Filipinos trying to be Hawaiian

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Okay, all of you...underwear aside...why is Alice going on about Filipinos trying to get away with being Hawaiian? It seems to me that that isn't really the problem....Filipino ex-pats say 'Hawaiian' because it's easier to do so, on the mainland....an dat's all it is. Nothing to do with lack of respect for 'blood' Hawaiians.

When I am away from Hawaii, I say that I am Hawaiian...saves confusion, especially over here, where most people don't even know where Hawaii is. When I am at home, I am very obviously a 'local Haole'. Easy-peasy. Like someone said to me, once, "You only look Haole".

So...Alice...tell, how come you no like Filipinos?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

You know way too much technical lingerie terminology, man. Guys aren't supposed to know that much about those details, we're just supposed to appreciate how great it looks on our honeys.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

ummm...because you ordered something from it? Okay Glen what pair you secretly wearing now...the black microfiber thong with the heart cutout or the red nylon/lycra one with the keyhole cutout...and matching demi underwire bra!

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Glen! what are you doing looking at a VS catalog I like see too!

They sent 'em to me, that's why. Beats me how my name got on their mailing list.

[sinjin]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

All this makes me wonder how much haole blood before you ain't local or Hawaiian? Don't this just suck?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Glen! what are you doing looking at a VS catalog I like see too!

As a former photograper, I used to do portfolio work for aspiring models here in Hawaii. Some of my best models were young Filipina. Body wise they have the best proportions for their petite height. Here in Hawaii we have more women that fit into that catagory...yet not all are proportional. For some women, they may be short, but they may be small-breasted or have what we call in Hawaii: Kamaboko legs.

But young Filipino women are like miniature women under 5'4" tall. Except for their feet. For some reason ho boy dakine luau feet dem buggahs.

Anyway Suzie...I think you're a nice person but people born and raised here in Hawaii from different and even mixed ethnicity call themselves local because that's what we are. I've never been to Japan yet I'm 100% Japanese. Am I proud of my ethnicity? No way. I don't speak the language, I don't ever want to learn it. I hate the Japanese "Honor System" it's so prejudiced and narrow minded when it comes to the needs and respect of others. I hate their "Yes means No, No means Yes" attitude where you gotta read their friggin minds as to what they really want.

With that said, under who's authority am I to say these things? Mine because I was raised in a strict Japanese Household under traditional Japanese parents whose parents came from Japan. The Sansei are the last generation of Hawaii born Japanese that have any of the traditional Japanese disciplines of the Old World. And I hate it! I vowed never to raise my kids that way just to break that stupid way of life forever.

But here I am a full-blooded Japanese living in Hawaii...just like a lot of us here who have adopted Hawaii as it's home and it's culture. Not Hawaiian or Kanaka Maoli culture, but the culture that exists during our lifetime as we grew up here in this blended lifestyle we call "local". A little bit of everything that works when combined to form a local style culture.

Yeah I use a bit of Japanese here like eating rice, taking off my slippers before entering a home, taking a bath BEFORE going to bed. But if you tell me, "no thanks you can have the last beer in the cooler" I'll drink it instead of waiting forever for you to finally take the offer. A true Japanese would be offended if they said no but didn't give it to them anyway, because a true Japanese was really thinking, "Craig offered the beer to me but my parents always told me not to take the last portion, so I'll say no, but because he's Japanese too, he'll actually give it to me anyway because his parents told him to always give despite the refusal because that's what a proper host does."

Honorable yes but Western culture dictates that NO means just that...NO! And you wonder why we have such problems with East and West. But here in Hawaii East does meet West and thru the generations we have learned to understand and appreciate each other's cultures and adapt it to form a workable culture we in Hawaii call: LOCAL. It doesn't work outside Hawaii because this is a culture that can only be applied to Hawaii because of it's diversity. This kind of mix cannnot be found anywhere else in the US or the world.

And the one BIG no no is for a non-Hawaiian to call themselves Hawaiian. All locals know and respect that. You ain't local if you cannot see that distinction that locals give to Hawaiians.

Notice I never said Kanaka Maoli? Why because I've been told the term Kanaka Maoli is reserved for the pure or full-blooded Hawaiian no one else.

Being Japanese has made for even more distorted conversations to my ignorant mainland friends. They tell me I'm Japanese so I must be from Japan. No I tell them I'm from the United States of America. They respond but you said you were from Hawaii. Yes just as you are from Idaho. So that makes you Hawaiian? No I'm from Hawaii. But you said you were from the United States? Yes Hawaii is the 50th state.

So then what are you? I'm a United States Citizen that is local from Hawaii of Japanese descent but I've never been to Japan, can't speak the language, and quite frankly I'd rather be Hawaiian just to end this conversation. Mahalo!

[sinjin]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Too much seriousness for a Monday morning. So instead... here's another example of Filipinos trying to be Hawaiian, or at least that's what it looks like. The new Victoria's Secret catalog has an Asian model! A little googling (and a lot of oogling ) revealed that she's a Hawai'i girl named Jarah Mariano. Sounds pinay to me -- but the info via google suggests that she's Japanese, Korean, and Hawaiian. Huh?

I see the Japanese in her for sure.

[Miulang]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

You wouldn't be able to say that about the natives in Australia, or the ones in the Basque country.

The natives in Australia are called aborigine (again, because they were the first people to inhabit the land). The aborigines themselves call themselves "Koori" in their own tongue; euskotarrak is what the Basque people call themselves.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Too much seriousness for a Monday morning. So instead... here's another example of Filipinos trying to be Hawaiian, or at least that's what it looks like. The new Victoria's Secret catalog has an Asian model! A little googling (and a lot of oogling ) revealed that she's a Hawai'i girl named Jarah Mariano. Sounds pinay to me -- but the info via google suggests that she's Japanese, Korean, and Hawaiian. Huh?

Maybe she was adopted by the Mariano family? Maybe she's married and that's her husband's surname? Or maybe it's just her "professional" name?

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Too much seriousness for a Monday morning. So instead... here's another example of Filipinos trying to be Hawaiian, or at least that's what it looks like. The new Victoria's Secret catalog has an Asian model! A little googling (and a lot of oogling ) revealed that she's a Hawai'i girl named Jarah Mariano. Sounds pinay to me -- but the info via google suggests that she's Japanese, Korean, and Hawaiian. Huh?

[pzarquon]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Paul, you have raised a good point (earlier in the thread) that the particular focus on the use of Hawaiian is odd, given that native Hawaiians (kanaka maoli) didn't initially use the word "Hawaiian" -- versus there being no such beef with "Alaskans" for non-native/non-indigenous Alaskans or "Americans" for non-native/non-indigenous Americans.

Which is to say, why not give up "Hawaiian" and use the same "native" modifier -- Native Hawaiian, Native Alaskan, Native American? Or the native culture's original words -- kanaka maoli, innuit, etc.

Even as a part-Hawaiian, I don't know why it didn't turn out that way. But I also don't see the word "Hawaiian" as being something that is only being "reclaimed" in contemporary times. Fact is, Hawaiian was in use as a descriptor of the ethnic/indigenous Hawaii population almost as early as there was any government or even regular outside contact. I'd imagine that "Hawaiian" as an ethnic label was essentially embedded in Hawaii a long time ago.

So, yes, that leaves us with, "Anyone in California can be a Californian, but there's a difference between a Hawaiian and a Hawaii resident." A Hawaii judge is not a Hawaiian judge. Is it ridiculous PC nonsense? I suppose to some, yes. Just not to everyone.

Yes, different groups' ideas of how they'd like to be described changes over time. Look at the debate over Hispanic/Latino and the like. Language and peoples evolve. We can either roll our eyes and say "who cares," or we can do our best to understand and respect things that aren't of our own worldview and adjust accordingly.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

Peshkwe can answer this better, but my guess is the Native Americans don't care about the name America as much as they do their own individual nations. I think the term "Native American" was probably coined by some Caucasian lawmakers because it was too tedious to recognize by name all the different nations.

Miulang

You wouldn't be able to say that about the natives in Australia, or the ones in the Basque country.

[Miulang]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

By the same token, if all the native American tribes claimed the word "American" to mean just them, would that be okay? Nobody can claim to be an American if they don't have any native American blood.

Peshkwe can answer this better, but my guess is the Native Americans don't care about the name America as much as they do their own individual nations. I think the term "Native American" was probably coined by some Caucasian lawmakers because it was too tedious to recognize by name all the different nations. In Canada, the indigenous people are referred to as "First Nation" people because...they inhabited the land first.


Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

By the same token, if all the native American tribes claimed the word "American" to mean just them, would that be okay? Nobody can claim to be an American if they don't have any native American blood.

Peshkwe can answer this better, but my guess is the Native Americans don't care about the name America as much as they do their own individual nations. I think the term "Native American" was probably coined by some Caucasian lawmakers because it was too tedious to recognize by name all the different nations.

Miulang

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

The majority of whom never will learn, either. But most aren't going to Hawai`i to learn - most want the dream of paradise that's been the main selling point of the Islands for a century. Hawai`i needs those tourist dollars (though they come at a price, don't they?); but if you can find those rare ones who really are willing to discard their pre-conceived notions and are open to hear and see what is "real" about Hawai`i...

But the point of this thread is that the PCness of locals (living, or not, in Hawaii) is getting all hammajang....right?