This may seem like a stupid question, but it's an issue for me here on the mainland, especially in a place where I don't have Hawaiian community.
Everybody knows the whole "uncle/auntie" thing, and in Hawai‘i, we do that naturally. We just "know" when someone's ohana, and nobody ever really thinks about it; we just end up calling people "uncle" or "auntie."
Even here on the mainland, I grew up that way. But it's been a long time, and my dad is gone now, so whatever connections I make, I make on my own.
My mainland family is mostly from Louisiana culture, and the "Southern way" is to call elder family members "Miss Somebody" or "Mr. Somebody."
Now, the thing is, there are Hawaiians (from another family line) in my family now, by marriage via the haole family line, and the elder generation of Southerners naturally teaches the younger generation to call the Hawaiian family members "Miss Somebody" and "Mr. Somebody."
That was all fine, but we've all gotten closer, and my natural inclination is to call these people "Uncle" and "Auntie." You know what I'm talking about? It's almost reflexive.
But the "Southern Way" kindof makes me apprehensive. This is yet another example of cultural collision. I can't help but think the Hawaiian family members probably feel the same way and would appreciate us all calling them "Uncle" and "Auntie," but a part of me wonders if anybody would be offended or think it was weird.
Any thoughts on this?
Everybody knows the whole "uncle/auntie" thing, and in Hawai‘i, we do that naturally. We just "know" when someone's ohana, and nobody ever really thinks about it; we just end up calling people "uncle" or "auntie."
Even here on the mainland, I grew up that way. But it's been a long time, and my dad is gone now, so whatever connections I make, I make on my own.
My mainland family is mostly from Louisiana culture, and the "Southern way" is to call elder family members "Miss Somebody" or "Mr. Somebody."
Now, the thing is, there are Hawaiians (from another family line) in my family now, by marriage via the haole family line, and the elder generation of Southerners naturally teaches the younger generation to call the Hawaiian family members "Miss Somebody" and "Mr. Somebody."
That was all fine, but we've all gotten closer, and my natural inclination is to call these people "Uncle" and "Auntie." You know what I'm talking about? It's almost reflexive.
But the "Southern Way" kindof makes me apprehensive. This is yet another example of cultural collision. I can't help but think the Hawaiian family members probably feel the same way and would appreciate us all calling them "Uncle" and "Auntie," but a part of me wonders if anybody would be offended or think it was weird.
Any thoughts on this?
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