Hawaiki
mythological land
Quick Summary
Hawaiki is a fabled homeland from which the Polynesians believe they originated and to which their spirits return after death. The peopling of the Pacific Islands, including Polynesia, involved remarkable long-range voyages by skilled navigators in large canoes, beginning between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago. These migrations eventually led to the settlement of places like Hawaii, with the first wave of settlers arriving from the Marquesas Islands around 400 CE, followed by a second wave from Tahiti in the 9th or 10th century.123
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