Love these vimeos and will keep on watching. Education is absolutely key, however I’m baffled around the 41 min. mark when everything seems to take a more emotional turn rather than scholarly/historical.
Can anyone please explain what the host was attempting with her remarks that distinguished and then pitted kanaka against one another in one swoop?
And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the type of conversation that Dr. Kauai was trying to dispel with this new dialogue?
I know I’m only one mainland born, fair skinned Kanaka, Ms. Cruz, but I’ve met many others who have endured racism from their Kanaka peers who were born here or raised here, graced by “circumstance”.
If anything, it is the term “local” that needs to be examined more carefully.
Like you, I am a fair-skinned maoli born in a foreign land. I initially experienced racism that was directed against my dark skinned sister and my pure maoli mother when we lived in Mississippi. When I was 6 my Cherokee/Irish father passed away and my mom brought us to her home in Hawaii. Although I was the son of a pure maoli wahine, my skin was light. Where we first lived (Nanakuli), white was not a popular skin color. The racism reversed to where my sister and mom were welcomed and my two younger brothers and I were on the “outside.” I actually like the sharing of personal experiences that begins shorlty after minute 41 in Dr. Cruz’s video. It shows the “human” side of the subject matter rather than just the boring scholarly perspective. Personally, I have always been of the opinion that “Hawaiian” is a nationality rather than a race. Hawaiian is a term many have adopted to refer to kanaka oiwi/kanaka maoli. I openly shared my perspective on a very similar subject matter back in 2007 on “Voices of Truth.” Voice of Truth is a wonderful effort to spread the truth about Hawaii and its people by the Koani Foundation. Maalo to ‘Ehu and Kaiopua!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXXoD5b1VYo
Mahalo for the link Paka. I read all of the remarks going back 5 years. Really cool that you’ve been getting your message out there to the world for so long and it has over 6K views! And thanks for your mana’o. I didn’t mean to detract from the positive message of national identity that was being discussed, you know, but I will never understand the mentality of what the host was articulating.
Aloha!
After watching that part of the video, I too was very confused. What is Lynette trying to say? I’m a kanaka “born and raised” and I can say through my life experience that I’ve never seen so much exclusion from the “local” and ethnic hawaiian towards non-born hawaiians coming home. I remember how these kids were treated in school, and they were looked at as just another outsider. I always thought, wow a kanaka coming home and they’re treated like just another foreigner. And this was coming from both hawaiian and non-hawaiian children. Is this an example of the exclusion that Ms. Cruz has never witnessed? I’ve seen this attitude my entire life amongst “locals” and ethnic hawaiians who were “born and raised”. Lynette must have been turning a blind eye if she hasn’t ever seen this attitude from the “local” community. In my own family, I’ve seen division amongst us strictly because of our ethnic make-up. As a part-hawaiian child, we were treated far differently than the “full blood” japanese cousins. Is this division by the “locals” who Lynette claims she has never witnessed?
I think for the hawaiians who haven’t been “born and raised” in these islands, these attitudes that they’ve had to face after returning may cause them to feel like they have to “protect”, as Lynette puts it. Maybe these kanaka who return are trying to regain something that they weren’t as fortunate (“circumstances”) to have had growing up somewhere other than their homeland.
By making this statement, was Ms. Cruz trying to divide the kanaka’s? My mindset is that kanaka is kanaka, whether you were born here or not.
By the way, did anyone catch if Dr. Kauai ever answered Lynette’s question? Sounded like he side stepped that one.
I think Dr. Cruz was referencing something that Dr. Kanalu
Young had stated to at 41. She speaks about being born
and raised here in Hawaii whether Hawaiian or NOT, having
a kind of privilege over ethnic Hawaiians not raised in Hawaii
coming back home.
I think she noticed that ethnic Hawaiians coming home seem to
be more protective to somehow prevent any further loss!
IMHO, I think that the level of Kuleana plays a big role as to how
people react to information presented to them, you just never
know! We here on this site are privileged to have had information
to connect the dots that we can base our conviction and know
the steps to take because of those facts!
On the extreme, someone exposed to same information presented
to us may react like: Eh, too long already Hawaii has been under
U.S. control, no can do nothing, but on the other hand, super
charged Kuleana may think: We need to fight the U.S. military to
get our aina back!
Again, knowing the facts will make you react accordingly no matter
who you are or where you’re from. As Dr. Sai stated more then
once: “it is what it is.”
The key is education, everyone has to go through this learning
curve. The more accurate our cognition of the legal as well
as political issues concerning our Hawaiian kingdom the better
position we will be in to help others sharpen their concepts of
what happened in the Hawaiian islands!
Pololei. Mahalo no kou mana`o. We need to focus on the issues to prevent division of our nation. Don ‘t let ignorance sidestep the truth. We have a long history of being brainwashed. It won’t happen overnight to correct it. What we should do is support our nationality. The white supremacy attitude will eventually turn itself around if we keep educating ourselves.
Hear, hear! I agree too, Doreene! If we ever do get de-occupied, I seriously hope we will not have a divided Hawaii. Especially though ethnicity! That would be so not the historical morale of the H.K.–a happy, peaceful country where everyone is ohana and who can technically become a national of this country regardless of their ethnicity–something that the U.S. can pretty much not understand socially! Especially in the 19th century! Furthermore, having that kind divided society would be so like the occupation! And we all know that living under this occupation is absolutely terrible! So why bring that terror into the H.K.? No make sense!
Yep! We cannot let ignorance sidestep the truth! You all gotta forgive everyone around you in Hawaii. Its not anybody’s fault one was brainwashed since early childhood, which I do have to admit the occupation has done a masterful job in institutionalizing it! And yes of course as what Doreene said, it will not happen overnight to correct it. That’s pretty much impossible! In fact it took me almost 3 years to fathom the legal fact that Hawaii is occupied by the U.S.! That is why yes education is the highest key! When you know the legal and political history of Hawaii, you’ll know the difference of what makes sense and what is full of valaau!
Dr. Sai wrote a paper where it mentioned that citizenship should/would be based upon a person’s genealogy (regardless of ethnicity), upon the individual’s ability to show lineage of an ancestor born in the kingdom (not to parents serving as ambassadors of other nations), prior to the overthrow.
Whatever is deemed legal by international standards is what would have to be carried out, but I found that description the easiest to follow and accept. It was not exclusive, rather inclusive, however, it was something that was not arbitrary. He points out that we can broaden our citizenship afterwards, but that would be the point to start at.
BTW, is anyone watching what’s happening in Ukraine? Those are pockets of people who feel loyalty towards Russia, right? How many local/Kanaka Maoli people do you know who are going to have similar feelings?
Kū kilakila ʻo Haleakalā, mōlaʻelaʻe i ka mālamalama o ka lā, haʻaheo hoʻi i kona keiki, hanohano mau i nā hana kūpono a ka mea i hānai ʻia ma kona poli, i hānai ʻia i ka ʻulu i pala ma ke kua!
Yeah I checked out that video a couple days ago! Really good stuff! I would like to know more! Much more!
Love these vimeos and will keep on watching. Education is absolutely key, however I’m baffled around the 41 min. mark when everything seems to take a more emotional turn rather than scholarly/historical.
Can anyone please explain what the host was attempting with her remarks that distinguished and then pitted kanaka against one another in one swoop?
And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the type of conversation that Dr. Kauai was trying to dispel with this new dialogue?
I know I’m only one mainland born, fair skinned Kanaka, Ms. Cruz, but I’ve met many others who have endured racism from their Kanaka peers who were born here or raised here, graced by “circumstance”.
If anything, it is the term “local” that needs to be examined more carefully.
Aloha Noelani,
Like you, I am a fair-skinned maoli born in a foreign land. I initially experienced racism that was directed against my dark skinned sister and my pure maoli mother when we lived in Mississippi. When I was 6 my Cherokee/Irish father passed away and my mom brought us to her home in Hawaii. Although I was the son of a pure maoli wahine, my skin was light. Where we first lived (Nanakuli), white was not a popular skin color. The racism reversed to where my sister and mom were welcomed and my two younger brothers and I were on the “outside.” I actually like the sharing of personal experiences that begins shorlty after minute 41 in Dr. Cruz’s video. It shows the “human” side of the subject matter rather than just the boring scholarly perspective. Personally, I have always been of the opinion that “Hawaiian” is a nationality rather than a race. Hawaiian is a term many have adopted to refer to kanaka oiwi/kanaka maoli. I openly shared my perspective on a very similar subject matter back in 2007 on “Voices of Truth.” Voice of Truth is a wonderful effort to spread the truth about Hawaii and its people by the Koani Foundation. Maalo to ‘Ehu and Kaiopua!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXXoD5b1VYo
Aloha, Isaac “Paka” Harp
Mahalo for the link Paka. I read all of the remarks going back 5 years. Really cool that you’ve been getting your message out there to the world for so long and it has over 6K views! And thanks for your mana’o. I didn’t mean to detract from the positive message of national identity that was being discussed, you know, but I will never understand the mentality of what the host was articulating.
Aloha!
After watching that part of the video, I too was very confused. What is Lynette trying to say? I’m a kanaka “born and raised” and I can say through my life experience that I’ve never seen so much exclusion from the “local” and ethnic hawaiian towards non-born hawaiians coming home. I remember how these kids were treated in school, and they were looked at as just another outsider. I always thought, wow a kanaka coming home and they’re treated like just another foreigner. And this was coming from both hawaiian and non-hawaiian children. Is this an example of the exclusion that Ms. Cruz has never witnessed? I’ve seen this attitude my entire life amongst “locals” and ethnic hawaiians who were “born and raised”. Lynette must have been turning a blind eye if she hasn’t ever seen this attitude from the “local” community. In my own family, I’ve seen division amongst us strictly because of our ethnic make-up. As a part-hawaiian child, we were treated far differently than the “full blood” japanese cousins. Is this division by the “locals” who Lynette claims she has never witnessed?
I think for the hawaiians who haven’t been “born and raised” in these islands, these attitudes that they’ve had to face after returning may cause them to feel like they have to “protect”, as Lynette puts it. Maybe these kanaka who return are trying to regain something that they weren’t as fortunate (“circumstances”) to have had growing up somewhere other than their homeland.
By making this statement, was Ms. Cruz trying to divide the kanaka’s? My mindset is that kanaka is kanaka, whether you were born here or not.
By the way, did anyone catch if Dr. Kauai ever answered Lynette’s question? Sounded like he side stepped that one.
Aloha kakou,
I think Dr. Cruz was referencing something that Dr. Kanalu
Young had stated to at 41. She speaks about being born
and raised here in Hawaii whether Hawaiian or NOT, having
a kind of privilege over ethnic Hawaiians not raised in Hawaii
coming back home.
I think she noticed that ethnic Hawaiians coming home seem to
be more protective to somehow prevent any further loss!
IMHO, I think that the level of Kuleana plays a big role as to how
people react to information presented to them, you just never
know! We here on this site are privileged to have had information
to connect the dots that we can base our conviction and know
the steps to take because of those facts!
On the extreme, someone exposed to same information presented
to us may react like: Eh, too long already Hawaii has been under
U.S. control, no can do nothing, but on the other hand, super
charged Kuleana may think: We need to fight the U.S. military to
get our aina back!
Again, knowing the facts will make you react accordingly no matter
who you are or where you’re from. As Dr. Sai stated more then
once: “it is what it is.”
The key is education, everyone has to go through this learning
curve. The more accurate our cognition of the legal as well
as political issues concerning our Hawaiian kingdom the better
position we will be in to help others sharpen their concepts of
what happened in the Hawaiian islands!
Hope this helps,
Wayne
Pololei. Mahalo no kou mana`o. We need to focus on the issues to prevent division of our nation. Don ‘t let ignorance sidestep the truth. We have a long history of being brainwashed. It won’t happen overnight to correct it. What we should do is support our nationality. The white supremacy attitude will eventually turn itself around if we keep educating ourselves.
Aloha piha
Hear, hear! I agree too, Doreene! If we ever do get de-occupied, I seriously hope we will not have a divided Hawaii. Especially though ethnicity! That would be so not the historical morale of the H.K.–a happy, peaceful country where everyone is ohana and who can technically become a national of this country regardless of their ethnicity–something that the U.S. can pretty much not understand socially! Especially in the 19th century! Furthermore, having that kind divided society would be so like the occupation! And we all know that living under this occupation is absolutely terrible! So why bring that terror into the H.K.? No make sense!
Yep! We cannot let ignorance sidestep the truth! You all gotta forgive everyone around you in Hawaii. Its not anybody’s fault one was brainwashed since early childhood, which I do have to admit the occupation has done a masterful job in institutionalizing it! And yes of course as what Doreene said, it will not happen overnight to correct it. That’s pretty much impossible! In fact it took me almost 3 years to fathom the legal fact that Hawaii is occupied by the U.S.! That is why yes education is the highest key! When you know the legal and political history of Hawaii, you’ll know the difference of what makes sense and what is full of valaau!
Aloha
Dr. Sai wrote a paper where it mentioned that citizenship should/would be based upon a person’s genealogy (regardless of ethnicity), upon the individual’s ability to show lineage of an ancestor born in the kingdom (not to parents serving as ambassadors of other nations), prior to the overthrow.
Whatever is deemed legal by international standards is what would have to be carried out, but I found that description the easiest to follow and accept. It was not exclusive, rather inclusive, however, it was something that was not arbitrary. He points out that we can broaden our citizenship afterwards, but that would be the point to start at.
BTW, is anyone watching what’s happening in Ukraine? Those are pockets of people who feel loyalty towards Russia, right? How many local/Kanaka Maoli people do you know who are going to have similar feelings?
Kū kilakila ʻo Haleakalā, mōlaʻelaʻe i ka mālamalama o ka lā, haʻaheo hoʻi i kona keiki, hanohano mau i nā hana kūpono a ka mea i hānai ʻia ma kona poli, i hānai ʻia i ka ʻulu i pala ma ke kua!