Ohana Means Family

My daughter and I drove along the road, and would slow or stop to snap pictures, but we just couldn't get the pictures we wanted, so we pulled onto a side road that ran along the beach. As we stopped the car , we were greeted by a local pushing an empty baby stroller along. She greeted us warmly in the spirit of old Hawaii with "ohana" and "aloha." Bobbi, a woman of indeterminate age, with young skin and grey hair, is one of the Hawaiians that lives in this village on the beach. I explained to Bobbi that we were taking some pictures for an article I was writing for an online journal. She got very excited ... and invited us into her camp. She was not only willing to share her experiences with us but called others – Susie, Nick and Dennis -- to the table to share with us as well.

What occurred next was humbling and uplifting at the same time and inexpressible. My first impression as I looked around, was, here are people with nothing. But that was my impression when I arrived; by the time I left, I was just beginning to understand that these people were rich in ways that we have a hard time understanding. Not only were they rich, they had enriched my life in an indefinable way. There is much talk in Hawaiian political circles about "cleaning up the beach." But as we looked around, the beach was clean ... free of garbage and debris, with only a lone hot pink surfboard standing in the sand accenting the pristine beauty of the ocean view. It’s obvious that "cleaning up the beach" really translates into moving these people into homeless shelters: All for their own good, mind you, but never-the-less against their will.

As we sat there listening to Bobbi and her friend Susie talk about their lives, I realized that just because we haoles think we know what is best for them, nobody has listened to them. Bobbie says "Nobody speaks for us," and Susie chimes in "We are just Social Security Numbers."

I want to speak for them. I am not an eloquent writer, and but I can only hope that a small fraction of what I am feeling in my heart will come across in these words.

A Brief History

The Great King Kamahemaha the First welcomed all to the shores of his island paradise. To perpetuate this philosophy, there are no "private" beaches in Hawaii, yet, perversely, these Hawaiian people are being forced from the beaches into homeless shelters. They aren't homeless, they are home. As Bobbi observed, she has a beachfront home, and she swept her arm to encompass the ocean ... "Why would I want to move into a cage?"

They are happy with their life -- and their way of life. Who are we to decide what is best for them?

The shores of Nanakuli and Waianae are "sacred" in the ancient Hawaiian tradition. Just a short distance up the road is Kaneana, where all life is said to have come from.

Kaneana is a sacred "ana" (cave) that ancient Hawaiians named after Kane, the God of Creation. From inside the depth of Kaneana, symbolic of the earth goddess's womb, mankind emerged and his existence spread throughout the Waianae coast. The souls of those who passed on go to Kalae O Kala'au (Ka'ena Point). From there souls ascend to Po, the realm of ancestral spirits, completing the cycle of life. -- taken from the placard in front of the cave

It has been a standard of Manifest Destiny to not only conquer an indigenous people, but to ensure their integration into the mainstream of capitalistic society by removing their belief systems and "educating" their children. This education includes -- but is not limited to -- the subjugation of their native tongue and the conversion to a more acceptable belief system -- namely Christianity (or in the case of the Hawaiian people, Mormonism and Catholicism).

Until 1893, Hawaii was ruled by a monarchy, with the last of this line being Queen Liliuokalani. The Queen's story is an incredibly sad tale, as she was imprisoned in her palace to keep her from bearing heirs as Sanford Dole usurped power and declared himself President of the Hawaiian Republic. In 1900 Hawaii became a Territory of the United States and Sanford Dole was sworn in as Governor.

From 1779 when Captain James Cooke, the first "haole," landed on the shores of Big Island, until today, the Hawaiian people have resisted the encroachment of the haoles and their business interests. Yet, 228 years later, these Hawaiian people on the beaches of Nanakuli welcomed us into their homes, with open arms and aloha. These people with no material wealth shared what little wealth they did have.

As Bobbi and I discussed some of the history of the islands, she talked about books she had, and before I left her, she made them a gift to me. For her, though tattered and dog-eared, they are treasures without price and she presented them to me with great pride. These people are not asking for anything. They don't want a hand-out and they most certainly don't want to be taken care of ... all they want is to be allowed to live, to be.

Is it really too much to ask, after all we have taken from them?

For the Hawaiian people, these islands are truly, Paradise Lost.

Notes

*There is some disagreement as to the true derivative meaning of haole, but I will go with this.