Hawaiian History in Public Schools (ABSENT)

[lurkah]

Re: Hawaiian History in Public Schools (ABSENT)

Sorry, guess I didn't really stay on topic, did I?

Sure you did. You stated how your own educational experience, while it included the respective History courses pertaining to whichever state that you lived in at the time, was for the most part totally lacking of any Hawaiian History information, and I'm not talking about WWII stuff either (although I do recall a fascinating story about a huge Hawaiian man named Ben Kanahele from Ni'ihau who captured and killed a Japanese pilot who had crashed on or near the island, even after the pilot had shot Ben three times with his machine gun).

Relax. We can't let a certain self-appointed passive-aggressive "I make more intelligent posts than you" moderator create an atmosphere of intimidation where we end up feeling like we need to walk on eggshells all the time.

But I can see where teaching Hawaiian History at some school in middle Nebraska might not be seen as essential information worth spending valuable class time, and therefore money, on and I would certainly hope that the content of Hawaiian History lessons in Hawai'i schools today contain volumes more information than the limited and "skewed" information I received during my own public school education at Koko Head Elementary, Niu Valley Intermediate, and Kalani High School.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Hawaiian History in Public Schools (ABSENT)

Here my kids' school seem to teach everything but that, Why? Through our observations, all the individual Americans we met seem to know about Hawaii is: Hula, grass huts, leis, getting laid, beaches, volcanoes, palm trees, vacation, etc. They know nothing about the dark mark that rest on the land. Many foreigners come to the island to retreat, retire and make nest and have not even begun to embrace the deep wounds that Hawaii has - let alone seek to learn about them.

American History is taught in our schools isn't it? Hawaii does make Am. 50th state, right?! So why is it that Hawaii's history (how Hawaii illegally became the 50th state (overthrow)) is not apart of the schools curriculum?

Today, I hang the Hawaiian flag (upside down) w/ Ku I Ka Pono on the rear of my van...people ask why is that so (really) then my husband and I have to go about a quick lesson in Hawaiian History of that and then some. All of whom we have spoken to had no idea of Hawaii's past. Umm, lack of education I reckon?!

Please help me in this. I have not found a thread or article pertaining to this matter. This topic infuriates me and I do plan to write to my children's school paper about this. I'd really like to see and hear the truth about Hawaii being taught in public schools.

Pikake

Since it can be difficult to read nuances into printed words, allow me to preface this with my words below being of an enquiring nature, not a harsh one.

Is it really fair to expect what you are from schools outside of Hawai'i? I mean, Hawai'i has only been a state for 50 years. 20th century Hawai'i has a lot to do with touristy things, because tourism is the #1 economic engine of our isles.

The history before that is a history belonging to another nation. It had a constitutional monarchy, progressed with several socialist principles, including a tax system, minted money, provided free health care and free education (fact: of all the "states" in the U.S. only Mass. has an older Department of Public Education; mahalo to King Kamehameha III). In comparison, while Louisiana was just a purchase and Minnesota was still an uncharted territory, the Sandwich Isles were building treaties with different countries around the globe.

Before going too off tangent, this book is worth a trip to the library:

"History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray U.S. History (Hardcover)"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

The analogy being that histories are ultimately ethnocentric, for just like you and I would do a poor job at describing the political ramifications of the Tamils and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka ('cause that was the most far-fetched example I could think up, LOL), so should other school systems be afforded if not some slack, at least some understanding, at their meager abilities to describe that which they do not know.

aloha, Pua'i

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaiian History in Public Schools (ABSENT)

It's quite sad, though, that all the while that I attended public schools in Hawai'i, teaching Hawaiian history was foreign to the curriculum. Most everything that I know today about Hawaiian history I've had to learn on my own up here in the Mainland. I guess it finally dawned on me that Hawaiian history would be more important to me than learning the history of France. About the only things I learned about Hawaiian history while growing up was about Kamehameha I, the unification of the islands, what the State motto meant and mouthing the words to "Hawaii'i Pono'i". Heck, I never even knew about "Hawai'i Aloha" until about 7 years ago when I attended a luau at one of the colleges up here! Now it's sung at almost every single Hawaiian function they have up here.

Miulang

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Hawaiian History in Public Schools (ABSENT)

It's quite sad, though, that all the while that I attended public schools in Hawai'i, teaching Hawaiian history was foreign to the curriculum. Most everything that I know today about Hawaiian history I've had to learn on my own up here in the Mainland. I guess it finally dawned on me that Hawaiian history would be more important to me than learning the history of France. About the only things I learned about Hawaiian history while growing up was about Kamehameha I, the unification of the islands, what the State motto meant and mouthing the words to "Hawaii'i Pono'i". Heck, I never even knew about "Hawai'i Aloha" until about 7 years ago when I attended a luau at one of the colleges up here! Now it's sung at almost every single Hawaiian function they have up here.

Miulang

Don't beat yourself up over it. I learned the same things you did from those Hawaii public schools circa, uh, ya know.

We have been in renaissance for a while now, and this is a good thing. With Hawaiian language opportunities increasing, the best benefit about learning to speak it is the ability to navigate those 19th century written works.

And what prolific ancestors we had! Once we can read them, interpret, ponder, consider, and piece it together, that is a body of knowledge that *no one* can take away from us.

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