He mea weliweli nā maʻi ahulau. ʻIke nō kākou i ka weliweli o ka maʻi kolona19 o ia wā – he ahulau iʻo nō ia. He maʻi laulā a puni ka honua. Ua ʻike nā kūpuna i ka weliweli o ka ahulau, mai ka wā ā Kapena Kuke i hōʻea mai ai, ʻo ia nō, ʻo ka ahulau he maʻi na ka poʻe ʻē i lawe mai mai kahi ʻē mai. No laila, ʻaʻole ia he mea hoʻopūʻiwa ke kūʻē ʻana o nā kamaʻāina i ke kipa ʻana o ka malihini i Hawaiʻi. no ka mea ʻo nā poʻe maʻi kolona mua ma Hawaiʻi Nei nā malihini a i ʻole kekahi kamaʻāina i kipa i kekahi ʻāina ʻē, kekahi “kiko wela” o ka ahulau.
He maʻi pāhola ka maʻi ahulau a me ka maʻi laulā a puni ka honua. Na Kuke mā i lawe mai i ka maʻi moe kōlohe i Hawaiʻi. Ua ʻōʻili mua ua maʻi lā ma Kauaʻi a ma ka hala ʻama o ʻeiwa mahina ua pāhola aʻe ā i Hawaiʻi Kuauli. I ka hele ʻana o ka Lani Liholiho lāua ʻo Kamāmalu i ʻEnelani, ua kīpē ʻia lāua e ka maʻi ʻula ma hope o ke kipa ʻana i kekahi hale hānai keiki makua ʻole. ʻO ka makahiki 1824 ko lāua hala kaumaha ʻana a i ka makahiki 1848 ua hiki mai ka maʻi ʻula i Hawaiʻi. Ua hiki hope mai ma ka hopena o 1848 ā i ka hapa o 1849 nā ahulau hou: ka maʻi kalea, ka maʻi kolela, a me ka maʻi palū. Ma kahi o 10,000 kānaka i make. Ua kākau ʻo Levi Chamberlin ma ka makahiki 1849, ua hala ka hapanui o ka lehulehu i loko o kanakolu makahiki a ʻōlelo ʻo ia, “Ua ʻoi aku ka heluna o nā make ma mua o ka heluna kanaka ola.” He wā kaumaha nō.
Wahi a kekahi leka mikionali ma Hilo, ua hiki mai ka maʻi ʻula me ka moku Independence mai Maukelana, Mehiko mai. I loko o ʻelua mahina ua laha aku a hoʻāhulau ʻia ka pae moku ʻo Hawaiʻi a puni i ka maʻi ʻula. Ua pāhola ka maʻi a ua pau loa kekahi mau kauhale, mau ʻohana i ka maʻi. A ma ka hana hoʻomeheu o nā kānaka kaʻa launa, ua kuhi ʻia, na kekahi moku mai Kaleponi mai ka i lawe mai i ka maʻi kalea. Pēlā pū ka hiki ʻana mai o ka maʻi puʻupuʻu liʻiliʻi ma 1853, ka maʻi lēpela ma mua o 1865, a me ka maʻi piwa ʻeleʻele o 1900, ʻoiai ua hoʻīli ʻia ka hope iho ma o nā ʻuku o nā ʻiole.
ʻO kekahi maʻi laulā a puni ka honua ma Hawaiʻi ka palū Sepania (la grippe) o 1918. Ua ʻōʻili mai ma ke kahua pūʻali koa ʻo Schofield a laila ua pāhola a puni ʻo Oʻahu. ʻO ke kupu mua o ka palū Sepania ma Amelika aia nō ma Kanesasa a ua hiki mai i Hawaiʻi a me nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe ma mua o ka holopapa ʻana o nā pūʻali kaua i ʻEulopa no ke Kaua Honua ʻEkahi. Akā nō naʻe, ʻo ka hāpane o nā alakaʻi o ka Panalāʻau Hawaiʻi ka nānā ʻole ʻana i ka hopena o ia maʻi ma Hawaiʻi. Ua hōʻole, hoʻokaʻukaʻulua, a ʻaʻole lākou i hoʻomākaukau pono. ʻO ka hopena ka hala ʻana o ʻelua kaukani a ʻoi kānaka. No laila, ua loaʻa a ʻike nō nā haʻawina o ka wā kahiko a me ka wā hou. Na ka ihe o ka naʻauao e pale iā Hawaiʻi.
