Papahanaumokuakea and Cultural History

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that make up Papahanaumokuakea are just a few of the thousands of islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean. This immense body of water covers one-third of the surface of the earth, and contains shifting winds, and strong currents. The exploration of ancestral Oceanic people across this remote ocean was one of the most remarkable feats of ocean voyaging in all of human history.

To Native Hawaiians, the ocean played an important role as it was used for resources and physical and spiritual sustenance in their everyday lives. Poetically referred to as ke kai popolohua mea a Kane (the deep dark ocean of Kane), the ocean was divided into numerous divisions and categories beginning from the nearshore to the deeper pelagic waters. In Hawaiian traditions, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are considered a sacred place, a region from which life springs and spirits return after death. Much of the information about the NWHI has been passed down in oral songs and dance.

The first discoverers of the main Hawaiian Islands continued to explore these outer islands, and developed complex resource management systems and a specialized set of skills to survive on these remote islands with limited resources. Nihoa and Mokumanamana, the islands that are closest to the Main Hawaiian Islands, have archaeological sites with agricultural, religious, and habitation features. Nihoa Island has over 88 cultural sites, including ceremonial, residential, and agricultural features. Mokumanamana Island has 52 cultural sites, including ceremonial and temporary habitation features. Based on radiocarbon data, it’s been estimated that Nihoa and Mokumanamana could have been inhabited from 1000 AD to 1700 AD. These Islands are recognized as culturally and historically significant and are listed on the National and State Register for Historic Places.