Hawaiian Dancers Toronto|The Hawaiian Dance Company

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Hawaiians/Polynesians...who are these exotic island people?!

Aloha let's answer some basic Hawaiian & Polynesian history questions.  This new knowledge will definitely help you plan a more authentic and therefore exciting lu'au!

Who are the Hawaiians? 

Hawaiians are people whose ancestors come from Western Polynesia (Tonga and Samoa Islands).  These people, amazing navigators, travelled east to uninhabited islands long distances through rough waters and they finally arrived in Hawai'i. This is the history of the Hawai'ians in essentially.  Tongans and Samoans still exist today and they practice many ancient "Hawai'ian" customs as part of their everyday life such as: Tapa making ( painting tribal designs on bark cloth) and Imu (cooking pig and other foods by burying them under the earth). 

Geography and the Other Beautiful Polynesian Islands Where Hula, Feasts and Surf are Abundant!

Polynesia is group of islands scattered over the South Pacific Ocean.  The people who inhabit these islands that fall within "the Polynesian Triangle" are the Polynesians.   The Polynesian Triangle is drawn by connecting the points of Hawai'i (to the North), New Zealand  (to the the West) and Easter Island (to the East). The other islands that are in this triangle are Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tokelau Tuvalu, Niue, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia (Tahiti)

The Polynesian Triangle

Famous Polynesians include:

Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson

WWE Wrestler : King Tonga