Filipinos trying to be Hawaiian

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

It helps to know that MadAzza and kimo55 spend time together as a couple; then the "Hawaiian Pride" sticker question causes chuckling amongst HThreaders.

Oh. Okay. Thanks.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

I kinda like expat myself, because it infers that you still have an affinity for the land that you came from (meaning Hawai'i). Locals from Hawai'i are the only ones I know in the whole USA who refer to themselves as "expats". I don't hear Californians or people from any other state who move elsewhere call themselves "expats".

I wonder if more people from Hawai`i hold onto a hope or dream or plan to return there someday than do people from any other state. (Can't say as I really feel much of a pull to return to live out my last days in Iowa...)

[Peshkwe]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

A conversation of birthplace identification could ideally go like this:

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from Hawaii"

"So you're a Hawaiian." ('Are you Hawaiian?" or any various question of ID).

"No, I'm from Hawaii."


Real simple.



Mixed folks come in all shades of melanin, some have an abundance, some are melanin challanged, most however know their kinship ties. The habit of saying that you're 'X' always has the potential to be said while in the presence of someone who is native...then you'll have to deal with the inevitable questions of "Who's your family? Where are they from?"

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

I'm haole too. Is it "PC" to know better?

the.mainland.'tourist'.kine.who.really.don't.know. better.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Filipino's trying to be Hawaiian

the.mainland.'tourist'.kine.who.really.don't.know. better.

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...

[Paul]

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.

[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?

[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

[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

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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

[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

[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.