I had some similar conversations with a few Hawaiian natives while there. In short: you guys had the only good harbor for thousands of miles in any direction,

I had some similar conversations with a few Hawaiian natives while there. In short: you guys had the only good harbor for thousands of miles in any direction, directly on the Asian-North American route. Yes, your islands were flat-out stolen and then systematically raped for resources while your culture was turned into tchotchkes. But you weren't going to be left alone no matter what, so it becomes a matter of who you would rather be ruled by.