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  • Hawaiian Culture

    While leisurely going through many of the old threads over the past week or so, I noticed how typical and racists one can be in regards to Hawaiian culture. It's "racist" when one uses the word "Haole", usually in a demeaning way, but it's okay to criticize Hawaiian culture or aspects of it b/c they don't seem to follow the norms of those who strongly follow western tradition as demonstrated on the issue of iwi and how they are seen by some people in this community as either meaningless or not even worth mentioining or being handled in a proper way.

    What would happen if someone began building over a place where Christian were buried? Or where Caucasians were buried? Blacks? Now we certainly would hear it from the NAACP if that ever happened.

    I am posting this here and tackling the issue at hand rather than go back to the old threads back in July and respond to that very issue when more likely the person responsible for posting such insensitive and racist remark would never reply.

    In any case, what I'd like to know is of the Hawaiian culture, why is it that people think "hula" seems to be the only cultural thing that should be elevated and idolized whereas everything else is looked at as "garbage" or claim that we are making a fuss over nothing. Seriously, can non-Hawaiians put themselves in our shoes? I highly doubt it.

    As the saying goes by others of People of Color, unless you look the part and have experienced some type of discrimination would you ever know. I do, I've gone through that back in the 70s. We live in a new time and I am not about to experience humiliation and discrimination like I did growing up by supposedly adults that are semi educated.
    He mamo a Hina

    Mai poina i na kupuna kahiko, na lakou e hoonaauao ia kakou.

  • #2
    Re: Hawaiian Culture

    Originally posted by Kalani

    As the saying goes by others of People of Color, unless you look the part and have experienced some type of discrimination would you ever know. I do, I've gone through that back in the 70s. We live in a new time and I am not about to experience humiliation and discrimination like I did growing up by supposedly adults that are semi educated.
    Aloha e, Kalani:
    You're exactly right about the above statement. Growing up in the 'aina, I was always part of the "majority" so I never knew what discrimination was. Then, when I went to college in Ohio, I became one of the "minority". Ho! Talk about culture shock!

    When you walk in someone else's shoes (or moccasins, as Peshkwe might say), you begin to understand why you need to temper some of your biases with a least a modicum of respect for others. I might never really know all there is to know about the kanaka maoli and their traditions and culture, but I can certainly respect their right to believe what they do and how they practice it.

    Miulang
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Hawaiian Culture

      Originally posted by Kalani
      It's "racist" when one uses the word "Haole", usually in a demeaning way, .

      haven't seen that here. I HAVE seen the term used in a descriptive way. To describe the attributes and details of a person and what they are doing that elicits the scenario and dialogue.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Hawaiian Culture

        When cultures clash there's always misunderstanding and sometimes war between them. At Kalani High School where I graduated back in 1978, the "local" bruddahs and the rest of the student population had a general meeting in the upstairs library.

        This meeting was put together by the student council and the principal to find a common ground between the mokes and everybody else.

        As it turns out the mokes felt intimidated because of the intelectual differences coupled with grammer. It astounded all of us because everybody else felt intimidated by the shear brutality of these buggahs. None of us ever thought we would be the intimidators but that's the subtle message that was conveyed to these guys.

        After the meeting there was a better understanding of each other's feelings but by year's end, it was back to the general attitude of beating the crap out of any Japanese kid with a Pan Am bag. I still have mine as a reminder of those days.

        So now that a lot of us have graduated and continued onto professional careers and most of us are the bosses of those braddahs who beat the crap out of us in school and really for no reason it's no wonder why there is this indifference to their suffering. It has nothing to do with the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, heck we're all supportive of some kind of resolution to that, but emotional scars run deep when Junior Boy comes up to you and asks for one job, "Eh wassup remember me we wen grad same year" "Yeah I remember you so what your kid beating up my kid now?"

        But before you judge another man you should first walk a mile in his moccasins (yeah Miulang I remember that indian quote too), same holds true for the victim of the perpetrator. Being the akamai Japanese kid in High School I walked that short mile by taking those classes those mokes took and bonding with them. We both had mutual respect for each other but it wasn't just the poor Hawaiian kid vs the rich Japanese kid. We were both insensitive to each other's cultures. In high school, the negative way in which Haole was used came from the very group that felt criticized by virtue of their Hawaiian culture.

        Haole is a hawaiian word and it became a negative conotation when someone added the word F@#kin before it and pointed it at the first Caucasian that deserved to be called that. Is it no wonder that today's modern caucasian (who had nothing to do with the overthrow) feels a bit indifferent to the plight of Hawaiians? And I do understand. I was in Denver Colorado at Aurora Mall when this very Haole lady came up to me and slapped me in the face yelling, "it's all your fault...for bombing Pearl Harbor". Now I was 18-years old and this was 1978. I wasn't even born then. And the worst part was that I was serving in the US Air Force defending her right to accuse me of being the enemy! Boy the negative side of Haole wanted to come out that day but I was in uniform and took the slap with dignity.

        Regarding other virtues of Hawaiian culture, there is a revitalization of the culture more than Hula. Kalani where are you located? Because I can understand if you live on the mainland and don't see the resurgance of Hawaiian culture (and respect for it) going on here in Hawaii. But if you do live here, then I cannot understand especially the people you refer to that think of everything else as garbage? Certainly not the people who live in Hawaii. I don't think the resurgence of canoe building (since Hokulea) is garbage or Hawaiian Language Immersion schools for that matter.

        Now more than ever there is a greater awareness of Hawaiian culture going on in local business, our classrooms, and in our families. I tell my kids (part Hawaiian from my wife) that instead of learning Japanese language they should learn Hawaiian. I teach them how to respect the Aina. I may not be Hawaiian but when you live on land rich in Mana you have a greater respect for it and with that comes understanding, something some Hawaiians have yet to learn.

        I may not be Hawaiian but I've walked the lava fields barefoot in respect for the land and have trekked to ancient places of worship to pay my respects while passing by. I live in a community rich in Hawaiian heritage yet I'm 100% Japanese born local here in Hawaii. I may not be Hawaiian but I think there are Kanaka Maoli out there who know less about their own culture when hate overcomes them and modern conveniences corrupt their souls.

        The fact is that there are a lot of Hawaiians who cannot put their foot in their own cultural shoes because they've lost the ability to do so. And there are a few of us non-Hawaiians that can because we choose to embrace the culture in it's respect for the Aina.

        As far as racism, to the Haole being called one in a negative way, he's the victim. For the Hawaiian who's culture is trashed by meaningless commercial exploitism of it, their victims as well, either case both are victims and both are at fault. I guess caucasians are people of color when they come to Hawaii and feel the rub just as I felt that rub going to Colorado. I've walked that mile and then some and can make those critical remarks because I've been there on both sides and felt the humility and respect for and from my adversaries.
        Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Hawaiian Culture

          Originally posted by craigwatanabe
          Haole is a hawaiian word and it became a negative connotation when someone added the word F@#kin before it and pointed it at the first Caucasian that deserved to be called that.

          right.
          So, there's haole. and there's F@#kin haole.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Hawaiian Culture

            Simplistically, I think it's OK to dislike an individual person for whatever reason (assuming they did something bad to you personally), but how can you broad brush contempt on an entire group of people based on their skin color, religion or anything else? Seems to me that for every good person of one nationality, race, religion or whatevas, you're gonna come across an equally rotten one. and it's the rotten ones that make other people broad brush a whole group in the wrong way.

            Xenophobia is one sure way to have discrimination and hate crimes. Why did Mother Teresa work among the poorest of the poor in India? She certainly wasn't bucking for sainthood. She was compassionate yes, and she also knew, from living among these people, how wretched their lives were and she spent most of her life trying to help ease their suffering.

            Miulang
            "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Hawaiian Culture

              Originally posted by Miulang
              how can you broad brush contempt on an entire group of people based on their skin color, religion or anything else?

              Xenophobia is one sure way to have discrimination and hate crimes. Miulang

              ....not sure if anyone here is exhibiting xenophobia.
              (hatred or fear of strangers or foreigners)

              However; the general and consitent behaviour of many 'strangers' to these islands (for the last hundred plus years or so) certainly may assist in the development of an attitude that may elicit a response of "F@#kin haole" at ONE individual if and when that person does something reprehensible. This in NO way says; "I hate ALL foreigners"
              Now. IF... the reader assumes this is the intent or the message, THEY are the racist.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Hawaiian Culture

                Originally posted by kimo55
                ....not sure if anyone here is exhibiting xenophobia.
                (hatred or fear of strangers or foreigners)

                However; the general and consitent behaviour of many 'strangers' to these islands (for the last hundred plus years or so) certainly may assist in the development of an attitude that may elicit a response of "F@#kin haole" at ONE individual if and when that person does something reprehensible. This in NO way says; "I hate ALL foreigners"
                I was not implying anyone on these threads actually could be or should be considered racist. However, I also believe if you (not you personally, mind you) don't or won't try to understand what others believe in, then you're being an elitist xenophobe. My definition: someone who hates strangers or foreigners because he believes he is better than anyone else. I never use the "h" word in any of my conversations (even when in Hawai'i) because most people think of it as something perjorative and not merely a nonjudgemental description of a caucasian. Kimo, you've travelled around the country enough to know that those people who only have lived in one area all their lives and don't know about anything else are the ones who are most likely to be xenophobic and have twisted, racist opinions about others they don't understand.
                Originally posted by kimo55
                right.
                So, there's haole. and there's F@#kin haole.
                So Kimo, does that imply that a "haole" is simply a nonpolitical description of a Caucasian and the latter kind of haole could actually be a non-Caucasian exhibiting typical Caucasian characteristics? Could a local Asian American be called a F@#kin haole too?

                Miulang
                "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Hawaiian Culture

                  Originally posted by Miulang
                  Kimo, you've travelled around the country enough to know that those people who only have lived in one area all their lives and don't know about anything else are the ones who are most likely to be xenophobic and have twisted, racist opinions about others they don't understand.

                  Miulang
                  yes.
                  everything is yellow, to the jaundiced eye

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Hawaiian Culture

                    Originally posted by kimo55
                    yes.
                    everything is yellow, to the jaundiced eye
                    Housed in a body filled with green bile and ignorance .

                    Miulang
                    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Hawaiian Culture

                      okay okay lets not get all poetic and all dakine mumbly jumbly la dat. If you going be one asshole den you deserve to be called whatever your culture's word for it is. But it's like God or Jesus. As a Christian, I don't like it when someone uses either name in vain. It's an assault on my beliefs and shows a lack of integrity from the mouth it came from.

                      So really F@#kin Haole really shouldn't come together because F@#k really desecrates the Hawaiian language by it's insertion . Actually it desecrates even the English language too.

                      But like George Carlin said, "F@#k it's such an innocent word meaning to procreate as opposed to KILL because I'd rather watch a Western where the bad guy tells the Sheriff: Okay Sheriff we're gonna F@#k ya now, but we're gonna F@#k ya real slooowww." And who said Westerns were boring
                      Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Hawaiian Culture

                        I also think that when any perjorative word becomes commonplace within a language, then it dilutes the meaning. Hence, to say go f--- yourself has become so common that its original perjorative meaning kinda disappeared (that's why I think Dick Cheney wasn't chastised too much when he uttered those words in Congress). I've always thought a true insult would be to tell someone to "go un---- yourself!"

                        I wouldn't use any Christian terms in vain, either, or anything smacking of any religion because I never know who might be listening. Now Craig, what do you make of the people who call themselves Christian but who espouse beliefs different from yours?

                        Miulang
                        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Hawaiian Culture

                          Originally posted by Miulang
                          So Kimo, does that imply that a "haole" is simply a nonpolitical description of a Caucasian Miulang

                          well being for the most part very apolitical, no.
                          I mean yes.
                          ah hell. it's jess a freakin haole.
                          most o da time a caucasian from the mainland. And the ones that give the mainlanders a bad name are mostly from L.A.

                          This is in no way prejudicial. It is postjudicial. I don't pre judge. I judge after i get all da faks in.
                          k den.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Hawaiian Culture

                            Originally posted by Miulang
                            Housed in a body filled with green bile and ignorance .

                            Miulang


                            iiiiieeeuuugh...!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Hawaiian Culture

                              Originally posted by craigwatanabe
                              okay okay lets not get all poetic and all dakine mumbly jumbly la dat.

                              why not?!


                              look! we're being repressed based on our personal cultural linguistic choices!

                              Comment

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