Art By: Dawn Tada
Untitled; Watercolor
Art 201
10/25/00
It is a typical, cold winter day in Champaign, Illinois. People wipe the snow
from their car windshields while snow plowers cruise down the streets clearing
the way for drivers. Every breath exhaled from a person's mouth creates the
impression of smoke in the air. The temperature reads 22 degrees. For a person
from Hawaii, this is not what is expected from a winter in the islands. In
fact, the temperature of a typical winter in Hawaii is 70 degrees with not
a flake of snow in sight. But the differences of Hawaii's culture compared
to the Midwest does not stop with only the weather. The "local" culture
found in Hawaii is one of ethnic diversity, and a lifestyle and attitude
not just different to Champaign, Illinois, but to the entire world.
It has been argued that the "local" part of Hawaii is being "hybridized
and absorbed into the great American multiculture." Culturally, Hawaii
already retains a multiculture of its own with its diverse ethnicities and
local traditions that evolved from them. Being "hybridized" into
American culture is something that can be expected at a technological level.
Hawaii will continue to advance technologically as long as the rest of the
world does. This is not a matter of hybridization, but rather a necessity to
survive in an ever-evolving world. Socially and culturally however, if one
were to look among the people and places of Hawaii today they would not find "a
great American multiculture" but rather a lifestyle and attitude different
from the mainland and the rest of the world.
Any local culture and identity can be a victim to many cliche's and ignorant
knowledge. In Hawaii's situation, the islands are labeled paradise. People who
live there dance the hula and eat at luaus every week. We live in grass huts
next to the beach where we surf all day and we travel by boat to get to the
mainland because Hawaii does not have any airports. I beg to differ.
The majority of people in Hawaii live in houses, apartments, or condominiums.
We have an international airport and not everyone in Hawaii surfs. I don't
know the hula, nor will I ever, and the last luau I went to was the Hawaii
Club luau for Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, three years ago.
These facts don't show any real differences than compared to living on the
mainland. If the clichZ¹s about Hawaii were true, without a doubt, there
would be a culture different from the rest of the world. But Hawaii's culture
and
identity go much deeper then those facts stated above.
My experiences of living on the mainland have been met with many of the cliches
stated above when I revealed I came from Hawaii. But it was there, living
in Champaign, Illinois, that truly made me aware of my "local" identity
and the unique, diverse culture I grew up with. By living and growing up
in Hawaii, you come to accept and take for granted what is around you.
While living in Illinois, I came across many differences than that of Hawaii.
Most notably, the majority of the people in the Midwest are Caucasian. This
didn't take me by surprise, but it was noticeable to the point where I felt
completely different, even within the Asian population from there. I became
known as the "guy from Hawaii," a distinction that made me unique
among my peers and produced the realization that my identity was different.
Before I moved to Illinois, I never saw myself as "local" in Hawaii.
That image in my head was itself a cliche of someone who talked pigeon,
dark tan, surfed, and had a really laid-back attitude.
However, people in Illinois pointed out I talked differently than them. It
wasn't pigeon, but little differences. For example I would ask "Try come
over here." The "try" was something they never used in a question
like that. Another example would be "I like try some." Or whenever
someone asked me if I wanted something or wanted to go somewhere and I did,
I would reply, "shoots." My peers in Illinois did not understand
this answer and would leave them asking, "What?" I would then explain
to them it was a way of saying "yes," "yeah," "okay." It
was a "local" term from Hawaii reserved for agreeing or an expression
of approval or excitement.
Food was another cultural difference I experienced up in Illinois. For example,
Spam. To the people on the mainland, Spam is not seen as a desirable source
of food. To generalize their view, Spam is perceived as food for the poor.
But I found out that people thought Spam should be eaten straight out of
the can, instead of actually cooking it like we do in Hawaii. I also discovered
that the sound of ukulele never sounded so good when you miss Hawaii.
It was these types of experiences that began to make me have a different
kind of pride of coming from Hawaii. It made myself really get a sense of
where
I came from and how much I loved the things that were unique to there. Everyone
was always asking things like "what's it like to live there?" "How's
the weather?" and "Why in God's name am I in Illinois?" It was
amazing how fast people on the mainland become interested in you once you tell
them you're from Hawaii. Perhaps it was that sense of "otherness" that
drew them in.
Many people who leave Hawaii for the first time to live somewhere else experience
these types of situations and feelings. It is when the person is taken away
from the islands that they realize what is so special about them. Many college
kids from Hawaii develop that sense of pride of being from the islands. In
colleges throughout the United States, "Hawaii Clubs" have been
established. All of these clubs primarily consist of students from Hawaii
going to school
on the mainland but they also represent the opportunity for anyone not from
Hawaii to join and learn about the culture and its people.
What is so unique about these "Hawaii Clubs" is that you won't find
the "Texas Club" or "Florida Club" in most major colleges
throughout the United States. "Hawaii Clubs" establish a common
goal of helping out new college freshman from Hawaii adjust to life wherever
they
are and at the same time retain a sense of culture from Hawaii, for all students.
Annual luaus from these clubs become a vehicle to showcase the unique foods,
music and traditions found in Hawaii.
Our culture in the islands represents a whole, yet within it, it encompasses
the art, lifestyle, attitude, and traditions from a diverse range of ethnic
backgrounds. Where else could you find Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino,
Hawaiian, Samoan, various Caucasian races, and others all in one place? Aside
from race and ethnicity, "local" identity consists of a love for
the islands. It is a love of the culture and lifestyle, the food, and the
people. It possesses a desire to always want to return to the islands and
always call
Hawaii home no matter where you are. It has a sense of pride and to an extent,
an ethnocentric attitude.
So what makes all this culture and identity unique to the world? Nowhere
else in the world can so many different races be found in one area that share
a
common culture. All those races have kept a sense of their ethnic traditions
but have also contributed to the culture that is Hawaii. Nowhere else in
the United States is the Caucasian race considered the minority. Hawaii has
a beauty
and feel to it that cannot be found anywhere else and it becomes a place
not just desired, but necessary to all who embrace its culture and people.
Art By: Dawn Tada
Untitled; Watercolor
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