Mowee: A History of Maui the Magic Isle

Maui, the Magic Isle. Now home to more than 100,000 residents, it was named for a mythical demi-god believed to have pulled all the islands from the sea with a magical fishhook. In Mowee, the Island's fascinating history is revealed, beginning with the politics of an ancient Hawaiian chiefdom and ending with Maui's present development as a growing population of U.S. mainland transplants, and descendants of plantation-era immigrants from around the world, debate the future of the Magic Isle.

Maui was once the center of political and commercial life during the first decades of the Hawaiian Kingdom. With the arrival of foreigners at the end of the 18th century, the island called "Mowee" by early sailors began to fade in importance as an increasingly westernized culture turned from Lahaina to the deep-water port of Honolulu.

At the dawn of the 20th century, the rapid growth of the sugar and pineapple industries brought immigrants from as far away as the Philippines, China, Japan, and Portugal, changing the face of Maui's community forever. Yet Maui managed to retain the rural qualities of island living that old-time residents still wistfully recall.

With the turn from agriculture to tourism, Maui continues to prosper economically. In the half-century since statehood, the island has blossomed into an international visitor destination. And as new technology industries move in, Maui residents keep a watchful eye, making sure that their proud motto, "Maui no ka oi (Maui is the best)" remains true throughout the years.