Hawaiian Culture

Hawaiian culture is a living thing — much different from what you have seen in the movies. It permeates the islands and shapes how residents behave, how time moves and how people relate to one another and to the land. You will begin to feel it the moment you arrive, and although you may not be able to explain it when you get home, it will stay with you long after you leave. Understanding even a little of this culture will meaningfully change your trip. Knowing that hula is a sacred form of storytelling — once banned by colonial authorities and nearly lost — will change how you watch a performance. Knowing that the Hawaiian language, also suppressed for generations, is now experiencing a hard-won revival will change how it feels to hear it spoken or to see it on a street sign. These details make the difference between a beach vacation and a trip that leaves a genuine impression. It helps to understand the historical weight that shapes modern Hawaiʻi. In 1893, a group of American businessmen, backed by the U.S. military, staged a coup against Queen Liliʻuokalani — the last reigning monarch of a sovereign Hawaiian nation. Annexation followed. The effects of that event are still felt by Native Hawaiians today, which means they will touch your experience here too, whether you’re aware of it or not. Hawaiʻi is a U.S. state, but it operates on its own terms — at its own pace, with its own values and its own sense of what matters. Visitors who arrive curious and open tend to find that refreshing. The culture section of this site is here to help enrich your experience in the islands.