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Hawaiian Culture
The Hawaiian people of today, and many people who grew up in Hawaii - regardless of their race - are different then you and me (I was not born here). I will try and explain this difference to you, but I must warn you - this is only my opinion from my experiences and observations. I am not an educator or a sociologist or ... whatever - I am just a person who perceives a difference between my friends and myself. Ohana (family) Here, ohana is the not the most important thing - it is the only thing. Sure you have to work, but that is to support your family, sure you go fishing, but that is to feed your family, sure ... you even go out and party, but that is with your family, sure you have friends .. but they shortly become your family. A party is always a family affair - a large get-together in the back yard or on the beach with a tarp setup and a barbeque grill. Entertainment is a few cousins with ukuleles and dinner is a hunted pig and caught fish. Many generations of families live under the same roof frequently - It's not that they have to .. it's just the way it is. Children don't grow up and move away, they grow up and stay in their parents houses for ... ever sometimes, or at least till they get married. Recreation In Hawaii, you don't go bowling or to the movies (ok, sometimes you do) - instead, you go to the beach, or hunting, or fishing, or boating, or camping, or surfing. Consider this; every summer - at Puhi Bay Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island - Right after Memorial Day, the tents start going up. Preference for permits is given to Hawaiians living in the area (Keaukaha), and they are snatched up quickly. These tents and tarps and makeshift houses go up in the beginning of summer and don't come down till labor day. The families essentially move into the tents, and the children of all ages spend the entire day learning to swim, surf, and fish from sun up till sun down. The parents and relatives go to work or wherever they have to and leave their kids with the aunties and uncles (related or not) and kupuna (elders) without a second thought. Consider this; as I write this, I haven't been to a movie theater for at least a year, but I have been fishing twice in the last week, I am going kayaking tomorrow, and my husband I are going camping next week. hunting and fishing Sure, people go hunting and fishing for fun - but the main reason is to put food on the table. Whether the reason is monetary or not - people in Hawaii prefer fish they have pulled out of the ocean themselves, or pig they have hunted down themselves to what they can find in the grocery store. respect for the Aina (land) Hawaiians had no Industrial Revolution. Ancient Hawaiians had very little trade for a long time. Hawaiians planted and caught everything everything they needed to survive on the land. All the traditional Gods and spirits are land-based. What I mean by that is 'the hawaiian deities don't live in unattached cities in the clouds, they live in the lava, the ocean, the plants, the mountains - they are a physical part of the land and the water'. Also, in ancient Hawaii - land was handed out to families and communities for farming and living off of not in short squares, but rather in long slices that ran from the mountain to the ocean - so the group could utilize every climate possible. This way of thinking and living is obviously remembered by the genes of the Hawaiians living today. Also - clothing and jewelry have patterns of plants, or animals. I'm sure you've all seen a colorful aloha shirt with a fish or flower pattern - or a muumuu with a bright plant leaf pattern. How about the thick Hawaiian jewelry with the jumping dolphins or turtles. Nothing is more focused on here than land and ocean. Aloha Spirit Aloha can mean many things: Hello, Goodbye, with love, mercy. My own personal take on the Aloha Spirit is; it is a variation of the Golden Rule, with a Hawaiian twist. "Treat others like you would like to be treated, and give them the shirt off your back if they need it". People here are very friendly, nice, and giving. When you walk past people you don't know you smile and say Hi anyway. If someone needs something, you give it to them, or do it for them. If you are truly interested in the Hawaiian Culture, language, etc., please follow these links, you won't be sorry. Talk Story with Uncle Charlie -Hawaii - Independent and Sovereign First 101 words in Hawaiian The Hawaiian Home Page |
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