There's a First Time for Everything

My first trip to Hawaii was in 1979. I went with my entire family and we invited the girl friends of two of my older brothers. We stayed in a vacation rental two blocks away from the beaches of Lanikai, Kailua, O’ahu, and man was that nice. At that time I was a junior in high school so it was necessary to take a week off from school, and that sure made my track coach angry. I was so excited because I had been learning Polynesian dances now for nearly 3 years and in my mind I was an expert on everything there is to know about Hawaii.

Finally, after all of the day dreaming, reading “Pidgin To Da Max,” and watching the Don Ho Show, I was landing in the Pacific Island Paradise that I someday wanted to make my home. As I disembarked the aircraft there were only two things on my mind, calling my “Calabash Cousin,” who lived on the island of Lana’i, and going to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). I will never forget the first fragrances that greeted me as I stepped out of that wide-bodied jet. They are the same fragrances that I relive every time that I land in Hawaii.

I remember the drive up the Pali as I recounted the stories that I had heard back in California from some of the Kupuna (Ederly) that resided there. I thought out loud what I had learned about crossing over the pali, but I was too embarrassed to actually ask if anyone by chance had any pork with them. Coming out of the tunnel I saw a beautiful sight that was breathtaking, almost beyond description. I wanted Dad to stop the car and fortunately there was a place to pull over and park at the scenic lookout. Kane’ohe & Kailua Bays and the majestic Ko’olau mountain range were a natural amphitheater that boldly made up Ko’olaupoko. As I stood there looking out over Windward O’ahu, I hummed in my mind trying to recall the lyrics, “Nani Ko’olau a’e po anu….”

The drive through old Kailua town had my attention focused on the hot local girls in their surf shorts, bikini tops, and rubbah slippah’s. As we came closer to our destination, Kalapawai Store caught my eye, or maybe it was the two young tita’s in front of it using the pay phone. Later I came to find out that Kalapawai Store would serve as a land mark proclaiming the gateway to the Kailua Beach areas and the pay phone in front of Kalapawai Store would serve as our only means of communication to the outside world. Passing Kailua Beach Park, we finally rounded the bend known as Alala Point, as I took notice of the old cement and stone monument that announced our arrival to, LANIKAI.

Our first excursion to the beach had my brothers and I walking down the hill from our temporary abode with a fabulous view of Na Mokulua (the two islands) called Moku Nui and Moku Iki (Big Island & Little Island). The sand was incredibly soft and fine between our toes and a bit hot too. I couldn’t believe how picture perfect was this post card that had come to life. Bleached white sands, naupaka shrubs lining the properties that met the beach line, small one man outrigger canoes, and real coconut palms swaying just as I had envisioned them from the popular Hapa Haole Songs that I had learned to hula to. It wasn’t long before we learned that Lanikai beach wasn’t known for its waves, so by my oldest brother’s request, our next beach adventure took us to Sandy Beach, the pride of Hawaii Kai.

Now Sandy’s (as the locals called it) was its own kind of body surfing extravaganza . Crowded with primarily local youth I came to understand that most of these island peers of mine were raised in these waters. It was definitely a different body surfing experience, leaving a greater impression on me than my wave riding stomping grounds outside of L.A. The wave would form quickly, creating what appeared to be a steep ninety degree vertical wall, extending 20 feet into the sky. As the wave curled over my head I had about half a second before it would just smash down on top of me and anything else in its way. It was astonishingly amazing how these young kama’aina (child of the land) could ride these waves with such precision, dropping quickly down its face and then navigating their bodies into the tube and just before the wave would close out, they somehow manage to immerse themselves back into the body of the wave before it came crushing down on top of them.  It wasn’t long before I re-embraced my love for life and decided that my body surfing days at Sandy’s had pretty much come to an end.

I don’t recall too much more that we did on that family vacation. I did go down to Kalapawai Store to use the phone and call my calabash cousin on Lana’i. I tried speaking in my best Pidgin English to impress the local girls that were waiting to use the phone after me. My oldest brother took us to a movie at the old Kailua Drive-In Movie Theater near Kapa’a Quarry Rd. I also remember pleading with my parents to either let me fly to Lana’i or take us to the PCC. My brothers voted to send me to Lana’i, but my parents wouldn’t let me go it alone, and we couldn’t get a unanimous vote to drive up to Laie.

Even though I didn’t get to stay in Hawaii, fly over to Lana’i, or spend a day at the PCC while on my first trip, I’m glad to say that the desires of my heart would be realized at a later time. This experience would be followed by a visit each summer thereafter. I traveled alone in 1980 and in 1981, but it was the trip in 1982 as we traveled as a Hula Halau (hula school), that I did not return with the troupe, but rather lingered a bit longer and made Hawaii my home. As a youth I guess I was brave enough to follow my dreams and I would encourage anyone at any age to do the same and fill their life with adventure and happiness.

When do I say Aloha?

Almost every day I use the word, “Aloha,” whether orally or written. It’s such a beautiful word and it’s recognized and known around the world.

I’m often asked, “what does aloha really mean?” My answer is always the same, “Love, pure unconditional love.”

Then comes the next question, “doesn’t it also mean hello and good-bye?”

Then comes my sermon:

I ask them, “how do you feel when you haven’t seen someone for a long time? Someone like maybe a grandparent that lives far away in another state, and maybe you see them but once every so many years. How do you feel when they finally travel all the way to see you? Is there excitement? Are there sometimes tears of joy? Well, that overwhelming feeling of love that you are experiencing, that’s aloha, and that’s how you greet them.”

“Then what about good-bye?” they ask.

“We’re not done,” I tell them. “Now that your grandparent has spent a wonderful week, maybe even a month, visiting with family, sharing recipes, buying gifts, and just really spending that personal one on one time with you. How do you feel when it's time for them to say good-bye? Is there sadness? Are there tears again? Is there that profound question felt in your heart wondering when, and if you’re ever going to see them again? Isn't it a feeling so strong that it hurts, not wanting to let them go? This too is aloha and you say it when you bid them farewell.”

I enjoy seeing the smile and satisfaction on their faces which follows. Most of the time they even say, “Aloha!” as they walk away.

Frickin’ Haole!

haole. nvs. White person, American, Englishman, Caucasian; formerly, any foreigner; foreign, introduced, of foreign origin, as plants, pigs, chickens; entirely white, of pigs. (Hawaiian-English Dictionary; Pukui & Elbert)

Hawaii is known as the “Melting Pot of the Pacific.” Its citizens are made up of people of many different cultures, races and ethnic origins. Most of today’s younger generation are a mixture of 3 or more different ethnic groups. Most of these keiki (children) of Hawaii would have to go back anywhere from 3-5 generations to identify an ancestor of any one pure ethnicity. Of these many mixed blooded descendants, most of them are proud of their Hawaiian Roots. To some, these roots mean to say of Native Hawaiian Ancestry. To others it simply means to say, “Local.” Citizens of the state of Hawaii call themselves “Local,” if they were born and/or raised in Hawaii. Some separate themselves saying that the true locals are those whose parents were also born and raised in Hawaii. The more generations you go back, the more local you are. Others have defined being local if a person has acquired the local style culture, pidgin English, taste for local food, and a sense of location in the islands.

From all of this what I want to now point out is when you trace one particular people back to the time of European Explorations, the first Christian Missionaries, the original Plantation owners, The Big Five (look it up), or those who came to surf with “The Duke,” ” da’ haole,” has an identity all of its own.  Please understand, Polynesians were the first identified race of people to inhabit the Hawaiian Islands. The second group of people, as far as we know, were the haole. Long before the Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, other Pacific Islanders, Koreans, Puerto Ricans, etc., the haole was there advising the Ali’i (Hawaiian Chiefs) and all of the members of the last monarchy starting with Kamehameha the Great himself. Next to the native Hawaiians, if there’s anyone that would be considered more local, shouldn’t it be the haole? So what is that unique haole quality that has set them apart from all of the other ethnic groups that has followed them into paradise, making Hawaii their home?

Let’s take another look at the word itself, haole. Foreign introduced, of foreign origin, with the key word being foreign. It seems that among all of the immigrants that braved the newly charted Pacific, only one maintained their distance from everything that was Hawaiian. Even though interracial marriages eventually became common with all immigrants, the haole was the most resistant to blend into the island culture. Honestly that’s not totally true, other nationalities like the Japanese were very proud and made a great effort to make their stay in Hawaii as close to their lifestyle back in Japan as they possibly could. Japanese immigrants worked hard to pass on their culture, values, language, and religion to their children, but it seems like it didn’t take too many generations before the Hawaii born Japanese offspring chose to go their own direction.

So back to the haole, was it their fair skin? It seems like, to the many people of color, that the blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion has always been envied and sought after. However, I still believe that it’s more than just that. Ever since Captain James Cook, back in latter part of the 18^th Century was mistaken as a God by some of the island natives, that haole mannerism has been perpetuated in some form and to some degree. Call it arrogance if you will. To me it’s that undeniable conquering spirit, that self proclaimed manifest destiny. The haole has always carried themselves in such a way that either you love them or you hate them. That is so true, even among themselves. To me, their adventurous spirit really means that they’re just opportunists that can’t stand being around their own kind. So they run away, but when they come across other peoples of strange cultures, they immediately claim discovery, exploit their natural resources and subject them to their own way of life. Not much has changed to date as you ask yourself what’s the real difference between acquisition and colonization?

To wrap this up, don’t be a hater. Even if the haole doesn’t do a good job of fitting in, even if he marries your sister, but won’t let you borrow his car, that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. Many of us know plenty of haole that in their own haole way are awesome people. The haole has done so much good for the world giving us all of the wonderful conveniences we enjoy today. Even if they didn’t invent it themselves, they managed to acquire it from the person who did, take credit for it and reap the financial rewards. Too good, huh? We can learn so much from our haole brothers, sisters, and ancestors (if you have some). So when you find yourself frustrated, angry, broken, or just plain humiliated because of something done by a haole, the best thing to do is try and see the good in it. Forgive and try to understand them because remember, they can’t help it, they’re haole.