A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief

The Island Civilization of Ancient Hawai'i

Patrick Vinton Kirch

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English

University of California Press
05 March 2019

Australasian & Pacific history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Archaeology by period & region

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.

By: Patrick Vinton Kirch
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 499g
ISBN: 9780520303416
ISBN 10: 0520303415
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 05 March 2019
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

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

Patrick Vinton Kirch is Class of 1954 Professor of Anthropology and Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and author of On the Road of the Winds and How Chiefs Became Kings (UC Press), among other books.

Reviews for A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief: The Island Civilization of Ancient Hawai'i

The writing, like the book's title, is engaging; it inspires reflection. -- Emalani Case * Journal of Pacific History * A tale told for everyone. . . . Engaging and accessible. . . . It is a fascinating narrative, impossible to put down. -- R. Scaglion * Choice *