Little Known Tales in Hawaii History

Hawaii's tourist image is so different from its frenetic and pagan past, when infanticide and Royal incest were rampant.

Hawaii was no paradise. The history of Hawaii is turbulent and soul wrenching. The taboos placed on the commoners by the members of royalty would sometimes make the slavery that occurred in the South seem a pleasure.

Women were forbidden to eat with the men. Certain foods were forbidden for the women. Men and women had separate eating houses by a common sleeping housel women were forbidden from entering heiau (temples) or the men's house. There was a great number of kapu (taboo) foods which only high ranking men were allowed to eat: pork, coconut, shark, sea turtle, whale, most varieties of banana; women ate primarily fish and taro.