Native Hawaiian Census History
TIMELINE
From the time of the ruling chief ʻUmi-a-Līloa on Hawaiʻi Island to the arrival of missionaries.
1500s
In Hawaiʻi, the practice of census taking can be traced back to the 1500s, when ʻUmi-a-Līloa wanted to record the resources of the land he oversaw. On the island of Hawaiʻi (Big Island), there were rock piles representing the population of each moku (districts). Nā pēpē (babies), nā keiki (children), nā ʻōpio (young adults), nā mākua (parents/adults), nā kūpuna (elders), and nā koa (warriors) were symbolized by various pōhaku (rock) sizes. Because of this, we decided to make our slogan represent this history.
“Place your pōhaku. Get counted.”
1832 & 1836
With the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, Western contact was established, eventually leading to the Missionaries settling in the islands in 1820. With the presence of Westerners, Native Hawaiians were introduced to an abundance of new beliefs, practices, languages, and worst of all sicknesses. These illnesses were one of the main reasons the total population of Native Hawaiians decreased for many decades. Although missionaries harmfully affected our people, they brought about some positive progress such as introducing written language. From this development, a written record of a modern census was established. Only data for the total population of the islands were found for the years 1832 and 1836, which can be safely assumed to be the total population of Native Hawaiians.
1832
Total Native Hawaiians: 130,313
1836
Total Native Hawaiians: 108,579
From the beginning of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi to the decade when Queen Liliʻuokalani was illegally overthrown.
1850
The Hawaiian Kingdom conducted their first recorded census in 1850, and the results were presented in the newspaper called The Polynesian. The section for the census was entitled “Report of the Minister of Public Instruction, Read before the King to the Hawaiian Legislature.” As the title suggests, this early census was managed by leaders within the education department, with an emphasis in recording school data. Moreover, school teachers and superintendents were the census takers. At the end of the report, the population of the islands was shown, and although there was no detail of race, there was a section for foreigners. Thus, the population of the islands was taken as the total of Native Hawaiians.
Total Native Hawaiians: 84,165
Percent of Total Population: 97.72%
1853 - 1884
As the Hawaiian Kingdom continued to conduct censuses, the information collected changed over time. Although the Board of Education was responsible for most, if not all, the censuses, a Superintendent of the Census became an established position in 1860. Conducting a census also became part of Hawaiʻi law, similar to how the U.S. Census is mandated by the Constitution. During this time, the census asked more questions regarding different races, reflecting the changing environment of Hawaiʻi due to plantation culture.
1853
Total Native Hawaiians: 71,019
Percent of Population: 97.10%
1860
Total Native Hawaiians: 66,984
Percent of Population: 95.97%
1866
Total Native Hawaiians: 58,765
Percent of Population: 93.37%
1872
Total Native Hawaiians: 51,531
Percent of Population: 90.57%
1878
Total Population: 57,985
Sorry! No other information is available at this time.
1884
Total Population: 80,578
Sorry! No other information is available at this time.
While knowing Native Hawaiian population counts can reflect the prevalence of our people throughout the years, it is equally important to understand the context under which these numbers fluctuated.
1890
The 1890 Census was the last census before the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani on January 17, 1893 by American businessmen. As displayed for this year, the population of Native Hawaiians had decreased to a point where less than 50% of the total population of Hawaiʻi were Native Hawaiians.
Total Native Hawaiians: 40,622
Percent of Population: 45.14%
1896
The 1890s was a decade of drastic change. Not only was our Queen overthrown, but numerous governments were also formed to undermine the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. In 1896, the Kingdom conducted its last census.
Total Native Hawaiians: 39,504
Percent of Population: 36.24%
From the territorial period to the late 20th century.
1900
With Hawaiʻi becoming a territory of the United States, 1900 was the first year Hawaiʻi was included in the decennial U.S. Census. The data provided in the actual reports do not identify the Native Hawaiian population. The only ethnicities accounted for were “White,” African American, Native Americans, Chinese, and Japanese. In the 1900 record, the “White” population was 66,890. However, in the following censuses, the “White” population was revised to report that in 1900, the population was actually 28,819. As a result, there’s reason to believe that Native Hawaiians were counted as White people. After this census, the Native Hawaiian population was more accurately counted. The data shown here was found from the 1910 and 1920 Censuses.
Total Native Hawaiians: 37,656
Percent of Population: 24.45%
1910
Total Native Hawaiians: 38,547
Percent of Population: 20.09%
1920
Total Native Hawaiians: 41,750
Percent of Population: 16.31%
1930
Total Native Hawaiians: 50,860
Percent of Population: 13.81%
1940
Total Native Hawaiians: 64,310
Percent of Population: 15.19%
1950
Total Native Hawaiians: 86,091
Percent of Population: 17.23%
1960
Hawaiʻi became a U.S. state on August 21, 1959, 66 years after the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani. In the first census as a state, Native Hawaiians were not counted as our own ethnicity. However, in the “All Other” column shown in the featured picture, there was a footnote that accompanied the column which read, “Includes Hawaiians and Part Hawaiians.” The specific number of Native Hawaiians during this year was not counted.
“All Other” Population: 114,405
“All Other” Percent of Population: 18.08%
1970
Total Native Hawaiians: 71,274
Percent of Population: 9.27%
1980
Total Native Hawaiians: 115,500
Percent of Population: 11.97%
1990
Total Native Hawaiians: 138,742
Percent of Population: 12.52%
From the start of the 21st Century to the latest census taken in 2010.
At the start of the 2000s, the census began to account for people of mixed ethnicities with sections in the report showing whether people identified as one particular ethnicity or more. Another change came with the creation of a new group called “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,” counting the Native Hawaiian population with other Pacific Islander ethnic groups. As a result, the following data for 2000 and 2010 describe the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities together.
For both years, the self-response rate of Hawaiʻi is also shown. A higher self-response rate means that more people are safely and accurately counted.
2000
Total Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders: 282,667
Percent of Population: 23.33%
Percent of Self-Responded Housing Units: 60.0%
2010
Total Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders: 355,816
Percent of Population: 26.16%
Percent of Self-Responded Housing Units: 64.1%
We Encourage You to Learn More about Hawaiian History
Historical events, such as the immigration of Westerners to Hawaiʻi, directly impacted the Native Hawaiian population. Moreover, population figures taken from the census help to frame events such as the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani, which corresponded with only 45% of Native Hawaiians constituting the total population. Hopefully, this timeline reveals the importance of getting counted, not only for monetary and political benefits, but also to help future Hawaiians remember and understand the current state of the Lāhui.