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A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief : The Island Civilization of Ancient Hawai'i by Patrick Vinton Kirch (2012, Hardcover)

Tracing the origins of the Hawaiians and other Polynesians back to the shores of the South China Sea, archaeologist Patrick Vinton Kirch follows their voyages of discovery across the Pacific in this fascinating history of Hawaiian culture from about one thousand years ago. Combining more than four decades of his own research with Native Hawaiian oral traditions and the evidence of archaeology, Kirch puts a human face on the gradual rise to power of the Hawaiian god-kings, who by the late eighteenth century were locked in a series of wars for ultimate control of the entire archipelago. This lively, accessible chronicle works back from Captain James Cook's encounter with the pristine kingdom in 1778, when the British explorers encountered an island civilization governed by rulers who could not be gazed upon by common people. Interweaving anecdotes from his own widespread travel and extensive archaeological investigations into the broader historical narrative, Kirch shows how the early Polynesian settlers of Hawai'i adapted to this new island landscape and created highly productive agricultural systems.

Book Title
Shark Going Inland Is My Chief : the Island Civilization of Ancient Hawai'i
Number of Pages
368 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2012
Topic
Environmental Science (See Also Chemistry / Environmental), Archaeology, Earth Sciences / Geography, United States / State & Local / West (Ak, CA, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, WY), United States / General
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Science, History, Social Science
Author
Patrick Vinton Kirch
Format
Hardcover

Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
A tale told for everyone. . . . Engaging and accessible. . . . It is a fascinating narrative, impossible to put down., "A tale told for everyone. . . . Engaging and accessible. . . . It is a fascinating narrative, impossible to put down."-- Choice
Lccn
2012-010491
Target Audience
Trade
Dewey Decimal
996.9/02
Lc Classification Number
Du624.5.K57 2012
Table of Content
List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Prologue: Islands out of Time Part One: Voyages One: A Trail of Tattooed Pots Two: East from Hawaiki Three: Follow the Golden Plover Four: Voyages into the Past Five: The Sands of Waimanalo Part Two: In Pele's Islands Six: Flightless Ducks and Palm Forests Seven: Voyaging Chiefs from Kahiki Eight: Ma'ilikukahi, O'ahu's Sacred King Nine: The Waters of Kane Ten: "Like Shoals of Fish" Part Three: The Reign of the Feathered Gods Eleven: 'Umi the Unifier Twelve: 'Umi's Dryland Gardens Thirteen: The House of Pi'ilani Fourteen: "Like a Shark That Travels on the Land" Fifteen: The Altar of Ku Sixteen: The Return of Lono Seventeen: Prophecy and Sacrifice Epilogue: Hawai'i in World History Alphabetical List of Hawaiian Historical Persons Glossary of Hawaiian Words Sources and Further Reading Index
Copyright Date
2012

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