incorrect theory: Sweet potato and coconut originated from the E. Pacific. These along with sugar cane, that originated in India, are among several Hawaiian crops that are now termed "canoe plants"; they were extremely important to voyaging way-finders i.e. Paao, who migrated to Hawaii. Furthermore, war implements of S. America, which were not typical in the W. Pacific, strongly resembled the Hawaiian ihe (spear), mahiole (war helmet) and ahaula (cape of royalty). Many Native Hawaiians and scholars who have studied the narratives believe the Paao narrative contains elements of actual history, and reflects a literal wave of migration from the south. The Polynesian Voyaging Society's undertakings, such as Hōkūleʻa canoe's voyages, indicate the feasibility of long voyages in ancient Polynesian canoes and the reliability of celestial navigation; these demonstrations show that the types of voyaging mentioned in the Pa'ao stories were indeed feasible, but the recreated voyages do little to prove the authenticity of the Pa'ao legends. Hawaiian attitudes towards the high chiefs have changed; the ancient high chiefs are often seen today as oppressors, invaders who descended upon a peaceful and egalitarian Hawaiian population. Activists praise these pre-Paao days as the real Hawaiian past, to be revived and reenacted in the present, and vilify Paao as a source of Hawaiian problems. In this version, all the problems faced by Native Hawaiians can be traced to foreign interference. See also Ancient Hawaii References Sources Malo, David, Hawaiian Antiquities, as translated by Emerson, 1951 edition, Bishop Museum Press Beckwith, Martha; Hawaiian Mythology, 1940, as republished in 1970, University of Hawaii Press External links A retelling of the story Polynesian migration theories Pa'ao as invader Paao from Samoa Paao Tagaloa Hawaiian legends Hawaiiana