Post #327298 by hapa hawai 'i on Wed, Aug 22, 2007 5:52 AM

mzoltarp and YankeeAirPirate, I do agree with you. There are positives to keep in mind when looking at Hawai 'ian history.

I too cherish The Islands very much as I have cultural ties and family there. In my opinion, the Hawai 'ian people incurred some significant gains at the arrival of missionaries and foreign merchants. Hawai 'ians were able to receive an education and later an economy. If it were not for the help of missionaries, there would be no written language for the Hawai 'ian people. Don't get me wrong, there were losses that followed. Foreigners did bring with them their disease and germs which contributed to the decline of the Hawai 'ian population of 300k in 1778 to about 84k in the mid-1800s. It's unfortunate that such a precious land went through some unpleasant changes, but I believe the Western World would have have caught up with them eventually and they weren't going to be prepared for it. The sovereignty thing is a toss up in my family. I have mixed feelings about that.

I think it's good to preserve both the ancient and modern culture of The Islands. As in any nation, change happens and civilization should take what they've learned and make improvements for the future. Later, my kids can read up on the history as I did and formulate their own opinions.

Stimulating topic TC Ohana. I think some of us could go on and on about this one.