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Alaska's Cultures
Polynesians
Map of significant Polynesian American populations
Historical ties between the Hawaiian Islanders and Alaska go back to the mid 1700's when Captain Cook visited the islands he called the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii. George Vancouver, an officer on Cook's voyage of the Resolution, made a number of trips between Alaska and the Sandwich Islands that served as a resting place for his crew. The first Hawaiians to locate in Alaska may have been among those crew members.
The Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander community has been the fastest growing ethnic community in Alaska growing by 75% between 1990 and 2000. This population has been experiencing the largest gains due to the influx of Samoans, a community which grew by 220% during this decade.
NUMBER OF HAWAIIANS & PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN ALASKA BY ETHNICITY
| PACIFIC ISLANDER ETHNIC ORIGIN |
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS |
| Guamanian or Chamorro |
227 |
| Micronesian |
286 |
| Native Hawaiian |
695 |
| Polynesian |
2,778 |
| Samoan |
1,670 |
| Tongan |
251 |
Data from the United States Census 2000 as reported in "Guide to Alaska's Cultures," by the Alaska Conservation Foundation, 2004, p. 66.
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