On 4-30-24 President Biden named May as Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. This year marks the 25th year of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans (AA), Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) recognizing government workers in these communities who further equity, opportunity, and justice for their people. Biden’s current actions include creating a memorial to honor 10,000 Japanese Americans who received unjust treatment in internment camps during World War II, providing $22 billion in loans to AA and NHPI entrepreneurs, as well as backing Maui after horrific wildfires devastated a town on this Hawaiian Island.
It is tragic that hate crimes are on the rise against those of AA and NHPI ancestry post-pandemic. Thankfully, there was bipartisan support for the 2021 COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act sponsored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii. In addition to respecting people in the U.S., we also need more respect for the sacred lands, cultures, and traditions of our diverse population. America is a country built on the backs of immigrants and subscribing to the noble notion that all are created equal.
I was privileged to learn about Pacific Islander cultures at Polynesian Cultural Center on O’ahu in April. Each tropical island has special traditions. I learned that hula dancing may have origins in Tahiti (Ori), but Hawaii possesses a major hula claim. The Big Island, O’ahu, Kauai, and Molokai all proclaim having the first hula dancers. Some argue that Navigator Goddess Laka first danced hula on Molokai. Others give Goddess Hi’iaka credit (creating hula for her sister, Pele). Still others say Kapo’ulakina’u, Goddess of Fertility, was the first dancer. Notice that these stories have a goddess theme. Hula hand movements tell a story, often honoring deities, chiefs, and/or ancestors. Today there are few grass skirts, but colorful costumes and flower crowns for one’s hair are still a traditional nod.
Prior to the 1820’s Hawaii had no written language, but male and female hula dancers handed down cultural stories. Originally a sacred dance, hula dancers might celebrate deities for certain moon times, perform at ceremonies, or announce a child’s birth. When Christian missionaries arrived in 1820, church folks were so distressed by what they did not understand that they convinced Christian convert Queen Ka’ahumanu to outlaw hula dancing; however, the tradition survived with dancers performing traditional rites in private. Upon the Queen’s death, hula resurfaced.
When King David Kalakaua (aka Merrie Monarch) was crowned in1883, he brought hula into the open by making it part of his two-week coronation celebration. Unfortunately, hula was banned again after the next ruler, Queen Lili’uokalani, was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893. It was almost 100 years before hula dancing returned in government celebrations.
What does it mean to a people when their traditions are deemed unacceptable?
Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz
287. What cultural traditions do you maintain in your family?
288. When has a tradition from your ancestors been dropped from usage?
Pearls of Peace: A Family Psychologist’s Circle-of-Life Blog 