The “Hawaiian Cultural Revolution”: Some Political and Economic Considerations

Acculturation, culture fatigue, and cultural evolution have all been offered as explanations of the Hawaiian Cultural Revolution. All of these are concerned with cultural processes. The relevant historical and ethnographic data on this unique event are summarized here, and a different interpretation of them is offered. This interpretation is that the events that precipitated the so‐called Cultural Revolution can also be regarded as political responses deliberately made by the legitimate government of Hawaii to alleviate a severe political and economic crisis.