In regards to culture and despite living in Hawaii for sometime now, I still have a great deal to learn about the Hawaiian culture. This interview alone taught me several things about the culture. I learned that the practice of cremation might have some financial influence in how a person chooses to have their body treated after their death. Mana, the belief of power, lies in the person's bone and that the person's bone contains the person's spirit. With the spirit, the Hawaiian also believes in some sort of spiritual possession; the spirit within the bones may overcome the person who handles the bones. When I asked the participant about how would one deal with an amputated limb (in the case of amputation due to diabetes), she responded that
As every other culture, Hawaii has its own myths and stories. Holo Mai Pele tells the creation myth of Hawaii and this myth holds the same stature for Hawaiians as Genesis for Western (Christian) cultures and Ramayana for Hinduism. Holo Mai Pele is an epic saga of the Hawaiian god of volcano Pele, and her sister Hi'iaka. The major themes present in the story are sibling rivalry, love, conflict and creation. Simultaneously, it tells a story of an individual's journey to her self-awareness and reclaiming her status as a deity. The purpose of Holo Mai Pele is to keep the Hawaiian myth alive in order to pass it down to future generations. The poetic aspects of the play make it easier to remember and interesting to perform.
The Hawaiian culture is known throughout the western world for their extravagant luaus, beautiful islands, and a language that comes nowhere near being pronounceable to anyone but a Hawaiian. Whenever someone wants to “get away” their first thought is to sit on the beach in Hawai’i with a Mai tai in their hand and watch the sun go down. Haunani-Kay Trask is a native Hawaiian educated on the mainland because it was believed to provide a better education. She questioned the stories of her heritage she heard as a child when she began learning of her ancestors in books at school. Confused by which story was correct, she returned to Hawai’i and discovered that the books of the mainland schools had been all wrong and her heritage was correctly told through the language and teachings of her own people. With her use of pathos and connotative language, Trask does a fine job of defending her argument that the western world destroyed her vibrant Hawaiian culture.
78,086,081 people, domestic and internationally have gone to Hawai’i in 2015 (Historical Visitors). However, has anyone truly went past the beautiful scenic lands and Hawaiian culture to learn the origin of everything? Fittingly, this essay will go in-depth of the Polynesian culture that soon settled on the Hawaiian islands of today: identifying cultural norms, symbols, and values that influences their communication that encompasses the Hawaiian spirit tourist known to love. Lastly, a comparison of Hispanic culture and investigate qualities that are similar and different between the two cultures.
The Hidatsa tribe is a tribe that lives in what is now North Dakota and is neighbors with the Mandans and the Shoshone tribe. The entire Hidatsa tribe is made up of three villages, and the total population of all the villages is 2,100 people (www.pbs.org). Out of all the tribes in the area, the Hidatsa are actually the most peaceful. In order to get food, the Hidatsa tribe would farm and have seasonal buffalo hunts, but would trade the crops for meat and other items. Both parents of the children would tell legends and stories, as it is a tradition in the Hidatsa tribe (www.bigorrin.org). Houses in the villages would mainly be earth lodges, which are houses made of wooden frames and dirt packed tightly together (www.pbs.org). The Hidatsa tribe is a small tribe that regularly interacts with other tribes and visitors such as Lewis and Clark.
The Mahele was a land division in 1848 that created a massive alteration to the Hawaiians’ society. The Mahele was enacted because King Kamehameha III wanted to prevent the foreigners from completely taking control over the lands of Hawaii. The Mahele was also enacted to grant Hawaiians an ample amount of land. However, the Mahele did not accomplish its intended purpose. Ultimately, the foreigners gained the generality of the land and Hawaiians were left with a meager amount of land or no land at all (Cachola). Therefore, the Mahele did not benefit the Hawaiians because only foreigners had sufficient money to purchase the land and because the land that was given to the Hawaiians had limited resources (Menton and Tamura 116).
The Onondaga is a Native American tribe who were located in Northeast America. They created the legend for the origin of the Pleiades. The Pleiades are a cluster of seven stars that are normally known to be the seven daughters of Atlas, a greek god (Merriem-webster.com) However, the Onondaga tribe has their own version of the creation of these stars, that also doubles as a lesson to children and others.
The Hopi Indians lived on three isolated flat-topped hills with steep sides in northern Arizona. The Hopi Indians were forced to relocate by the whites because their lands were so bleak and lifeless. They were traditionally farmers and shepherds and lived in a few villages and most were near mesas. The Hopi Indian’s ancestors arrived through small holes in the floor of a kiva, kivas were used by Ancestral Pueblos. They also carved kahuna dolls, pottery and baskets. Most Hopis were educated from Hopi country to Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. Some were told religious traditionalists that Hopi changes to Christianity.
While walking down the beach, the white, warm sand mushes between your toes. The sun’s radiant rays beam off your glowing skin. The sound of waves crashing blocks out the external world. There is no other place like the gorgeous tropical islands of Hawaii. The wide range of flowers, cuisine, and wildlife makes it one of the most picturesque places on Earth. It also leads the United States with the highest racial minority rate making it the most diverse state. However, there are numerous hidden dangers of Hawaii, and not all ethnic groups get along causing sharp tensions across the island.
During the 1800s, in Hawaii, planters needed more workers to make sugar booming by importing foreign workers. Plantation life in Hawaii in the 1800s was difficult. From 1852 to 1946, the sugar plantations lured 385,000 contract laborers to Hawai'i. Living conditions were harsh, working conditions were rough, and racial differences were unfair.
In this book Anne Fadiman portrayed the ethnocentricity of the American culture, in which people of other cultures are judged based on the standard of American customs and tradition. This means that people are very skeptical about the things that they do not understand. A lot can be learned from the interactions that took place between the Western United States health care system and the more traditional Hmong culture. This book proved that in the end neither way of thinking was completely wrong or completely right. Compromise and understanding is the key to both cultures getting the outcome that they desire.
The Polynesian peoples have a lifestyle quite different than that of any other culture, as living on an island requires a level of flexible adaptability in order to cope with such a different, sometimes difficult environment. We see the way diverse cultures build their lives around their circumstances and how they respect them in their cultural myths and stories. The Polynesian legends emphasize the physical environment that they live in. They are quite different than any other region in the world, but the beauty and individuality of the Polynesian culture is prominent as seen in their mythology.
Since moving to Hawaii approximately two months ago, one might assume that this would be the perfect place to study varying environmental influences and their impacts. Hawaii is one of the most inaccessible, yet populous places within the United States. Tourism is a main reason why so many people come to the islands. Tourism is the primary source of revenue for the Hawaiian economy. Normally when one thinks of Hawaii, they think of vacation spots and tourist destinations.
...e" (Trask xix). This incident beautifully illustrates and signifies tourism's impact in American society. Like most Americans, this woman uses a discourse that has been shaped by tourist advertisements and souvenirs. The woman's statement implies that Trask resembles what the tourist industry projects, as if this image created Hawaiian culture. As Trask asserts, Hawaiian culture existed long before tourism and has been exploited by tourism in the form of advertisements and items such as postcards. Along with the violence, endangered environment, and poverty, this exploitation is what the tourist industry does not want to show. However, this is the Hawai'i Haunani-Kay Trask lives in everyday. "This is Hawai'i, once the most fragile and precious of sacred places, now transformed by the American behemoth into a dying land. Only a whispering spirit remains" (Trask 19).
Aloha from the people of Hawaii and their culture! Have you ever wanted to visit Hawaii for fun activities, or to enjoy the amazing sights? Well, then Hawaii is a great travel destination! However, if you were to visit the islands, it would be great to learn a little about its people and culture! Luckily that’s exactly what we are going to talk about, so you can get to know the people of these magnificent islands a bit better. The culture of the native Hawaiian people is very colorful and unique because of its cuisine, hula dances, and religion.
For my culture assignment I decided to spend a couple hours with a Samoan family at their church service & family get together. The difference in the culture is very prominent between ours and theirs. Spending time with them taught me how much different cultures believe in and how religious other can be. The Samoans are very religious and take part in big church services. Their beliefs are totally different. Their kids are their servants, their last name is royalty and everything is done big.