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**Mocha** · June 18, 2004, 11:14 AM

Re: Not For Haoles?

It's unfortunate that some people are catagorized by the color of their skin. And here in Hawaii although we pride ourselves as being a melting pot of different ethnicities...racial bias happens. The incidents don't always come into the forefront, some people never mention it but it happens. Shame on those who practise this. And choosing to speak proper English is not a crime.

**aleno** · June 18, 2004, 06:20 PM

Re: Not For Haoles?

No matter where you live in this country, you'll find discrimination. I live on the mainland and the local people here have problems with tourist. They just wish they would keep on the I-5 and go to somewhere else. But you got those in business who depend on the money coming in. If Hawaii is bringing in so much money...then where is all that money going? I mean if tourism is bringing in money then where is the money going? Here in this community they say tourism generates half the budget but they still want to raise taxes. My neighbor says the money generated by tourism is going into trying to attract big business's and taking farm land and building a hundred new house's. It's a shame but they call it progress.

**Krash Kolohe** · July 11, 2004, 08:18 AM

Meaning of the Word 'Haole'?

Food for Thought:

“In Hawaii I received a new name, one that
defined me in ways I did not want to accept.

I came to be known as a haole, a term that
Hawaiians have applied to white-skinned
foreigners since the arrival of the British
sea captain James Cook in 1778.

At first they welcomed Cook as a god
and believed his ships came to the islands
on the winds of Lono, but his incessant and
arrogant demands for provisions soon made
him appear considerably less than divine.

His men took the women they wanted and
shot anyone who got in their way. The following
year Cook was bludgeoned to death on a beach
on the big island of Hawaii.

To be haole, therefore, is to participate in a
less than proud heritage of cultural arrogance,
racial prejudice and sexism dating back to the
early European explorers and traders, the sugar planters,
even some of the missionaries, and the large businesses
that would eventually join to form the Big Five.

The word haole, perhaps not inappropriately,
means "without breath, wind or spirit";
a colorless, paste-white absence of spirit and feeling,
an inability to appreciate the. land and the dignity
of its people.

This name challenges the presumed superiority
of white Western thinking, with its tendency to
objectify and oppress. Yet to be able to recognize
oneself as haole is also to be open to repentance,
and subsequently to anew wholeness.

To accept a new name, especially from those
whom one may have oppressed, is also to
entertain a new way of being.” --

Belden C. Lane is professor of
Theological Studies and American Studies
at Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri

**Karen** · July 25, 2004, 12:39 AM

Re: Not For Haoles?

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I had been told that the word "haole" meant foreigner originally, and in reality, but that now it means "caucasian." I am in my eleventh year of living on Oahu, and am a caucasian with dark brown hair and eyes. I am a native Texan, and have come to realize that what is called Aloha in Hawaii exists in Texas, but is called "Southern Hospitality." It appears to be the very same thing.

Texas and Hawaii have something else in common, and that is that both states were sovereign countries/nations long, long ago. No wonder both are very proud of their land, and heritage.

I don't mind being called a haole when it isn't slung in an ugly manner, but I prefer to be called that by a Native Hawaiian. I think it a bit odd if I am called that by someone that also couldn't attend the Kamehameha Schools, not having a bit of native blood in them, for they,too, were once foreigners to this land, if no native blood.

I have encountered a bit of racism here, but I have made some precious native Hawaiian friends, and we feel a kindred spirit. We help each other, hug a lot, give each other gifts, and pray for each other.

There are good and bad people in every state. There are some precious souls here, and in my native Texas.

I do not understand the history of these islands because I hear differing stories, but the man above knows all, and I care about and pray for justice, whatever that is, in these islands.

ABout the over crowding, this is a huge issue, and prices. I have dear friends that are native Hawaiian, and two of their six kids have moved to las Vegas, gotten jobs, are having kids and now buying houses, not returning to these islands, leaving their hearts here, but living on the mainland where they can afford a better standard of living. This is sad, and I do relate, because we are here because of hubby's job, a good one, and cannot yet return home, because this job that he loves and is so good at, isn't available in Texas, not yet, anyway.

Least I ramble, I will hush. Thanks for any replies.

**Krash Kolohe** · July 26, 2004, 11:21 AM

Re: Not For Haoles?

Back to basics...

Ha = breath of life
ole= No

Haole = None breathers.

This is fact. The native Hawaiians literally breathed
on each other as they greeted one another. Taking
in that persons breath was a co-mingling with that
person's spirit. Native American Indians and the
Native Eskimos did a similiar greeting. For the
Eskimos it was rubbing noses while breathing in
the other person's spirit.

Western form of greeting was to extend the
right hand ( the sword hand) to show you were
a friend and did not have a weapon in your
hand. That's how the "handshake" greeting
started...to show you didn't have a weapon.

When the Hawaiians saw the Westerners
greeting one another with an out stretched
hand ..

..they said..."eh..these people don't breath
on each other like we do...they are...non breathers...
HAOLE...

Bottom line is simply this: A different culture.
A different expression. A different perspective.

It was never meant to be disrespectful to the
Western culture. It was never mean to be
derogatory. It was simply an observation.

We are of the same race. We are of the same
maker. We are of the same destiny on planet
Earth.

Let's make it a good one while we are here.
We may never pass this way again.

**Karen** · July 27, 2004, 11:43 AM

Re: Not For Haoles?

Hi Krash!

thanks for the explanation, so very cool to learn this. Indeed it didn't start out with an insulting intent, but like so many words and phrases, such as the word "gay" it has totally changed in application/definition.

I am part Cherokee, and didn't know about the "breathing on" each other in greeting, just very cool to learn, and again, thanks.

I liked your last line of your post very much. It reminded me of a song I used to luv very much, that a musician friend of mine used to play for me, on the keyboard. It was the song with a title something like your line, about not passing this way again, "if there is any good that I can do, let me do it now, Oh Lord please show me how..." lol the words flood back, though I am void of the official title at this time.

A hearty amen, we need more Aloha Spirit/Southern Hospitality in this world desperately.

**Glen Miyashiro** · July 28, 2004, 09:11 AM

Re: Not For Haoles?

Krash's explanation is very cute but it's wrong. The "without breath" thing is a folk etymology that has developed over the years, but it's not supported by a close look at the Hawaiian language.

If you examine the words "ha" and "ole" using a proper Hawaiian dictionary (e.g. Pukui, Elbert, & Mo'okini), you see that "ha" is actually pronounced hā, and "ole" is actually pronounced 'ole. Hā'ole is not the same word as haole. This is a good example of the misunderstandings caused by using the English alphabet to represent Hawaiian words without the appropriate accent marks.

Haole just means "foreign". That's why it is also used in names such as koa haole (or more commonly, haole koa) meaning "foreign koa", which refers to the Leucaena leucocephala plant because when its shoots are young, they resemble the shoots of the native koa tree, Acacia koa. Koa haole is not named so because it has "no breath"; it's named so because it is a foreign plant.

**Eric** · July 28, 2004, 01:59 PM

Re: Not For Haoles?

Originally posted by dick

Too many times have I been the receiver of "haole go home," despite my being a fourth-generation caucasian here in Hawaii. Where am I supposed to go - back to Maui? It never fails, I'll go somewhere, and people will ask me, "eh, where you from?" and I dutifully answer, "Uh, Maui." And then I get "No, originally!" And I'm like, "Uh, Maui." Yeah, I'm white as a sheet, and speak proper English (although fluent in pidgin, I prefer not to use it). Everyone I meet thinks I'm from Seattle or somewhere. Once I get to talking with people, however, they are totally cool with me. Half of me is with them -- here's yet another fricken' haole -- but the other half of me is like, dude, you people (and I use that phrase for a reason) are gonna be thought of as slack-jaws forever if you keep up that attitude. Hawaii is Hawaii, and it's a great place, that's why I returned here after living away for so long, but the thought processes here are so backwards sometimes, it's worse than a trailer park. Hawaii has so much potential, yet lacks so much.

Dick, welcome to the club of "folks who ignorant people think don't belong". I have Chinese-American friends in California who get that all the time.

"Hey, where are you from?"
"San Diego."
"No, where are you from originally?"
"Well, when I was a kid I lived in Illinois...
"No, no, where were you born?"
"Oh! Poughkeepsie, New York."
"..."

Slack-jaws live everywhere, I guess.

**Krash Kolohe** · July 28, 2004, 05:12 PM

Re: Not For Haoles?

Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro

Krash's explanation is very cute but it's wrong. The "without breath" thing is a folk etymology that has developed over the years, but it's not supported by a close look at the Hawaiian language.

If you examine the words "ha" and "ole" using a proper Hawaiian dictionary (e.g. Pukui, Elbert, & Mo'okini), you see that "ha" is actually pronounced hā, and "ole" is actually pronounced 'ole. Hā'ole is not the same word as haole. This is a good example of the misunderstandings caused by using the English alphabet to represent Hawaiian words without the appropriate accent marks.

Haole just means "foreign". That's why it is also used in names such as koa haole (or more commonly, haole koa) meaning "foreign koa", which refers to the Leucaena leucocephala plant because when its shoots are young, they resemble the shoots of the native koa tree, Acacia koa. Koa haole is not named so because it has "no breath"; it's named so because it is a foreign plant.

~~~~~~~~~~

ahhh...the debate goes on. Thank you for your "correction" Mistah Miyashiro. It unfortunately, is not "a good example of misunderstandings caused by using the English aphabet to represent Hawaiian words..."

"ha" according to Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel Elbert and Esther Mookini's "Hawaiian Dictionary, truly does have a broad definition of "..to breath, exhale.." I am reading it as we "speak". Also quoting that same resource: "'ole" has the first definition as ..."not, without, lacking,zero, nothing..."

More intresting takes on " ha'ole" ...

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/haole.html

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...009020249.html

http://www.aspirenow.com/purpose_bre...inda_08_00.htm

http://www.huna.com/ha_breathing.html

http://wind.prohosting.com/johreiki/...template2.html

oooh I could go on...but just consider the possibilities...of the word...the one I know was passed on to me by my kupuna ....who spoke fluent Hawaiian, was a la'au lapa au master and a personal friend of Mary Kawena Pukui...

hmmm...just consider the possibilities...and don't be so quick to dismiss a thought...a belief...a perception....simply enjoy.

peace

**pzarquon** · July 28, 2004, 07:46 PM

Re: Not For Haoles?

I agree with Glen. Not to diminish what your Kumu taught you, Krash, as stories and legends are about the most important part of Hawaiian culture as you can get. I have no doubt teachers tell the same story, and believe it... but I'm pretty sure it's been debunked.

Hawaiian was my discipline of choice at UH, and I took seven semesters of it. More than once the term 'haole' was discussed at length, and the folk tale of how it meant "lack of breath" - whether because Cook and newcomers didn't breathe each other's breath or because they smoked (the other popular explanation) - came up every time. The explanation was also consistently described in terms of an "urban myth," a modern hypothesis that became reknown simply due to repetition and a mildly plausible basis.

You knew the story well enough to post it here. More than a few folks have heard it often enough to publish it on the web. But you have to consider the credibility of your source. You can find websites that prove the earth is flat!

It's like how many recite as fact that hula was first performed by men, or was even only a man's practice - a "fact" accepted as gospel in some circles but easily refuted with research. (A more contemporary example would be the Ford Nova = "No Go" in Mexico story. Everyone knows it's true... but it isn't.)

Yes, the word/phrase "ha `ole" would mean without breath. But "haole" - no kahako, no `okina - is (1.) a standalone word that (2.) existed and was used prior to the arrival of Caucasians. It meant "foreigner" before Cook, and in context described visitors and delegations from other parts of Polynesia. When Cook arrived, therefore, they were haole - foreign, unfamiliar.

Keali`i Reichel, an entertainer but a strong scholar of Hawaiian in his own right, has spoken often about this. You can read extensive discussion of this topic in USENET (where linguists have also noted that "haole" seems phonetically related to the Marquesian "aoe," which has a similar definition). And I'm certain an e-mail to someone at the Hawaiian Language Center at UH Hilo or any other scholar could add more insight.

**Krash Kolohe** · July 28, 2004, 08:57 PM

UH !! Why neva say so!

Well, cheee ...Prophet why neva say you had 7 semesters??

I going fold up my beach mat, take my cooler and get off da beach.
Between you and Mistah Miyashiro ..hoo...hard for breathe ova hea.

No can hold a candle to dat level of edu-macation!

My bad.

Your thoughts were well written Prophet ...elegantly put.
Diplomatically expressed. The comment on earth being
flat was kinda one cheap shot..but eh...I respect your
right to express your self. It's cool.

Maybe somebody like de bunk some uddah "urban legend"....
maybe PELE or ....eh...how about the Night Marchers ...

Da line starts right afta I get off dis beach...da air stay kinda strange...
I wondah what is missing?? hmmmmm..... maybe FUN ...maybe ALOHA...
hmmm...I wondah?

**pzarquon** · July 28, 2004, 10:03 PM

You knew somebody who knew somebody who knew...

Originally posted by Krash Kolohe

No can hold a candle to dat level of edu-macation!

Cute. You cite where your theory comes from, and it's earnest and genuine. I tell you where I'm coming from, and it's haughty and hollow. Your mentioning your kumu and "personal friend of Mary Kawena Pukui" was a reasonable way to frame your response. I cited my classes in the same way. It was simply "this is where I'm coming from," nothing more.

Originally posted by Krash Kolohe

The comment on earth being flat was kinda one cheap shot..but eh...I respect your right to express your self. It's cool.

Cheap shot? It was hardly intended that way. You cited various websites as evidence to bolster your theory as to how "haole" came from "ha `ole." My point was, just because it's on the web, doesn't mean it's so. You make, or anyone makes, an independent judgements as to what is credible. (I wouldn't expect you to find what anyone writes here as neccessarily credible, either.) You said yourself, it's "a thought...a belief...a perception..." Well, what you're experiencing here is a differentthought, belief, or perception. It seems a bit ridiculous to think that an opinion to the contrary of yours constitutes a lack of aloha. If we all agreed on anything, what kind of fun would any conversation be?

Actually, you make a good point of bringing up Madam Pele. After all, I just said, "stories and legends are about the most important part of Hawaiian culture as you can get." No one's trying to debunk disprove the existence or truth of Madam Pele. You're comparing apples and oranges.

What you've put forward here is a linguistic/academic theory of the origin of a word, not a piece of folklore. "This is fact," you declared... not "according to Hawaiian mythology," or, "some people say." With that assertion, it was something that I felt wasn't out of bounds for discussion.

I wondah what is missing?? hmmmmm..... maybe FUN ...maybe ALOHA... hmmm...I wondah?

A pity you feel that way. I thought this was a pretty entertaining discussion.

**Karen** · July 29, 2004, 01:12 AM

Re: You knew somebody who knew somebody who knew...

I thought this was an interesting discussion, too! thanks to all for the input.

It is true that the written word has us all at its mercy, here. See what just happened since I posted?! People reacted to others' words here, with apparent misunderstanding. I think this is the one thing every forum could use a reminder of, at the top or something. That is that each writer writes his words while hearing them within his own mind, knowing what words are emphasized, what tone they are said in, and knowing his own attitude, etc.

We readers read the other writer's words without being able to hear the voice tone, inflection, or see any body language, etc. We furthermore read it within our own minds, and it can be at the mercy of what type of mood we are in that day, etc.

Every person I have read here has much to share, and I hope this place never suffers hatefulness, animosity, etc.

**kamlost** · August 7, 2004, 02:26 PM

Re: You knew somebody who knew somebody who knew...

Great forum. Great discussion.

I love the internet cause it goes beyond what I look like

in this world, I can be who I really am without worrying that a person is going to judge me by the way I'm dressed, etc.

I know some people who don't mind being called haole, and some who get absolutely angry at being referred to as haole.

Isn't it sometimes used as terms of endearment amongst friends who have different races?

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