Hawaiian Culture Essay

After researching the Hmong culture, I learned several interesting facts about their culture, ceremonial practices, and their views on death and dying of a loved one. Many people in the Hmong culture believe in multiple souls that reincarnate. Although for this to occur, these individuals believe that an honored deceased member must have a proper burial to enter the spirit world in a positive way. Funerals in the Hmong culture last for many days, and the more revered the deceased is the longer the funeral may be. Animal sacrifice is a common ritual performed at a Hmong funeral and the animal is used to provide food for the people attending the funeral (Purnell, 2014, p. 246).

The shocking outcome of Kahahawai’s murder trial not only infuriated Hawaiian residents, but destroyed any trust they had with the haole (white elite), calling them “traitors,” and always questioning their “conspiratorial maneuverings” to defend other haole (Rosa, 96-97). The racial hierarchy that created this distrust also served to reinforce a separation between the haole and native Hawaiians, thus leading to many natives questioning their power within their own society. They attempted to identify a “local identity,” which “position[ed] oneself in relationship to power and place,” and found that their self-right to establish pono, or community harmony, was now under the control of the few haole (Rosa, 101). Not only was this insulting and detrimental to native political identity, but caused natives to question their personal identity as well. Even their phrase ‘local,’ used to differentiate themselves from the haole, was problematic.

I wanted to further explore this Hawaiian Goddess, and I was able to seek out a story about how the famous Hawaiian goddess first came to the islands of Hawaii. In W.D. Westervelt’s book,

Hawaii is a small nation of tribes in the Pacific Ocean that have be isolated from the rest of the world until now. We respect your ways of life but refuse to accept them. By annexing Hawaii the United States is taking away the rights of our people. We have their own government and way of life. The Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands does not support the annexation of our home lands.

According to The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2008) “There was an ever-increasing endeavor by King Kalakaua to restore the ancient Hawaiian social order with its customs and ideas of absolutism and divine right.” He also threw traditional Hawaiian parties that included hula, Hawaiian food, and Hawaiian music. Food included Lau Lau, Poi, and Kalua Pork. Music included instruments such as the ukulele and the pahu, a Hawaiian drum. Because of King Kalakaua, he was able to revive the Hawaiian culture.

Since many commoners were not familiar with the new land system, they didn’t get land but instead it went to many foreigners. With all the foreigners coming to own property and to live on Hawaii, their culture automatically was mixing with Hawaiian ways because the whites were abundant. Now that we have covered the cultural effects of the Great Mahele, we will now move on to the political effects of

Many Native Hawaiian people have lost touch with their culture. Many people around the world don’t know about the unique Hawaiian culture. People in America don’t know a lot about these unique Hawaiian arts either. Many of the old Hawaiian traditions were lost because foreigners took over the Hawaiian islands and banned many Hawaiian traditions that have been going on for decades. This loss of culture was devastating for the people and was hard to gain back after almost being completely eliminated.

Sixth journal entry we noticed that many Hawaiians are teached to do many daily routines like farming,fishing,and hunting. Seventh journal entry we want to teach Hawaiians what we do for a living like go to a church,go to school everyday,and always believe in God. Ever Since we made a written Hawaiian language we now know what the Hawaiians are writing and know now what they are saying. Since me and my brothers are teachers at one Hawaiian school we always have this feeling that this is very obnoxious to them so we try to teach them in a fun way what god is like for example if people do good things, god will good things to them. Many years later thirtieth entry I was married to a Hawaiian lady named Benja

The Japanese immigrants came to Hawaii around 1868, and during the time, there were 200,000 Japanese workers coming from Japan. The cultural aspects the Japanese immigrants brought to Hawaii was the

The United State’s annexation of Hawaii in 1898 led to the gradual destruction of the Hawaiian culture and the almost-extinction of native-born Hawaiians. The majority of the Hawaiian natives opposed the annexation of Hawaii and wanted to maintain their sovereignty. Although the Japanese could have taken over the Hawaiian islands if the United States had not, the annexation of Hawaii by the U.S. was unjustified because of the treatment of the monarchy and natives, the infringement of the natives’ self-established culture and government, and the natives’ overwhelming opposition to the U.S’s involvement in Hawaii. From 1795 to 1874, the Kamehameha Dynasty ruled over the kingdom of the Hawaiian islands. Up until the death of Kamehameha III, the U.S. had stayed out of interfering with the islands.

“If you ask ten people of Hawaiian blood what they want done, you’re likely to get 10 different answers” stated by John Fischer a Hawaii Travel Expert. Hawaii statehood day, is a controversial holiday for all the people of Hawaii. On the third Friday in August each year, schools statewide take a day off to 'celebrate' Hawaii's anniversary of becoming a state. Although, it has always been a controversial holiday as the monarchy of Hawaii was overthrown illegally. For some it is a day of remorse, others a day to look back on history and for others, it is seen as just another day off.

The Colonization of Hawaiian Identity The idea that identity can be measured, reduces the complexity of a person’s social identity to their biology and functions to shape race narratives in a way that leaves the indigenous people at a disadvantage. A continuous battle over sovereignty and claims to land continue today as many struggle with meeting the strict blood quantum regulations required. The attempt to define Hawaiian identity without having it come from the Native Hawaiians themselves, is rooted in settler colonialism and a misunderstanding of Hawaiian kinship that continues to be perpetuated by legislation.

Symbolism especially with animals played a huge part in the Native American religion party. Native American religion is something hard to define. In order for you to understand the meaning of their religion you have to grow up submersed in the beliefs,practices, and know the traditions of any tribe. It’s something really different, it isn’t the same as becoming a born-again Christian or converting to judaism. Each tribute and peoples had their own unique beliefs,legends, and rituals, but they all believed the world was filled with spirits.

Who can speak for a people? I will attempt to shed some light on these questions, using the writings this week of Sahlins, Obeyesekere and Borofsky. I feel the most important question of the three is who can speak for a people, in this case, the Hawaiian people. In this week’s reading, How “Natives” Think, Marshall Sahlins is focused on the question of whether the Hawaiian people were “victims of magical thinking and their own traditions” (p. 1) when they perceived Captain Cook “as a manifestation of their returning year-god Lono” (p. 1).

They say that one’s death is then followed by a spontaneous bodily transformation. This bodily transformation is from human to animal. The people of Korowai also believe that their dead ancestors can return to the land of living at any time by their kinsmen in the land of the dead. The others of this tribe consume the animal’s corpse to prevent kinship between animal and man.