Hawaii: through a transparent lens
Vacations. Top-notch service. A paradise that seems so unreal it seems like fantasy. When most Americans think of Hawaii, this is probably what comes to mind. But is this truly what Hawaii solely consists of? A getaway island destination that exists to serve its temporary and materialistic guests? In this article, I hope to do research and reveal how harmful the tourist industry and glorified view of the island as a spiritual retreat truly has been on the island and the natives of the land. Hawaii has always been viewed as something to conquer and take advantage of rather than being an entity to be respected and valued. I think there is a lot to work with in terms of the timeline of how the Hawaiian kingdom was overthrown by outsiders, how the natives were Evangelized, to the natives and Hawaii as a whole being so reliant on the tourist industry to survive at the expense of their tradition, culture, and well-being. In our present-day culture, a family vacation or even spiritual getaway in Hawaii is so normalized, especially through its portrayals in media- including children movies like Moana and Lilo and Stitch. It’s time to face the truth and prevent this matter from progressing further. Cultures and people of other backgrounds should be respected and valued rather than being erased for the sake of fulfilling short-lived materialistic desires.
The conquest of Hawaii began in the early 1700’s when American traders arrived in Hawaii ready to take advantage of an important resource at the time, Sandalwood. In the following decades, many other resources, such as sugar and fruit, originating from Hawaii became of interest to American businesses further fueling their exploitative tendencies on the island. After the Hawaiian monarchy refused to obey the greedy asks of the American businessmen, the monarchy was eventually overthrown and Hawaii was eventually annexed, unwillingly, into the United States (History.com Editors).
Following the overthrow of the monarchy, a travelogue painted such a falsified picture of the situation in Hawaii- in a way that further fueled the white-savior complex and to somehow convince America they were doing the right thing and saving Hawaii from their native ways. For instance, the travelogue said, “The missionaries arrived at a ‘‘critical period,’’ after the ‘‘breaking down’’ of the tabu system and ‘‘abandonment [of] idols [had left] the people without any religion.’’ Having ‘‘come under the condemnation of the nation,’’ the ancestral religion was ‘‘cast aside [as] worse than useless.’’ The missionaries rescued bodies and souls: ‘‘Christianity saved the Hawaiian race from complete collapse and disappearance from the earth.’’ The land discovered by the missionaries was as ‘‘worthless’’ as the moral state of Hawaiians” (Skwiot). In this case, not only is the pushing of Christinianity and American ideals onto the natives of Hawaii already forceful and wrong, but the historical accounts that were produced following such events were written in such a bias of preserving the white-savior complex rather than revealing the truth to the public.
What is especially troubling is that even with the knowledge of what happened in the past was wrong, society has yet to change. The imperialism trends and desires of the 19th century still remain in today’s society. To this day, there are still missionaries traveling to Hawaii in hopes of converting natives, resources and labor remain extensively exploited and abused, and, still, many travel and view Hawaii with a selfish and ambitious mindset rather than respecting the land and the people of it.
The sentiments and revelations of the colonization and assimilation that has been forced upon Hawaii for centuries is often overlooked- not just due to modern society’s ignorance towards the matter but because historical texts incorrectly depict the events of the past. Haunani-Kay Trask captures the situation and its rippling effects even generations later of incorrect historical accounts, discrepancies between ancestral experiences and those reflected in school mandated textbooks, and what this means for the youth of Hawaii. Since fact and logic has been twisted to benefit monetary and cultural interests of the conquerors, Trask relies on appealing to the speaker’s sense of ethos in her publication, Night Is a Sharkskin Drum, to convey the implications of the American tourist industry, militarization, and pushing of religion. Specifically in “From a Native Daughter”, a work in the aforementioned publication, Trask communicates the feeling of not even being able to trust school-mandated education to portray the truth of Hawaii’s past (Trask). Trask incorporates a personal perspective into the narrative, making it engaging and eye-opening as she struggles to understand the truth of her homeland’s past and grapples with the difference in stories she hears from her mother and the white-washed, polished stories delivered in her school’s textbooks- coming from a place that ideally should be trustworthy and secure source of information especially for a growing and learning child. Trask’s account shows this is far from the truth. Although the tragic events of the past are saddening, what is even more frustrating is how the modern day education system and America as a whole tries to hide from the truth. After all, if we fail to acknowledge the events of the past transparently, how can we expect to learn from past mistakes and move forward so that to ensure no such white-washing and conquering takes place again? Society’s failure to acknowledge the truth of Hawaii’s past and initiate discussion regarding the matter prevents us from facing the harsh reality and hinders us realizing these faults from repeating. Although the colonization and power-seizing may not be taking place at the level as drastic as in the past, the modern-day tourist industry among other business endeavors still forces many native Hawaiians to succumb to the economic pressures of the rich and powerful in America, thus preventing them from leading a life of sovereignty and freedom they deserve.
Being educated and aware of the history of Hawaii is a good starting point. However, the revelations mean nothing if there is no change in action. Resources like “Detours: a decolonial guide to Hawaii” aim to do just that- help people change their ways. The book “is a guide to Hawai‘i that does not put tourist desires at the center. It will not help re-create the discovery narrative. It will not help people find paradise. It does not offer solace in a multicultural Eden where difference is dressed in aloha shirts and grass skirts. This book is meant to unsettle, to disquiet, and to disturb the “fact” of Hawai‘i as a place for tourists. It is intended to guide readers toward practices that disrupt tourist paradise” (Aikau). By taking steps in this direction- away from the tourist-first, self-centered view of Hawaii, progress can be made. Progress in preventing the exploitation of future generations of Hawaiians to, progress in healing from the trauma and loss of business greed, and progress in reclaiming their land, culture, and identity.
Education and discussion are powerful tools to initiate change in society; for example take the American Revolution that freed a set of 13 colonies from the financial and political shackles that were being imposed unfairly upon them. So how ironic that the country that once liberated itself is now in a position of imposing such similar shackles upon indigenous populations? The context and ways of doing so have changed but the parallels are uncanny and must be addressed. It starts with internalizing the notion that the natives of Hawaii are, in fact, people themselves- people with hopes, desires, and ambitions. They should not be limited by the pressures of the modern day tourist industry and the extraneous demands of a materialistic world that forces them into being servants at the leisure of the rich. This is not a call to just cut off contact altogether from Hawaii; rather, it is a call to create an environment where Hawaiians have the virtue of choice. Rather than falling into the generational cycle of experiencing the consequences of financial burden and having limited options of making a living for themselves- Hawaiians should be able to choose. This starts with society thinking for themselves and changing their actions; rather than continuing to book a lavish resort in Hawaii just because your friends are, take a tip from Aikau’s Detour guide and take a more unconventional and rewarding approach to a trip in Hawaii. Rather than just following materialistic urges, think about the implications of your actions to those around you rather than just blindly following a short term impulse. If you are privileged enough to have the opportunity to speak up and make a difference then do so- not just for you but for those who do not have the same resources and knowledge you do. Moreover, grassroots movements are pivotal in sparking change; by gathering interest legislators and politicians can be held accountable to ensure that native communities in Hawaii can be protected and not taken advantage of. By following such courses of action, it will not just be benefiting the people of Hawaii but society as a whole as it can help us all move in the right direction and learn from the mistakes of the past.
Sources:
Aikau, Hokulani K, and Vernadette V. Gonzalez. Detours: A Decolonial Guide to Hawai’i. , 2019. Internet resource.
History.com Editors. “Americans Overthrow Hawaiian Monarchy.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-overthrow-hawaiian-monarchy.
Skwiot, Christine. The Purposes of Paradise: U.s. Tourism and Empire in Cuba and Hawaiʻi. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. Internet resource.
Trask, Haunani-Kay. Night Is a Sharkskin Drum. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2002. Internet resource.
