The people and cultures of the Hawaiian Islands are part of the greater Polynesian culture that spreads across the Pacific Islands, including but not limited to New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Easter Island, and many more. While there are many differences between the various groups, there are also many overlaps, including similar languages, art styles, societal structures, religion, and overall culture. Many of the Polynesian cultures, including the Hawaiians, prided themselves on being expert explorers and navigators, sailing across the open ocean for months on end in small boats using only the stars to guide them to new lands.

The history of the Hawaiian islands is one filled with alliances and betrayal, as it was only until very recently that the islands became unified. For thousands of years, different tribes occupied different regions. This of course led to many wars as different chieftains wished to expand their territories. Other tribes, however, would find comradery with each other, sharing resources and fighting together against common foes. This all came to an end when in 1810 King Kamehameha the 1st conquered all of the Hawiian islands and put them under one banner. He was able to do this with the aid of the West who gave his army muskets and cannons. To this day, Kamehameha the 1st is considered a strong and wise leader. By unifying the islands, he was able to prevent them from being torn apart by competing western powers.

The nature of spiritual energy, or Mana as it was called, was vital to ancient Hawaiian beliefs. Mana is a universal energy of strength that resides within all things. Various decisions can cause a person to gain or lose Mana. One of the most common ways for people to gain Mana was by taking it from others. Hawaiians fought amongst one another for generations and warfare was a sacred part of Hawaiian culture because it was believed that, by killing someone, one could claim their fallen opponent’s Mana for themselves. The god of war Ku even offered Mana to those that fought in his name. However, another way to gain Mana was through the creation of life. The god of peace Lono and brother of Ku would bless people with more Mana if they engaged in sexual relationships and produced children. Mana is neither good nor evil, it is just a part of nature.

The pantheon of the Hawiian religion consists primarily of two separate generations of gods: the four primordial brother gods that created the cosmos and the younger generation of deities known as Kupua. The Kupua are powerful beings that have dominion over various aspects of nature and regularly interact with mortals as both superiors and equals. There is one more branch of lesser Hawaiian gods though: the ʻAumākua. The ʻAumākua take many forms including sharks, whales, birds, reptiles, and many more. It is believed that, when a person died, they would enter the ʻAumākua realm below the waves and be able to interact with their descendants as guides and protectors through their animal forms. To this day, the ʻAumākua are said to comfort and guide the people of Hawaii.