(Part 2) Top products from r/Hawaii

Yeah, I know.

I originally lived in Hawai'i back in the mid-90s. I moved there for college and thought I'd be in a carefree paradise -- I was a malihini through-and-through. I ended up flunking out of U.H. (long story) and moved back to the mainland, and when I went I was actually glad to go. At that time I had been disappointed by Hawai'i and came to not like it much, for the same reasons that afflict so many other newcomers. Basically, because it didn't fit my pre-conceived narrative and I resented it for that.

However, after moving away I thought about the experience, the place, the folks I encountered from a new angle. I realized the problem had been in me (forgive me; I was young and a little more naïve than most people my age at the time). Once I let Hawai'i tell me what it was all about, I started to fall in love with it. So I began the process of educating myself. I always wanted to move back and I got that chance after Peace Corps, and I would have stayed gladly (there's no place in the world I feel more vital and connected) but I just couldn't find any full-time work. Granted, my field sucks (I have an M.A. in Creative Writing) and I don't have many other skills, so it was a pipe dream.

Anyway, "Hawaiian" in this context obviously doesn't mean "I'm of Native Hawaiian descent," but more like "I identify with Hawai'i." I would never try to claim to know it well, but I want to. In fact, I support Hawaiian self-determination and would love to see it become a sovereign nation once more, so much so that I wrote a novel about it that was a finalist in last year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. They did a write-up on it in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. That book is really my love poem to Hawai'i. I hope I get to live there again someday, and that the third time will be the charm.

This blog has some good hikes and ranks them on difficulty: http://www.unrealhawaii.com/

This book is also fantastic and helped me find and navigate a bunch of hikes when I was learning the trails: https://www.amazon.com/Hikers-Guide-Oahu-Updated-Expanded/dp/0824838998

You want views, you gotta work them (mostly):

• Pauoa Flats via Kalawahine will get you to an overlook over Nuuanu valley and this hike isn't too difficult because you start up on the ridge.
  
• Kuliuouou requires some effort, but both the hike and view are amazing. Bring lots of water and snacks.
  
• Wiliwilinui is probably the shortest hike with the best view. One big up. It's in a gated community, limited parking, get there early.
  
• Hawaii Loa is the ridge directly east of Wiliwilinui, similar view, a bit more difficult, also a gated community.
  
• Diamond Head (I know, I know), but its an easy hike with a nice view of the South shore.
  
• Mt. Olympus will give great views of Manoa and Palolo. Best to turn around when the sanctioned trail ends, but you can continue on the the summit. Though this can be a bit sketch. Turn back if you don't trust yourself.
  
• Lanipo is a LONG hike, but it does eventually summit.
  
• Aiea Loop is a nice trail that has a great view above H3 at around the halfway point.
  
• Koko Head climbs up old railway tracks and provides a nice view of the south east side.
  
• Puu O Hulu if you find yourself on the west side. Quick steep up, but great views of Waianae valley and the west side.
  
  If you're trying a new hike, don't hike alone. If you do decide to hike alone, let someone else know your plans. Always bring water (2-3 liters for the hikes mentioned above) and some snacks. Also, bring your cell phone.

I am Maoli, Native Hawaiian. I don't find it disrespectful at all when a non-polynesian person feels a powerful connection to my culture. I find it extremely respectful. There are certain kapus (taboos) about specific design not being allowed for certain people. I suggest doing your homework.

If you don't live in Hawai'i then I suggest reading one of the fantastic books published in the last few years about polynesian tattooing. The museum I work at in the UK has many fantastic books on the subject. My boss is actually and expert from the on the subject from the anthropological point of view.

Obviously each design, it's usage and placement mean something specific and are meant as a form of communication. Speaking solely for myself, if you like Travis Browne's tattoos for their aesthetic purpose, that's great (and i agree they are beautiful), but do some digging yourself to see if you can express yourself using my culture's imagery. That way when people ask you about them, or give you shit for not being of that culture, you can respond intelligently and with knowledge, proving that you're not just some fake person following a trend. I know lots of non-polynesians with polynesian tattoos. Almost all of them have done their homework. The ones that are most impressive can also speak the language (which seriously shuts up most haters bc most Hawaiian's can't even speak Hawaiian).

Edit: I would also like to add, if anyone is interested in acquiring one of the aforementioned books feel free to PM me. I don't know if any of them are available outside the UK. We also have some pretty rad books on broader aspects of Polynesian culture. Lots of amazing research and conservation is being done in the UK right now.

>“It is often said by the critics of Christian origins that certain ritual feasts, processions or dances are really of pagan origin. They might as well say that our legs are of pagan origin. Nobody ever disputed that humanity was human before it was Christian; and no Church manufactured the legs with which men walked or danced, either in a pilgrimage or a ballet. What can really be maintained, so as to carry not a little conviction, is this: that where such a Church has existed it has preserved not only the processions but the dances; not only the cathedral but the carnival. One of the chief claims of Christian civilisation is to have preserved things of pagan origin.” – G.K. Chesterton

Lots of things that are considered Christian today are rooted in what appears to be Pagan. Christmas was once Yuletide, All Hallow’s Eve(Halloween) was once Samhain, a bride wearing a veil at her wedding was once used to hide her from the “Evil Eye” spirits, etc.

One of the biggest Christian organizations the Roman Catholic Church/the Vatican grew out of one of the biggest polytheistic empires in the world “The Roman Empire” but they eventually became “The Holy Roman Empire” when they became a “Christian nation” and yet the Catholic Church preserved the things from Rome that were once Pagan, like the Pantheon, once a Roman temple dedicated to the gods became a Christian Church.

I think how Christianity “reconciles” with Modern Christian Hawaiians who want to preserve their history/culture is handled in a couple of different ways:

Biblically: A Catholic Bishop talks about how Jesus’ apostles were able to evangelize in a heavily pagan culture. The main takeaway quote from this video for me is “You can’t evangelize a culture you don’t love” The idea that “all things are redeemed” through Jesus also seems to be how to reconcile culture & faith

Historically: We are still learning about how our kūpuna(ancestors) reconciled their Hawaiian culture with Christianity as well. Historians have usually gone to English language sources to learn about Christianity in Hawaiʻi which obviously has given us a VERY biased view of what it was like for Hawaiian Christians back then but as of recently more Historians have been trying to uncover Hawaiian language based historical sources for a more balanced view of how our kūpuna justified their culture and faith. Ronald C Williams Jr. the Director of the Lāhui Hawaiʻi Research Center at University of Mānoa is interviewed on that exact topic. He also wrote a dissertation on Christianity & Hawaiians called Claimimg Christianity: The Struggle Over God and Nation in Hawaiʻi. Historian Nancy J Morris & Theologian Robert Benedetto released a book about Hawaiian Pastors called Nā Kahu giving small biographical portraits of many Native Hawaiian Christians.

Philosophically/Theologically??(Dont know if thats the right word LOL): George Heʻeu Sanford wrote a book during the beginning of the Hawaiian Renaissance called Kū Kanaka the book was a philisophic understanding of what it means to be a Hawaiian that holds Hawaiian values in the Contemporary age. The first chapter is dedicated to the topic of Religion and what that means for the modern Hawaiian. Sanford states that ka poʻe kahiko (The Hawaiians of Old) were one of the MOST religious people, everything was Ritual and Religion, sleeping, eating, canoe-building, war, etc. The philisophic claim Sanford makes is that our ancestors wouldnʻt be shocked at us for being religiously Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, etc they would be more shocked at how Secular we are. From the Christian side of philosophy JRR Tolkien, of Lord of the Rings fame, and CS Lewis, of Narnia fame, wrote two of the most “pagan” Christian fantasy book series in all of history the way they reconciled that was the idea of Christianity being the “true myth” and I think many Hawaiians see the myths of old Hawaiʻi reflected in the myths of Christianity.

Interesting story--my family flipped out a bit when the Y2K thing happened. We basically stocked up on a year's worth of supplies, mostly grains, in large, airtight sealed buckets. We had a solar oven, water purifiers, hand-cranked flashlights, you name it. Started a back-yard garden along with a bunch of other people and were growing our own veggies, beans, etc. It was actually kind of an interesting experience.

Eventually nothing happened, and the supplies got slowly used up over the years. But it was an interesting scenario to go through.

Our neighbor on Kauai across the street actually does live almost entirely like this. His house is off the grid, he's got solar and catchment, and has a large garden.

Currently, being on Oahu, if anything were to go to shit, I'd be screwed along with everyone else. On an outer island? Might have an easier time of things if you're already partially stocked and growing your own things.

EDIT: Oh, and read the book Disaster Diaries for a good look at what one person tried living like this experienced.

Excellent article, thanks for posting that. There's a chapter in the book Islands of Amnesia that covers the rat eradication programs on Palmyra and some of the other islands and atolls used as military bases over the years, really fascinating stuff.

If I remember correctly it also bolstered much of the wildlife, including the incredible coconut crabs, and helped get rid of the mosquitoes, which were not native to Palmyra, and prior to military occupation in the 1940s, didn't exist there.

Hawai'i, by James Michner.

It's pretty well researched. Gives you an idea of centuries of history from multiple characters, up to statehood.

Mango Hill, by Diana Hansen Young.

Children's books about local tales. Often the best place to start learning about a culture.


Reefsong, by Carol Severance.

Polynesian science fiction, which I've found to be an exceedingly rare thing.

>We have government regulation to address stuff like that.

Yes we do. However that doesn't mean he wouldn't already do it, or push people out of the way. he's done it before.

>I know the history. The fact that a monarchy wasn't strong enough to stand up for themselves speaks a lot about that monarchy. Times change.

Apparently you don't. You need to read this:
(http://www.amazon.com/Land-Power-Hawaii-Democratic-Years/dp/0824813030)

Plus you seem to justify a times change for what was done illegally. you mind I come into your home and take your possessions.

>Except he is doing the exact opposite. He is rebuilding the ag land.

So,e he's doing and it's nice on the water. however he's building additional resort homes for private escape.

>They gave up that right when they sold their land

Like I said your ignorant of how the land wasn't originally owned. Read the book and learn some history that you think you know but really do not. Lastly go back and get on your knees and worship your God Larry. Because apparently by your passionate defense of him.

I'm going to laugh my ass off at you when you lose your home to a bank when this country goes into hyperinflation. When you and your family are starving due to the innate rampant practice of what I stated of the ancient roman oligarchy practices. You better learn history. It's destroyed people and nations. Your God will not save you. Neither will your ideology.

Great comments on this thread. To add a bit more depth, I would suggest picking up the book "So you want to live in Hawaii". You can pick it up on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-Live-Hawaii/dp/0966625307

The Crown lands thing is actually quite interesting and deserves a look if anyone is curious. I learned more about the old Hawaiian government reading this book by Jon Van Dyke than throughout my twelve years in public schools.

> . And if the choice is between a plastic packed fruit plate and complying with a glass Tupperware fruit container requirement

But it will never be glass. Probably a wax paper cup or a biodegradable clamshell or sugarcane clamshell.

The biodegradable clamshells usually cost about 25 (Amazon) to 50 cents each (largest ones here).

On Amazon, a large polystyrene clamshell costs 16 cents or so.

So it's really about cost, about 20 cents per large takeout item.


Might be an opportunity for a local entrepreneur to make biodegradable containers locally from sugarcane waste ...

Shoal of Time ?

https://www.amazon.com/Shoal-Time-History-Hawaiian-Islands/dp/0824803248

Maybe some Mark Twain?

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Twain-Hawaii-Roughing-Sandwich/dp/0935180931

edit: adding Broken Trust

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Trust-Mismanagement-Manipulation-Charitable/dp/082483044X

(you can also check out the "Other books people looked at" section in those also)

http://www.amazon.com/California-Hotel-Casino-Hawaiis-Home/dp/0824833295

[This] (http://www.amazon.com/Hawaiian-Dictionary-Revised-Enlarged-Edition/dp/0824807030/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397273210&sr=8-1&keywords=hawaiian+dictionary) for Hawaiian, and [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Pidgin-Da-Max-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1573062502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397273298&sr=8-1&keywords=pidgin+to+da+max) for Pidgin.

This is a classic

There's a book called Sand, The Never-Ending Story, that goes into detail about how beaches work, and how and why sand moves the way it does.

If anyone noticed that the memorandum ended abruptly, here is the second page: https://www.meanwhileinhawaii.org/uploads/1/1/2/6/112655569/f4f190c5-9951-4a3c-a900-3230e8b19815_orig.jpeg

I have a really hard time accepting the statements of an "expert" who can't even write his own name properly. Notice how the author's last name is spelled "deZayas" (one word) in the memo, but it should be "de Zayas" (two words) source 1, source 2, source 3. How much does someone have to not give a fuck about a memo to spell his own name wrong, twice?

• The Betrayal of Liliʻuokalani: Last Queen of Hawaiʻi 1838-1917
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Liliuokalani-Queen-Hawaii-1838-1917/dp/0935180893
  
  
  
• Shark Dialogs by Kiana Davenport
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Shark-Dialogues-Kiana-Davenport/dp/0452274583
  
  
• Ka Honua Ola: ‘Eli‘eli Kau Mai / The Living Earth: Descend, Deepen the Revelation by Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele
  
  http://kpstore.deliveryhawaii.com/KS/product/978-0-87336-230-6.html