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Honolulu & O’ahu : History & Culture

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  • Granddaughter of Kamehameha I, whose name lives on in the Bishop Museum.

  • As in all Hawaiian cultural practices, there is much ritual surrounding the building of a canoe, another of the men’s arts. Traditionally, canoes are made of koa and always from one log, carefully selected by the boat builder. The craft is still very much alive today.

  • From silk and ribbon to yarn, currency, and even candy, contemporary lei are made for every occasion.

  • A gracious family property on Makiki Heights overlooking Honolulu has become a world-class art center, showcasing cutting-edge work. There are delightful gardens, a quirky gift shop, and an exceptional café.

  • Damien Museum and Archives

    This tiny exhibit on the grounds of St. Augustine’s Church displays treasured artifacts from the life of Blessed Damien de Veuster, the Belgian priest who gave his life to Hansen’s disease sufferers on Moloka’i in the 1870s and ’80s.

  • Hawai’i’s first Congressman was elected to the Senate in 1962 and has since served seven consecutive terms.

  • Diamond Head Crater

    Hawai’i’s most-recognized landmark watches over Waikīkī, its sculpted slopes shadowy green in rainy season, parched brown at other times. In addition to the trail within the crater, a three-mile loop walk allows you to see the changeable peak from a full circle. Start where Monsarrat Avenue meets Diamond Head Road and proceed in either direction. (see Diamond Head Trail).

  • Cloaks, lei , headware, and kāhili (standards) for the ali’i (chief) were all once fashioned from feathers. The birds were trapped so that specific feathers could be plucked, and then the creatures were released. Yellow, red, and black were the colors most often used. Today, artisans still craft lei of feathers from pheasant and other introduced species.

  • Olonā fiber, derived from a native shrub, was commonly used in the old days to make fishing nets (a practice performed by men only). Strong and durable though it was, man-made materials such as nylon replaced olonā in the 20th century.

  • Each of the islands in the Hawaiian archipelago is actually the top of an underwater volcano. The oldest of the seven major islands (formed some 70 million years ago) is Kaua’i; the youngest Hawai’i, where the active Kīlauea volcano adds more landmass daily. A new island, Lō’ihi, is forming far below the ocean’s surface, southeast of Hawai’i.

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