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With the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, things began to change
dramatically on the Big Island. By the mid 1780’s maps had
been published in Britain and Europe that included the Hawaiian Islands.
With this, Europeans began arriving and westernization of the Hawaiian
people became inevitable. Modern
technology was introduced as well as European educational and business practices,
the English alphabet, Christianity, and many animals. Unfortunately, the
Europeans also brought diseases to which the Hawaiians were not immune, and
many of the animals and plants that were introduced destroyed the indigenous
flora and animals. The Christian Missionaries pushed their system on the
Hawaiian people and banned the Hawaiian language, hula dancing, and other traditions.
Although the Europeans pushed their way into this society, they brought
many traditions, conducts, and equipment that were openly accepted
and appreciated by the local people. By the early 1800’s,
Hawaii had become the whaling capital of the Pacific causing more
and more Europeans to relocate to the tropics. Soon
after, the sugar cane industry began to boom causing immigrants from all over
the world to come to Hawaii to work the fields. Today, the Hawaiian
community is very diverse with the European population making up about
20% of the community.
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