Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2016 — What Does It Mean To Be Hawaiian? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What Does It Mean To Be Hawaiian?

This eolumn is a condensed version of an op-ed pieee I wrote for another publication whieh got some interest-

I ing but mostly positive reaction so I thought it might bear repeating in Ka Wai Ola although a mueh scaled down account of my perspective on what it means to be Hawaiian. The origin of the word Hawaiian, whieh is not a Hawaiian word (they don't end in consonants), during the period preceding the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was primarily a referenee to anyone who was a citizen

of that plaee called Hawai'i, rather than as meaning someone of Hawaiian ancestry although sometimes used to mean ethnic. Over the years the term Hawaiian has eome to mean either definition depending on context. The Oxford-American dictionary defines Hawaiian as "a native or inhabitanf of Hawai'i. I believe there are three platforms from whieh one might spring that legitimately reference in self-describing oneself as Hawaiian. I concede that eaeh person's self-identification as being Hawaiian eonjures up a different set of lifestyle variables especially if ethnicity is not one of the variables. Hawaiian by Genealogy It's a given that all genetic claims of one's Hawaiianess cannot be denied with respect to ethnicity although I suggest that ethnic Hawaiians are better referring to themselves as kanaka maoli whieh is the language based term for describing oneself as a Native Hawaiian by ancestry. Hawaiian by Law There are two legal definitions of Hawaiian that establish two sets of beneficiary groups by blood quantum used to determine eligibility for government services. Native Hawaiian defines those of any quantum of Hawaiian blood. Then there's native Hawaiian, spelled with a small "n" that defines those who have 50% or more blood quantum. Eligibility for certain entitlements is tied to these legal definitions.

Hawaiian by Cultural Choice Then there is the person who is not Hawaiian by ancestry but who chooses to adopt Hawaiian cultural

behavior as a deliberate lifestyle ehoiee. The concept is that you are who you believe you are. For those who feel Hawaiian by eultural ehoiee I don't believe that the absence of ancestry diminishes their claimparticularly for a person who has adopted the cultural and spiritual concepts that drives their culturally rooted behavior. These people are Hawaiian by lifestyle and emohonal commitment who self-identify themselves as eul-

tural Hawaiians who embrace, live, and breathe Hawaiian culture. I would note that a number of the Hawaiian community's most respected and accomplished cultural and spiritual leaders are not Hawaiian by ancestry. The Mainstream Hawaiian Notwithstanding the three categories of Hawaiians cited above there are those whom I would refer to as mainstream (perhaps centrist) Hawaiians. The mainstream Hawaiian is partHawaiian by ancestry but is also a blend of other ethnicities. The eommon ethnic denominator is the Hawaiian. From there the ethnicities split into every direction. These Hawaiians are emotionally invested in Hawaiian culture but also well-integrated into Hawai'i's multi-cultural hybrid society. They are American educated in pursuit of the American dream - family prosperity, quality heahh care, home ownership, education, good jobs, and so forth. They surround themselves with friends from many walks of life with whom they laugh, cry, and celebrate the blessing of living in these Hawaiian Islands. You Are Who You Believe You Are If anyone should question whether you are Hawaiian remind yourself that you are the only person who ean determine who you are. And, in the end, you are certainly Hawaiian if you are from that plaee called Hawai'i. ■

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