Significance

My time on Oahu so far has been quite productive. I have finished a few books, visited the Bishop Museum, gone to an orientation for access to Kaho'olawe with the Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana, and confirmed two interviews. Its exciting. I never knew I was such a closet nerd.
A Call For Hawaiian Sovereignty, written by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni Kealoha Agard is one of the books that I have recently read. It opened my eyes to the illegal and unethical actions that Europeans and Americans alike took toward Hawaiians through out history. The Hawaiian monarchy was illegally overthrown on January 17, 1893 by a small group of money hungry businessmen. After the overthrow these men appointed government officials without a proper election and hastily shipped off for Washington to propose annexation into the union. The intentions were strictly for financial gain. This newly instated government owned the majority of Hawaiian lands and major sugar cane plantations. In order to receive a secure price for their sugar that superseded that of other international growers, Hawaii needed to become a territory. When the bill reached Grover Cleveland, he opposed it and ordered an investigation to be conducted on the matter. His conclusion was that the overthrow was against the will of the Hawaiian monarch and the majority of Hawaiian citizens at the time. He also referred to the deployment of the U.S. Navy in Honolulu as an "act of war." He further writes, “I suppose that right and justice should determine the path to be followed in treating this subject. If national honesty is to be disregarded and a desire for territorial extension, or dissatisfaction with a form of government not our own, ought to regulate our conduct, I have entirely misapprehended the mission and character of our government and behavior which the conscience of our people demands of our public servants.” (pg 24). Even though Grover Cleavland was opposed to the annexation and believed it was the duty of the American government to make things right, no action was taken by the U.S. government. This was the end of the Hawaiian Monarchy.
This book is very relevant to Kaho'olawe because to many, Kaho'olawe is a political symbol. Firstly, a nation needs land. Even though Kaho'olawe is small and badly abused, it belongs to the sovereign nation of Hawaii. At one time this little island sustained a substantial population. Before the introduction of goats, the island was more heavily vegetated, which as a result caused a greater percentage of rainfall. In the access orientation to Kaho'olawe, we were asked to wear water shoes for the landing because the beach is covered in river rocks. Geological history reveals that Hakioawe was where two rivers met. With malama (care) and aloha (love) for the 'aina (land), it is possible to sustain a notable population once again. The author strongly expresses how crucial it is for native Hawaiians to have a strong relationship with the land. He writes, “…If Hawaiians were to survive as a culture and as a race, they had to get back to the land and to reestablish their ties with nature”(pg 66). This book is also relevant and important because it points out many unjust circumstances in the political and legal arena that prevent or make it challenging for native Hawaiians to reestablish their own sovereign nation.
Overall this book was very helpful because it broadened my perspective and furthered my understanding pertaining to where native Hawaiians are coming from in their passionate reconciliation to the land.

Oahu

Even though Oahu and Maui are both known to be desirable destinations, they have very little in common. Honolulu is a large city packed with an extremely diverse population. For this Maui girl it takes a little getting used to. I have enjoyed my time so far. Today I went to an orientation with the Protect Kah'oolawe Ohana. I and three others were prepped on safety precautions, Hawaiian protocol, and other important topics pertaining to visiting the island. I am actually really excited to visit. Kim, who did the orientation also recommended some very good books about people who have been involved with Kaho'olawe. This was so helpful for me because it has been hard to research books that specifically focus on Kaho'olawe. I went down to the used book store and picked up three of them. I spent at least an hour there because there were so many books on Hawaiian culture and people. I will have to go back.
This trip has also been good for me because I am reconnecting with good friends and my cousins who live on island.

More Research And Transcribing

Lately I have been reading the book, Shoal Of Time: A History Of The Hawaiian Islands by Gavan Daws. This is a great book that is easy to read. But at the same time it is heavy and packed with information. Retaining it all is impossible. I am starting to make connections with my interviews and research. What I find the most intriguing is the consistent desire through out history for native Hawaiians to have a progressive and integrative relationship with the rest of the world. When King Kamehameha the first ruled he worked toward unifying the islands and preparing them for a broad world view. He traded with all sorts of merchants from all over the globe, at the same time being true to his ancient traditions. Daws writes, "With all this traffic back and forth Honolulu produced some strange juxtapositions of old and new. Kamehameha lounged in all but naked outside a European house being built for him. Native chiefs had Western names tattooed on their arms.... The American traders held Fourth of July celebrations with rickets and fireworks in the royal yam patch," (pg 48). Its very interesting to see a society that has been isolated from the Western World for hundreds of years, embrace it while holding true to their own ideologies. Many interesting coincidences took place through out Hawaiian history to prepare for the integration of the two societies. One example of this was the doing away with the ancient kapu system that Hawaiians lived by. In Pre-European times, Hawaiians had different kapus or taboos that were strictly enforced by Hawaiian priests known as Kapunas. One kapu was that men and women were forbidden to eat with each other. After king Kamehameha the first died, his wife Queen Kaahumanu challenged this kapu by persuading Kamehameha the first's son, Liholiho the new king, to dine with her. After doing so, the entire religious system was broken. Priests no longer had the same authority. The women's role in society took a complete 180 degree turn, and idols and temples all over the islands were destroyed. The Hawaiian islands were without a national religion. Within just a few months of this happening the Protestant missionaries arrived. Naturally, the general population of Hawaii embraced Christianity with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately the diplomatic hospitality of the native Hawaiian's was abused by secular and non-secular foreigners alike.
What is fascinating to me is the progressiveness of the society, but at the same time their ability to preserve their traditions. This is spoken of in the two interviews that I have done so far. Both narrators talk about using modern technologies in a culturally minded way. Mike Nahoopi'i used the example of building houses out of modern resources while using traditional chants and blessings during the building process. This could be described as living in a modern world with a native mindset so to speak.
I have finished transcribing my second interview. This interview is filled with thoughts and ideas on culture and tradition. I hope you enjoy it.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg48z7r4_12dds74wht

Transcribing

Yesterday I began transcribing the first interview. I had never completely transcribed an interview before. One hour of speaking had turned into twenty eight pages, double spaced, of writing. It was hard and took many hours. The hardest part was knowing where to put commas and periods. I have enough trouble as it is with grammar.

There is a really nice south swell right now and I have been able to get some surfing in with my dad. It has been a good way of escaping the monotony of transcribing. I am proud of myself for getting it done though. Here is the link if you are curious about how it went. It was really fun and Mike had some beautiful things to say about culture and the future of Hawaii and Kaho'olawe.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg48z7r4_10fg6k7wgp

Second Interview

Today I interviewed Kapono'ai Molitau. He is the Cultural Specialist for the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. This was an amazing experience. He is very in tune and connected to his Hawaiian culture and has been since an extremely young age. Before the interview he asked me what I hoped to do with the interviews and information that I gathered. He told me that he had been a part of other oral history projects that simply get shelved and nothing is made of them. He told me that he hoped that it would touch people and make them aware of what is going on in Hawaii and perhaps inspire people to care for the land where they live. I promised him I would do my best. He is a true Hawaiian that spoke of being the physical embodiment of his culture and representation of his ancestors. He spoke of the concept of the land being the chief and man being it's servants. Rather than ruling the land we are to care for it and love it. He talked much of the ancient history of Kaho'olawe and the voyage his ancestors took across the ocean from Tahiti. Honestly this interview was overwhelming. I was on the verge of crying at times because he was so filled with a strong authoritative passion for his land and culture. I will really have to go through this interview a few times to be able to grasp and remember all that he talked about.

Chants and Mythologies

The book Kaho'olawe Na Leo o Kanaloa, printed by 'Ai Pohaku Press is a compilation of different chants and mythologies (Meles and Mo’olelos) that make mention of the island Kaho’olawe. It is the most extensive compilation in existence. It also had many beautiful photographs taken by various well known photographers over a four-year period.
A few things about these chants and myths really impacted me. The first thing was that it answered some questions about the mythological history of the island. In the previous book that I read Kaho’olawe by Inez Macphee Ashdown, the folktale she told of the island was that it was a creation of the god Kanaloa that never came to life. That is how it acquired the name, “the island of death.” I was curious about what native Hawaiians in the past as well as the present think about that mythology. What I learned is that this island has many different mythologies. It is said to have three demigod mothers, to be a place of refuge for chiefs of ancient time, and a sacred place that the shark god protects by cruising its cliffs. It is referred to as a child, a “gleaming vagina,” and a "tenant farmer". As I can tell there are many myths that change over the generations and are different from island to island and family to family. Today it has taken on a new purpose. Rowland Reeves writes in the introduction, “Their chants express what the island has come to represent to many contemporary Hawaiians: over the past two decades, this ‘island of death’ as it was once called, has become a place of cultural refuge and cultural rebirth.”
Another aspect of these chants and stories that had an impact on me was that the native Hawaiians are carrying on these oral traditions today. One chant in particular stood out to me. It was composed by Harry Mitchell, an elder of the Protect Kaho’olawe Ohana group. It gives the entire history of the island. First it links its birth to many different deities. Then it goes into the time of king Kamehameha, the time of when their traditions were challenged by their ali'i (royalty), the western influence and forbidding of practicing ancient religion and culture, to the time of goat and cattle ranching, to the military use, all the way up to present day. This chant has become the anthem of Kaho’olawe. It is amazing to see a people reconnect with old stories, cultures and traditions, to continue the practices into their modern day lives. It shows a strong, progressive perspective on culture.

Research

For the last few days I have been doing research. I read a book called Kaho'olawe by Inez Macphee Ashdown about the island Kaho'olawe before it was seized by the U.S. military for ammunitions testing. It was leased from Hawaii by the MacPhee family in the early 1900s. Before that it was used by sheep and goat ranchers. The impact of the goats on the island resulted in almost complete deforestation. A few of the requirements for the MacPhee family were to eradicate the island of goats and reforest the land. The family was almost completely successful in doing this. By the time the Navy seized the land in 1941, there were only about 50 goats left and the island had been turned into a very successful cattle ranch.
There is a lot of mythology about this island that the author touched upon. During her time, the island was reffered to as the "island of death." I am assuming this is because of the devistation caused by the goats when her family first arrived. According to Macphee, Kaho'olawe means "gatherer of driftwood."
Scattered all over the island there are many historical sights. The author of the book recollects when a big boulder fell from a cliff and exposed an ancient burial of a warrior chief. Inside were his bones, his feather cape, an outrigger canoe, and various other items meant for him to take to the afterlife.
The book was interesting. I also indexed my first interview and scheduled my second. It will be on Tuesday with the Cultural Specialist of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission.

First Interview

Today I interviewed Mike Nahoopii. He has a long standing relationship with Kaho'olawe that goes back about twenty seven years. He is now the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission Executive Director. The interview was about an hour long and went really well. He is a really animated person that is used to giving interviews. He talked about when he first went to the island as a boy in 1981 for a camping trip and how you could find archaeological sights all over the island. Later in his Navy career he got involved with the island again by being put in charge of the Navy's ammunitions clean up and restoration project. It was really interesting to hear his perspective on the cultural significance of the island. He also helped me to understand the idea of the island being entrusted to the state and one day being given back to the Hawaiian Sovereign nation.
The interview went well. He said he enjoyed talking about all of it because a lot of times he has all these thoughts about the Kaho'olawe and his culture, but doesn't have the opportunity to really focus on them because he is so busy with other projects. I will give him a copy of the recording and transcription when I am done. I really liked doing it. Now I am going to contact a few more people for interviews. I might have to go to Oahu for the next one. Should be fun.