History and People

2. Summary

The present population of Hawaiʻi is approximately 1.43 million. The U.S. and local censuses recorded
approximately 1.36 million residents in the 2010 reports. Oʻahu is the most populous island, with
953,207 residents (including the City of Honolulu). Hawaiʻi Island follows with 186,738 residents,
then Maui with 144,444. Kauaʻi has 66,921 residents. The remaining islands include Molokaʻi (7,345),
Lānaʻi (3,135), and Niʻihau (170).

The

Island of Kahoʻolawe

is inhabited part-time for restoration, recovery, and future re-habitation.

Hawaiʻi comprises one of the most diverse ethnic mixtures in the world, with many communities having
gathered and lived relatively harmoniously for over a century. Along with their Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian)
hosts, Caucasian, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Pacific Island peoples
are well represented.

Unfortunately, the Kanaka Maoli have benefitted the least and suffered the most among Hawaiʻi’s populations
following the Territory’s forced integration with the United States in 1959 and under current systems of
economics, politics, and land administration. Kanaka Maoli experience some of the most negative indicators
of economic and social wellbeing, including disparities in mortality, suicide rates, disease prevalence,
unemployment, poverty, educational attainment, housing security, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

3. Cultural Heritage

Within Hawaiʻi’s broad ethnic population exists strong awareness and active participation in the perpetuation
of cultural heritage in all aspects of life. The Kanaka Maoli, as host people, have developed systems of
governance, culture, and tradition that guide native cultural affairs and provide the foundational fabric
into which all other cultures are woven.

Hawaiian cultural values — embodied in words such as aloha (love), ʻohana (family),
and aloha ʻāina (love of the land) — are widely understood and respected. Other ethnic communities
actively preserve and celebrate their own traditions while participating in the shared civic and cultural life
of Hawaiʻi.

Racial intermarriage is common and mutual tolerance and respect among cultures remain exceptionally high.
Modern Hawaiʻi, rooted in Kanaka Maoli culture, has grown to include the strengths of the many traditions
that have come to these shores.

4. Religion

The host belief system of Hawaiʻi is founded in Natural Law and traditional spiritual practice. The arrival
of Europeans introduced missionary Christianity, and later immigration brought additional religious traditions
from across Asia and the Pacific.

Today, a wide variety of religious and spiritual expressions coexist with minimal conflict. Within the Kanaka
Maoli community, certain tensions remain between customary practice and Christian influence at cultural and
traditional levels. The restoration of the Nation of Hawaiʻi seeks to reconcile these differences respectfully
and lawfully.

5. Language

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is the first official language of the Nation of Hawaiʻi. English and Pidgin English are also
recognized official languages.

The use of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi continues to increase as immersion schools and language programs expand. English
remains the most widely spoken language and is used in most formal and business settings. Pidgin English — a
distinct linguistic blend spoken widely among local residents — is commonly preferred in informal communication.

Numerous additional languages are spoken across Hawaiʻi’s communities, including Chinese, Japanese, Filipino,
Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Tongan, Samoan, and others — reflecting the diversity of the population.