Cemeteries in Maui (Island)

Maui, the second-largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, has been inhabited by Native Hawaiians for over a thousand years and was once divided into several independent chiefdoms.

In the late 18th century, King Kamehameha I conquered Maui as part of his unification of the Hawaiian Islands. The island’s early economy was based on fishing, taro cultivation, and interisland trade. Western contact began with European explorers in the late 1700s, followed by the arrival of missionaries and whaling ships in the 19th century. Lahaina, Maui’s historic port town, served as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1820 to 1845. During the plantation era, sugar and pineapple industries attracted immigrant laborers from China, Japan, Portugal, and the Philippines. Today, Maui’s economy relies on agriculture, tourism, and conservation. Protestant churches, along with Catholic missions, shaped early religious life.

Cemeteries such as Waiola Church Cemetery in Lahaina preserve the legacies of early settlers and aliʻi (chiefs).