Hawai’i: Deconstructing “Paradise”

An Intercultural SeminarPresented by Allison Brown

October 24th, 2012

Hawai’i: What comes to mind?/Qué te viene la

mente?

Other realitiesOtras realidades

Where is Hawai’i? Dónde está Hawai’i?

Where is Hawai’i?Dónde está Hawai’i?

Where is Hawai’i?Dónde está Hawai’i?

Population: 1,374,810 (July 2011)Distance from continental US:

2,390 miles/3,845 kmDistance from Japan: 3,850 miles/ 6,194 km

Caption: Guess which one is me Adivina quien soy yo?

Who are “Hawaiians”?Quiénes son los “Hawaiianos”?

Note: The first table is drawn from information gathered by the Department of Health, whereby ethnicity is determined by parent’s racial background. In the other table, drawn from Census data, participants self-select ethnicity.

Identity CategoriesCategorías de identidad

Haole

Kanaka MaoliLocal

Kanaka Maoli: Native Hawaiian

Biologically and culturally based (“blood quantum”)Fundado en la biología y la cultura (“quantum de sangre”)

Closely related to the history of Hawai’i and colonization of the islandsMuy relacionado con la historia de Hawai’i y la colonización de las islas

The claiming and recuperation of a Kanaka Maoli identity has also become a political act, which works against American hegemonyLa recuperación de la identidad Kanaka Maoli se ha convertido en un acto político, que trabaja contra la hegemonía Americana

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

Ahupua’a: system of land division and management, based on family units (ohana)Sistema de administración y división de tierra, basado en las familias (ohana)

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

Captain James Cook “stumbled upon” Hawai’i in 1778 during third Pacific voyageCapitan James Cook encontró Hawai’i por acidente en 1778, durante su tercer viaje por el Pacífico

100 years later, 90% of Hawai’i’s indigenous population would be dead from diseases introduced by Cook and his men100 años después, 90% de la población indígena murió a causa de las enfermedades traídas por Cook y sus marineros

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

Queen Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawai’i

“I yield to the superior force of the United States of America…Now to avoid any collision of armed forces and perhaps the loss of life, I do under protest, and impelled by said force, yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States, shall, upon being given the facts presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.”

-Queen Liliuokalani,January 17th, 1893

Kanaka Maoli Today/Hoy en diaNative Hawaiians continue to disproportionately

experience the effects of structural violence, including:Los Hawaianos nativos siguen vivendo bajo los efectos de una violencia estructural desproporcionada, que incluye: Higher rates of incarceration/Altos niveles de

encarcelamiento Higher rates of cancer, asthma and heart disease/Altos

niveles de cáncer, asma y efermedades del corazón Higher prevalence of drug, alcohol abuse and

suicide/Altos niveles de consumo del alcohol y drogas, y suicidio

“Socioeconomic data reveal that it is Kanaka Maoli who are suffering most in the islands. Programs and entitlements benefiting Kanaka Maoli are small steps toward reconciliation for colonization, an illegal overthrow, and annexation.” (Rohrer 2010, 100)

Kanaka Maoli Today/Hoy en dia

Indigenous knowledge Resistance

Academia Hawaiian practices

Culture and spirituality

Haole: Caucasian Haole identity is both biological (ancestry and place of

origin) and performative (acting “haole” even if one is not necessarily white)La identidad haole es biológica (ascendencia y lugar de origen), y performativa (actuar de forma “haole” aunque no necesariamente seas blanco)

Specifically makes reference to the history of colonialism in the islandsEspecíficamente hace referencia a la historia del colonialismo en Hawaii

Some define haole as the anti-identity: Anti-local, anti-Kanaka Maoli, which reduces complex relationships to mere binariesAlgunos lo definan como una anti-identitdad: Anti-local, anti-Kanaka Maoli, que reduce relaciones complejas en binarios simples

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

Honolulu Rifles Club Hawaii League for Annexation

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

Haole Today/Hoy en diaHaole can be a diverse categorization, ranging from

white people with deep roots in Hawai’i to newcomers and tourists fresh from the “mainland”Haole puede ser una categorización diversa, que incluye gente blanca con raíces en Hawai’I, turistas, y recien llegados del “continente”

New census data finds that haoles are rapidly becoming the largest ethnic minority in Hawai’i, as more local and Kanaka Maoli people leave the islandsNueva información del censo dice que los haoles pronto van a ser la minoría más grande de Hawai’i

Haoles can often be unaware of the privileged place they occupy society, where colonial structures and systems tend to work in their favorMuchas veces, los haoles ocupan un lugar de privilegio en la sociedad, sin darse cuenta de las estructuras y sistemas colonialistas que trabajan a su favor

Haole and the Military

Local: Mixing culturesMezclando culturas

Local identity is based on a singular or mixed ethnic ancestry, which could include Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Pacific Islander, Portuguese, among others.Una identidad local está basada en una etnia ancestral singular o mezclada, que pueda incluir a los/las japoneses, chinos, filipinos, koreanos, isleños del Pacifico, portugueses, entre otros

This identity was forged in the last century through the plantation experience in Hawai’IEsta identidad se formó en el último siglo durante la época de las plantaciones de azúcar en Hawai’i

A brief history of Hawai’iUna breve historia de

Hawai’i

Hawai’i Creole English (pidgin)

http://www.pbshawaii.org/ourproductions/pidgin.htm

Local Identity today/Hoy en diaLocal identity is used by some to emphasize Hawai’i as

a “racial paradise,” or successful “melting pot”La identidad local a veces sirve para poner énfasis en el “paraíso étnico” de Hawai’i

In many parts of the state, Japanese and Chinese locals are form a growing middle class, while more recent immigrants from the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia tend to have lower status and powerEn muchas partes del estado, los locales con raíces japonesas y chinas forman la clase media, mientras que los recién llegados de las islas del Pacífico y el sureste de Asia tienen menos estatus y poder

“Local is a cultural identity, but it is also an inherently political identity that can be used by those who wish to gloss over and minimize the historical differences between Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians” (Rosa 2000, 101).

Looking forward: Sovereignty and justice

Hacia el futuro: Soberanía y justicia

Looking forward: Sovereignty and justice

Hacia el futuro: Soberanía y justicia

Green and pink: Ceded lands held by state and federal government in public trustOrange: Hawaiian homelandsPurple: Kamehameha Schools and Bishop EstatesRed: Liliuokalani Estate

Why? Por qué?Relation to other identity-based conflicts, as well

as struggles for nationalism, recognition and self-determinationTienen relación con otros conflictos basados en la identidad, las luchas de nacionalismo, reconocimiento, y auto-determinaciónNorthern Ireland, Palestine, Quebec, Spanish

nationalism, among othersRelationship to broader context in the Pacific

hemisphereEl contexto más grande del hemisferio del PacíficoNew Caledonia (Kanaky), Fiji, New Zealand

(Aotearoa), Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Tahiti, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands

“….Recognizing that each of us has multiple identities, that none of us is simply haole, Hawaiian, or local. Many of us claim multiple racial affiliations, in addition to an unending and always shifting host of other identities, including gender, sexuality, ability, class, age, nationality, region, and religion…Action founded on shared political commitment, on coalition across difference, that does not flatten difference, might be most effective.” (Rohrer 2010, 103)

Photo by Haruka Komatsu

Mahalo Nui LoaThank You

Gracias

Sources/FuentesRohrer, Judy (2010), Haoles in Hawai’i, Honolulu,

University of Hawai’i Press.Trask, Haunani-Kay (1999), From A Native Daughter: Colonialism and sovereignty in Hawai’i, Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press.Howes, Craig and Jon Osorio (eds) (2010), The Value of Hawai’i: Knowing the past, Shaping the future, Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press.