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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
 Posted - 06/07/2007 : 07:49:35 AM
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| I think I read recently on Ken Makuakane's blog that he and his `ohana went cruising around the islands on one of the NCL ships as a ordinary passenger. Perhaps he could share his take on this subject with us. I will be interested in his perspective as someone whose opinion we value and respect. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 9:59:59 PM
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| This is a real can of worms. Progress and "getting better" are dependant on viewpoint. If one grew up in the islands one could say many negative or positive things about the changes in Hawai'i. For example if King Kalakaua was not coerced in ceding Pu'uloa to the US than Pearl Harbor would not have been built and Japan would have had no reason to bomb Hawai'i. That is one view point. But if one was an imperialist than The growth of the US and its expansion into the Pacific was a good thing. We could open land for development and replace sacred ground with hotels and big houses and places for cruise ships to dump their 'opala. Or we could make more land available for Hawaiian homes so we can live on reservations. 22000 people are still waiting for a house lot and they sometimes die waiting. Hawaiian people are over represented in the penal system. And on and on and on. Hawaiians never get what they want. They may have given up in many ways. Fortunately Many Hawaiians are not giving up. Music is one positive expression of the feelings that Hawaiians experience in this world. Some people are political. But while there are non Hawaiians who can empathize with the plight of the modern day Kanaka. Non Hawaiians will never fully understand us. But that is OK. Non Hawaiians are not supposed to nor are they expected to do so. But when big corporations come and open up business that has nothing to do with the place they are in in the first place. Their impact will always be negative because the only concern of companies is money. Cruise ships and fancy resorts are not sensitive to the beauty and culture of the places they infest. They alter the landscape and then steal the language for their own use and put the locals to work for wages which don't even provide for a decent living. I am not speaking of going back to times more idyllic than today, I am speaking of going forward but in an atmosphere that will foster the spiritual growth and well being of Hawaiians. These principals could be practiced every where. Alaska, Seattle, Hawai'i the Bahamas Mexico and so on any where that depends on tourism. Oh yeah, dependence on tourism is not necessarily a good thing. That is practically Hawai'i only major industry today. And please take what I have just written with a grain of salt because I only speak for my self and the memory of the overthrow is still pretty fresh in the history of Hawai'i. Again the changes that have occurred in Hawai'i since then are good or bad depending on viewpoint. The members of this forum only number in the hundreds or thousands. Millions of visitors come and most of them never venture beyond the confines of waikiki or a tour bus. You folks in this forum are special and one of a kind. None of you need to apologise for anything and your interest, love and respect for things Hawaiian are welcome very much. But when you ask what we want if you think we want you to stay away is the wrong question to ask. It would be nice if m ore people in the world were genuinely intersted in Hawai'i and the Kanaka Maoli. But it just ain't happening that much. I remember when I was sitting on top of Mt. Sinai trying to explain Hawai'i to a bedouin chief. He just didn't get it because he never heard of Hawai'i before. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2007 : 01:44:02 AM
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Wanda,
You know me. I am crazy and sometimes nutty about Hawaii.
I didn't mean to give you the impression that I speak for all Hawaiians. I don't know how others feel and was expressing my own opinions. In your generalization, you make an assumption that Ken and I should share the same philosopies and you further imply that, according to me, he is a sell out to patronize the cruise line. If anyone is a sellout it would be Mr Douglas Chang, a man who has become his own childhood nemesis.
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Stay Tuned... |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2007 : 05:14:15 AM
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Hiram, Al and all....
I am very proud that we can have this discourse and everyone is respectful and open to hearing ideas other than those that come out of their own heads.
I certainly did not mean to sound like I was making disparaging remarks because someone does like to cruise or someone does not like the whole idea. I just would be very interested in seeing Ken Makuakane's take on it from a perspective completely different than mine -- that of a Hawaiian man.
I think it is probably a unanimous agreement amongst folks on Taro Patch that cruise ships are bad for the environment. Enough said on that topic.
I do not want anyone to think I am painting anyone/any group of people with any broad brush strokes. That is not the case at all. I hope these discussions will create a back and forth discourse where we can all learn from each other.
I do not fault anyone for loving the land to which they were born and for feeling the pain of the diseases upon that land.
I can only make my world better within my small realm. I can only affect change in me. I believe I have done so and I believe I will continue to do so until the day I day. I hope that is the way each of us is.
So, instead of asking what the kanaka maoli want, I will simply try to continue to be as pono as I can...not just about Hawai`i, but everything in my life. Respect and consideration are most helpful attributes.
HOWEVER... ha-ha -- you know I always have a "however",
For those of you with Hawaiian backgrounds, please share with me your own personal specific ideas of what you would envision in an ideal Hawai`i.
For instance: oil refineries -- dirty, nasty, cost lots of money, take up valuable land space. Dilemma: still need those products; still need electricity generated. Possible solution: wind power?? With all those pali, seems to me that wind power could be used to great advantage. Or solar power on homes.
Problem: inter-island ferry. Problem: Huge dock required; more petrochemicals in the water. Dilemma: easy, inexpensive way to go interisland, even with automobile. Dilemma: do you want travel between islands to be that easy? Will it bring O`ahu's problems to the other islands?
With utmost respect and aloha,
Wanda |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
Edited by - wcerto on 06/08/2007 05:37:54 AM |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2007 : 07:46:04 AM
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PS: Hiram - why do you believe Mr. Chang has been a sell-out? What I got from the article is that he is trying to ho`opono.
NOT CONFRONTING -- only want to learn and understand.
Also - I know that opinions are like ***holes - everybody's got one; but then again everybody needs one or they would get full of..... |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
Edited by - wcerto on 06/08/2007 07:49:53 AM |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2007 : 08:07:08 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by noeau
But while there are non Hawaiians who can empathize with the plight of the modern day Kanaka. Non Hawaiians will never fully understand us. But that is OK. Non Hawaiians are not supposed to nor are they expected to do so.
Thank you for your perspective, Al, and I think this phrase is a key point to remember, especially for those of us who are neither Kanaka nor Hawai`i-born, but still with emotional, familial, musical, or professional ties to the Islands.
As much as I have become connected to the Hawaiian music industry, as well as the Hawaiian & Pacific Islander community in the Pacific NW, first through family, then through hula, radio, newspaper, etc., it is important to me that people know I NEVER try to pass myself off as being "local" - perhaps more accurately as "haumana-for-life."
Part of that comes from the recognition that, as you stated, I can never fully understand the perspective of someone with Kanaka lineage, no matter how much I study, absorb or discuss - I have not lived it, and can never assume I "get" it absolutely (which is also why I am uncomfortable with generalities of what "Hawai`i's people" do or don't want, no matter the source.)
Al, a most important part of your comment is: "Non Hawaiians are not supposed to nor are they expected to do so." Every individual's life and experiences, wherever they hail from and whoever they are, is of equal importance. Sure, the life and history of Hawaiian people may be fascinating to a girl from West Virginia mining territory or Iowa's farm fields, and we can learn as much as we can - but no one asks us or expects us or wants us to lose our own identities in the process. And we are grateful that people are open to sharing their lives and stories with us - it enhances our own.
Oh, and I gotta go back to this comment from Wanda at the start of the thread: "There was no traditional Hawaiian music on the ship. Muzak played Iz frequently, but no ki ho`alu." Then it wasn't Muzak (the brand name, as opposed to the genre) - there's plenty of ki ho`alu in the Hawaiian program by Muzak (which I was responsible for for several years, until last week.) |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2007 : 2:44:21 PM
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| We need not concentrate on the proposed ferry system but for starters I see the system this way. People who cannot afford to fly between islands any more could use the ferry for myriad ventures. For example, going to seek medical help that is unavailable on their home island. Tutuwahine and tutukane may visit family on other islands more frequently with a ferry system in place. Musicians may transport expensive instrument more safely by carrying them on the ferry. People can slow down and enjoy the cruise and approach islands in a way that airlines cannot. Hawai'i has an ideal climate to promote sustainable power production but again the groups with the money to do so won't do so if the projects do not make money for them. I once foresaw2 an industry that was fairly clean even if it meant that people would have to come from elsewhere to live in Hawai'i for a while. That industry is higher education. I can see Hawai'i being a magnet for all sorts of educational opportunities for the entire Pacific Basin and Asia and the USA too. Hawai'i is in the strategic center of the Pacific ocean. These things were feasable and possible to develop until the USA got itself involved in a war that sucks all the positive resources in the country into endeavors that foster hate and destruction of people that are different from ourselves. This action is just so much a repetition of events that led to the overthrow of the Hawaiian government in 1893. If Hawai'i was left to its own back then, Who knows what Hawai'i might be today. If we look at most nations of the Pacific Basin we can readily see that the ones who are still ruled colonially by Western nations are somewhat behind most industrial nations. However I do not advocate industrialism as an answer to Pacific nations economic growth. But these very nations could become independent of oil if they wisely incorporated existing natural resources to generate energy to run the things that rquire electricity. Most polynesian culture was founded on the same spirituality that Hawaiians are rediscovering today. Malama 'aina , respect for elders and each other are things that can be practiced and shared with the world. While we don't have a lock on such behavior it is obvious that it is practiced more openly in places like Hawai'i. I say this because visitors always comment on how nice we are when they come into contact with us. Avision for the futre is held by many Hawaiian people. Many kumu hula and musician practice these principals daily. Don't get caught up in the rhetoric about only koko hawai'i qualify. That may be true for social services and special educational programs designed for Hawaiians. But there are many avenues to go down to reach the goal that most of us as human beings strive for. After we attain the lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy we must look toward self fulfillment and it isn't always just material gain. People regain dignity when they are allowed to care for themselves and achieve self dtermination. I know at this point in time I can express some of that in my music. No one is going to tell me I cannot play the music of my peopkle. They definitely will have a fight on their hands. We bus 'em up if need be. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2007 : 3:59:04 PM
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Al - the higher education industry idea is brilliant. Seems to me that everything in Hawai`i would be ideal for such a thing. Already good established institutes of higher learning. Weather wonderful so students don't have to try to trek through feet and feet of snow to get to school (no not 5 miles uphill both ways); wonderful places to teach botany, anthrpology, etc. I mean, they already got where you can take kiho1alu at COLLEGE! How cool is that! There is so much than can and needs to be learned, even the regular stuff like dumb math and such. But it is certainly pretty impactless on the environment. Its clean; it wouldnt use up natural resources and on and on. What a fantastic idea. Now those of you who have been educators, and those who still are, how to make it happen? Who to get to listen to the ideas? BYU brings people from all over polynesia. I remember one young man talking to us who was from one tiny island (I'm sorry, now I don't remember where)going to school ata BYU for computer systems. He said the trouble was not much folks had electricity on his island. Hard for run computers w/o power. But at least the knowledge was there. What he wanted to do is open and run a TV station. But think of the impact. Education is so valuable. Lack of knowledge is what keeps sterotypes and hatred going. I love that idea.
Also, points well made about the inter-island ferryl I hear in the old songs about the various ships that were inter-island in the olden days (i.e., Hula o Makee) or in books I've read. They certaiinly had a way back then to take people to Kalaupapa.
By the way, I want to tell you a story that my daughter told us when she came home from work yesterday. She manages a ladies clothing storel She said they got some new summer clothes to put on display, one of which was a capri pants outfit and the design on the shirt said Kalaupapa Resort. See how ignorance can manifest itself. She told us that she must have picked up on Hawaiian history by osmosis, because as she said, "Even I knew that wasn't pono." |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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