The name Papahānaumokuākea has its origins in Native Hawaiian cosmology. The name represents the union of Papahānaumoku (the earth mother) and Wākea (the sky father), who are revered ancestors. According to belief, islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago, the taro plant (a Hawaiian food staple), and the Hawaiian people originated from Papahānaumoku and Wākea.
What is the significance of the name Papahānaumokuākea?
What is the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument?
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a large marine protected area made up of an isolated archipelago of islets, coral atolls, coral reefs, and surrounding deep-ocean waters in the northern Pacific Ocean. At 582,578 square miles (1,508,870 square km)—an area larger than all U.S. national parks combined—is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, and it is the largest contiguous, fully protected U.S. conservation area.