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First Polynesian settlers arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, likely from the Marquesas Islands.
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Second wave of Polynesian voyagers arrive, this time from Tahiti, influencing Hawaiian culture, religion, and governance.
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Development of ahupuaʻa (land division system), organizing land use from mountain to sea.
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Hawaiian society shifts from descent-based kin groups to a more stratified social structure with ali‘i (chiefs), kahuna (priests), maka‘āinana (commoners), and kauwā (outcasts).
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Rise of powerful ali‘i nui (high chiefs) who control large districts and compete for power.
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The kapu system becomes more strictly enforced, controlling daily life, religion, gender roles, and resource use. Breaking kapu could mean death.
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Feather cloaks and helmets (ʻahu ʻula and mahiole) are developed as symbols of chiefly power.
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Frequent warfare between rival chiefs over land and resources; fortifications and canoes become more advanced.
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Birth and rise of Kamehameha I (c. 1736), who would later unify the Hawaiian Islands.
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Captain Cook is killed at Kealakekua Bay after tensions with Hawaiians.
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British explorer Captain James Cook arrives in Hawaiʻi, becoming the first known European to make contact with the islands.