Lana'i (Images of America)

Long before neatly cultivated rows of pineapple fields stretched out as far as one could see, demon spirits are said to have made Lāna'i uninhabitable for humans. The spirits were banished by a young man from Lāhaina who is credited with forming the first settlement on the island. Centuries later, in 1778, warriors battled on the island's steep cliffs and drove their enemies to their deaths. Every living thing was destroyed, all except for one man who saved himself by leaping off a cliff into the ocean and swimming to safety. Time heals, and the land endured. When winter storms turned barren slopes green again, the natives returned and were followed in later years by men who carved their names into the history of Lāna'i. Read more