race as the natives of New Zealand, Samoa, Marquesas, 

 Society, Tonga and other islands in the southern, central and eastern Pacific. 



That all the native people found over this vast Pacific region are the 

 scattered branches of one great race, springing from a common ancestral stock, 

 has been demonstrated in many ways. The marked similarity in the manners 

 and customs, language and religion, as well as many peculiar physical char- 

 acteristics and intellectual traits common to the inhabitants of the widely scat- 

 tered Pacific islands just mentioned, leaves little doubt in the minds of those 

 who have studied these people of the Pfieific, as to their racial affinities. 



I'OLYNESIAN AfP^INITIES. 



Collectively, this group of Pacific Islanders has been called by Euro]ieans 

 the Polynesian race, a reference to the many islands inhabited by them. The 

 exceedingly vexed question as to the genesis of the race as a whole and the 

 fixing of the place from whence the progenitors of the dark-skinned kanaka 

 people entered the Pacific has long been a subject of interesting discussion. 



Since the genesis of the race is by no means a settled question it will not 

 be profitable in this connection to dwell upon the matter farther than to say 



Description of Plate. 

 The splendid physique of the people, their well shaped heads, attractive features and 

 kindly eyes are well shown by the photographs and indicate the strong individuality and lovable 

 character of the race as a whole. Old Hawaiians, especially of the better class, possessed a 

 high type of Polynesian culture that embraced a thorough and useful knowledge of their iso- 

 lated environment. At the time of their introduction to European civilization many among 

 them were intimately acquainted with their own history and genealogy, as well as with the 

 fund of information concerning their traditions, myths, arts, occii|iatiiMis and practices; more- 

 over they possessed a store of knowledge about the islands ami tlnir ri;i)iiral history that at 

 once won for the race the respect and admiration of their Europeiiii l>riic'f;u-tors. 



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