Hawaii III

  General Description   Hawai’i, also known as the Big Island, is the largest island of the Hawaiian archipelago. Our ’Hawaii 3’ refers to the period from 1580 to 1778 CE. 1580 is the approximate date of the formation of the first island-wide unitary kingdom, while 1778 is the date of first European contact ‒ the arrival of Captain Cook. ^{[1] [2]}
Population and political organization
By about 1580, ’Umi had become the first true ’king’ (ali’i nui) of the entire Big Island. ^[3] In contrast with the chiefs who came before him, he is said to have exerted greater control over land tenure, instituted a system of territorial administration based on ahupua’a land parcels, intensified food production, and elaborated the religious system. ^[4]
After ’Umi, the island alternated several times between being split into two or more smaller polities, and being united under one ruler. ^[5] In times of greater integration, the kingdom was divided into districts (moku) which were each under the control of a major chief called an ali’i-’ai-moku. ^[6] Within districts were territories called ahupua’a, ruled by chiefs called ali’i-’ai-ahupua’a. The more powerful of these ali’i held more than one ahupua’a. ^[7] Below the ahupua’a chiefs, konohiki land managers (often their junior relatives) oversaw the collection of tribute from the commoner farmers, known as maka’āinana. ^[8]
Overall, this period was characterized by a high-density but stable population settled in all ecological zones, a secondary intensification of the dryland field systems, and endemic conquest warfare. ^[9] The population of the entire Hawaiian archipelago by Cook’s arrival was certainly very large, but there is a long-standing debate regarding exact numbers. Estimates range between 250,000 and 800,000. ^[10]

[1]: (Kirch 2010, 174) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[2]: (Kirch 2000, 300) Patrick V. Kirch. 2000. On the Road of the Winds: An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands before European Contact. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[3]: (Kirch 2010, 92, 98) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[4]: (Kirch 2010, 102-03) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[5]: (Kirch 2010, 105-09) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[6]: (Kirch 2010, 48) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[7]: (Kirch 2010, 48)

[8]: (Kirch 2010, 49) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[9]: (Kirch 2010, 127) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

[10]: (Kirch 2010, 129-130) Patrick V. Kirch. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.