Hawaiian Mythology

The mythology Hawaiian refers to legends, historical tales and tales of ancient Hawaiians. It is considered as a variant of Polynesian mythology having developed its own specificities over several centuries until the end of the XVIII^e century. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion, officially abolished in XIX^e century but which survived through a few followers at the beginning of the XXI^e century.

The Hawaiian Islands were originally inhabited by Polynesians (probably travelers from the Marquesas Islands) around 1,500 or 2,000 years ago. Despite sporadic contact with other Polynesians, this society lived in significant and long isolation. For most of their history, the Hawaiian Islands were ruled independently by local monarchs, the ali'i.

After a period of conflict that began in 1795, the ruler of the island of Hawaii, Kamehameha I^er, united in 1810 for the first time under his scepter all the island kingdoms of the archipelago. This unified kingdom is developing and is internationally recognized, in particular thanks to the benevolent British protection (hence its current flag).