ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Great Māhele

Have you ever played a game where you have to share things with your friends, like toys or candy? Well, a long time ago in Hawaii, there was a really big game called the Great Māhele.

The Great Māhele was like a big sharing game, but it wasn't just for kids. It was for all the people in Hawaii, and they were sharing a really important thing: the land.

You see, back then, the Hawaiian islands were ruled by kings and queens who owned all the land. People could only use the land if the king or queen said they could. But some people thought this wasn't fair, and they wanted to change things.

So they had the Great Māhele. It was like a big puzzle, where they had to figure out how to divide up all the land in Hawaii so that everyone could own a little piece. This way, people could use the land however they wanted, and they wouldn't have to ask the king or queen for permission.

But it wasn't easy. There were lots of different types of land, like farms or forests or beaches, and the people had to figure out who should get each type. They also had to figure out how big each piece should be, and how many pieces each person should get. It was like trying to make sure everyone got a fair share of candy, but with a lot more land and a lot more people.

In the end, they did it! They divided up all the land in Hawaii, and everyone got a little piece that they could use however they wanted. This was a really big deal, because it meant that people had more control over their own lives and could make decisions for themselves.

So the Great Māhele was like a big sharing game, where everyone got a fair share of something really important: the land.