Happy to Be a Haole in Hawaii
- Adam Michie
- Oct 21, 2016
- 2 min read
Having arrived in Kona, Hawaii two weeks prior to the majority of the students on the Hawaii Semester 2016 Fall Class, I was quickly reminded by a family friend that she considered Hawaii to be “an illegally occupied territory of the United States of America” and that I was considered “Haole from the mainland”.
I replied to her instant message and said we were treading lightly and hoping to learn as much as we could about the local culture and people of Hawaii. At that point, I really had no opinion or concept of being an unwelcome guest in this paradise. But I did what I could to recognize my responsibility to respect the lifestyle and customs of a state in our union that seems more like the foreign countries that I have visited in my life, with its jungles, volcanoes, wild pigs, Coqui frogs and beautiful, primitive coastline.
Once our program director, Lonnie Gamble, and the staff and students arrived, we began our incredible journey of learning and discovery of the Big Island and its many splendors. And we do stick out like sore thumbs, in our rental vans, with our cameras and mainland accessories, as we travel through larger cities and rural countryside. But as soon as we experienced the friendliness and the acceptance of the locals, it was clear to me that it was ok for me, to be considered a Haole in Hawaii, for the right reasons.
Where I grew up in the Midwest US, race is not discussed easily, as it is considered to be rude or it makes people uncomfortable to admit that America has always had a race problem. In Hawaii, in between the local people of Hawaiian origin and other locals of different nationalities, being white and from the mainland is just another minority in the community, or in the kine. Race relations is discussed here and met head on, given the history and the openness of the people here. Also in time, if you deserve the respect of the community, you can be ‘adopted’ by the locals or given a Hawaiian name, as a sign of respect.
We have met so many wonderful people; professors, farmers, authors, dancers and musicians, some with very distinctive names and backgrounds like Alohalani Brown, Kaliko Trapp Beamer, Sandalwood Mark, Cousin Parker, Uncle Jerry Konanui, John Keawe and Kumu Mana’olana. All names given out of historic respect for teachers and Hawaiian families.
My personal experiences as a student/tourist, traveling, seeing, planting, playing music, dancing and learning about the history, culture and people of Hawaii, has given me an understanding that the Haole label is only one part of the myriad of experiences of the Big Island. I can only wish for such an honor to be named out of respect from my community, but being called Wisconsin Adam, just doesn't have much of a ring to it! I will however hope to be recognized as being a Haole in Hawaii with good intentions, that is eager to learn more about this rich culture and beautiful people.
Aloha and mahalo from North Kohala.
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