Lahaina, Hawaii

Lahaina was originally called Lele in Hawaiian[8] and was known for its breadfruit trees.[9] Lele means jump or fly. Albert Pierce Taylor explains its relationship to the area as the "flying piece of kuleana, that which sticks out from the sea".[9][10]

In 1915, James N.K. Keola, in an article in Mid-Pacific Magazine entitled "Old Lahaina", wrote: "Lahaina is said to have received its name from La, the sun, and haina, merciless. A bald-headed chief who lived at Kauaula Valley, while going to and fro without a hat, felt annoyed at the effects of the scorching rays of the burning sun. He looked up and gazed into the heavens and cursed at the sun thus: He keu hoi keia o ka la haina!".[11] On July 13, 1920, the Star Bulletin published several theories on the name's origins that included the bald-headed chief legend, as well as theories that included the belief that the name goes back to 11th century as Laha aina (Proclaiming land).[12]

Other interpretations of the name include "day (of) sacrifice" and "day (of) explanation".[13] Inez MacPhee Ashdown (1899–1992), historian and founder of Maui Historical Society, believed the name was Lahaʻaina, meaning "land (of) prophesy", because of the number of kahuna nui (high priest) prophecies made there.[9]

Protestant missionaries sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) began organizing a way to write the Hawaiian language with English letters between 1820–1826 after they reached Hawaii.[14][15]

"The long English sound of i is represented by ai, as in Lahaina, where the second syllable is accented, and pronounced like the English word high".[16]

According to Thrums Hawaiian Annual of 1921 the proper pronunciation of Lahaina is La-hai-ná.[12]

Lahaina has different pronunciations depending on how diacritical marks are applied.[17]

The first mōʻī or aliʻi nui (supreme ruler) of western Maui was Haho, the son of Paumakua a huanuikalalailai. This line produced the subsequent rulers.[18]

The name Lele was adopted during the reign of Kakaʻalaneo. He held court there during joint rule with his brother Kakae, while living on a hill called Kekaʻa. They were the sons and heirs of Kaulahea I. Kakaʻalaneo first planted breadfruit trees while his son Kaululaʻau is credited with expelling ghosts from Lānaʻi and putting the island under the rule of his father and uncle. Kakae's son Kahekili I succeeded his father and uncle as ruler. Kahekili I's successor was his son Kawaokaohele, who was succeeded by his own son Piʻilani[19][20]

Piʻilani was the first ruler of the entire island of Maui when he extended his sovereignty over East Maui. The aliʻi of Hāna district accepted him as supreme ruler. Piʻilani also controlled the neighboring islands of Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, and parts of Molokaʻi.[21][22]

In 1738, Lahaina and most of West Maui were the sites of a series of battles between the forces of Kamehamehanui Aiʻluau with his uncle and ally Alapaʻi, the ali‘i nui of Hawaii Island, against his half-brother Kauhiʻaimokuakama with his ally Peleʻioholani, the ali‘i nui of Oʻahu. The war ended in a truce between Alapaʻi and Peleʻioholani and the capture and execution of Kauhiʻaimokuakama by drowning. The remains of the fallen soldiers from both sides are said to be buried in the sands of Kāʻanapali district.[23][24][25]

Depiction of Hawaiian warriors meeting Captain Cook off the coast of Lahaina

On November 26, 1778 Captain James Cook's ships appeared near Maui while the island's monarch Kahekili II battled the forces of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ali‘i nui of Hawaii Island. He did not land on the island but was greeted by the warriors of Kalaniʻōpuʻu including a young Kamehameha I in their war canoes.[26][27] The base of the Kamehameha statue in Honolulu depicts the warrior meeting Cook off the coast of Lahaina.[28]

British explorer George Vancouver visited in 1793 and unsuccessfully attempted to mediate a peace between Kahekili and Kalaniʻōpuʻu's successor Kamehameha I. During his visit, he gave a description of the constant warfare on Lahaina:[29]

The village of Raheina ... seemed to be pleasantly situated on a space of low or rather gently elevated land, in the midst of a grove of bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, and other trees...In the village the houses seemed to be numerous and to be well inhabited. A few of the natives visited the ships; these brought but little with them, and most of them were in very small miserable canoes. These circumstances strongly indicated their poverty, and proved what had been frequently asserted at Owhyhee, that Mowee and its neighbouring islands were reduced to great indigence by the wars in which for many years they had been engaged.[30]

From 1802 to 1803, Kamehameha I stationed his large fleet of peleleu war-canoes in Lahaina. While there, he wrote to the last independent ruler of Kauaʻi, Kaumualiʻi, asking him to acknowledge his overlordship. Although an invasion failed in 1804, Kaumualiʻi surrendered in 1810, uniting the Hawaiian Islands for the first time.[31][32][33] Kamehameha II resided in Lahaina from December 1819 until February 1820, when he returned to Honolulu.[32][33]

View of Waiola Church and the island of Mokuʻula and Mokuhinia, c. 1855

Exterior of Holy Innocents Church c. 1994. Photograph by Alan Gowans. National Gallery of Art Library.

American Protestant missionaries from the ABCFM arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1820, setting up stations on Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi.[34] However, the first mission station on Maui was not established until 1823 by Reverend Charles Stewart and William Richards. The two men and their family accompanied Queen Keōpūolani, the wife of Kamehameha I, and her daughter Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena from Oʻahu to Lahaina. They were tasked with instructing the queen about Christianity, to which Keōpūolani converted on her deathbed. The missionaries erected a temporary church made of wooden poles and a thatched roof.[35][36] In 1824, at the chiefs' request, Betsey Stockton started the first mission school open to common people.[37] Maui Governor Hoapili ordered the construction of a stone church. The cornerstone of the Waiola Church (originally named Ebenezera or Waineʻe Church) was laid on September 14, 1828.[36][35] In 1831, missionaries founded Lahainaluna Seminary (present-day Lahainaluna High School) where Hawaiian boys and young men (among them historian David Malo) were educated in the religion and in crafts such as carpentry, printing, engraving, and agriculture. The school published the first Hawaiian language newspaper in 1834. Teachers and students were instrumental in the translation of the Bible into Hawaiian.[38]

Lahaina was an important destination for 19th-century whalers who came to reprovision their ships with fresh water, fruit, potatoes and other vegetables. The town provided ample rest and recreation for their crew whose presence frequently led to conflicts with the local missionaries.[39] On more than one occasion the conflict became so severe that sailors rioted. The British whaling ship John Palmer in 1827 shelled Lahaina. In response, Governor Hoapili built the Old Lahaina Fort in 1831 to protect the town from unruly sailors.[40][41]

c. 1903–1910

Kamehameha III resided in a traditional royal compound on the sacred island of Mokuʻula located on Mokuhinia lake in the middle of Lahaina from 1837 to 1845.[42][43] He built a two-story, Western-style palace in 1838 named Hale Piula, although it was not completed before the court moved.[44][45] During his residence, Kamehameha III signed and proclaimed the first Hawaiian constitution on October 8, 1840, at Luaʻehu, in Lahaina. The legislature's first meeting was held on April 1, 1841, also at Luaʻehu.[46][47] With the growing commercial importance of Oʻahu, Kamehameha III moved the capital to Honolulu in 1845.[48] Hale Piula was then transformed into a courthouse until it was heavily damaged in an 1858 storm. The following year, the Old Lahaina Courthouse was built as a replacement courthouse and customhouse at a site near the old fort.[36][44]

Lahaina banyan tree

A banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) was planted near the site of Kamehameha I's first palace by William Owen Smith on April 24, 1873, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Christian missionaries. It survived as the oldest banyan tree in the state.[49]

On January 1, 1919, a major fire destroyed more than thirty buildings in Lahaina before it was extinguished by residents.[50] The 1919 fire led to the creation of the island-wide Maui Fire Department and adoption of fire safety standards.[50]

Lahaina on August 9, 2018, exactly 5 years before the fire; (view of businesses on Front Street)

Lahaina on August 9, 2023; (view of Lahaina Banyan Court Park smouldering after the wildfire)

Over August 8–9, 2023, much of Lahaina was destroyed by a wildfire amid dry and windy conditions exacerbated by Hurricane Dora.[51] As of September 15, at least 97 people had been confirmed dead with 31 missing.[4][5] The survivors were forced to evacuate as the fire incinerated thousands of structures.[52] Pacific Disaster Center estimated damages at $5.52 billion as of August 11, 2023.[53][54][55] Richard Bissen, the county mayor summarized the situation: "I'm telling you, none of it's there. It's all burned to the ground."[56] Among the structures destroyed were the Old Lahaina Courthouse, Waiola Church, Pioneer Inn,[57] and Kimo's restaurant.[58]

Lahaina town is one of the driest places in Hawaii, because it is in the rain shadow of Mauna Kahālāwai (West Maui Mountains). Many different climate zones define Lahaina's districts. The town is the driest and calmest and hosts a small boat harbor. Kaanapali is north of a wind line and has double the annual rainfall and frequent breezes. Kapalua and Napili have almost four times the annual rainfall compared to the town.

Lahaina has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with warm temperatures year-round.

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