Hawaiian History Month

It is Hawaiian History Month — be sure to check out Hawaii Pono`i for their schedule of events (see graphic) and other website resources.

I hope you’ll take some time to learn about Hawaiian history. For those of you who are thinking, but whhhhyyyy? I’m not Hawaiian, I don’t live anywhere close to Hawai`i, or some other excuses, here are a few reasons why:

  1. Hawaiian history is American history. Did you learn about American history in school, but they forgot to teach you about Hawaiian and other Indigenous histories? Well, they left out critical pieces of American history. Now is your chance to learn more.
  2. Learn about Hawaiian history from Native Hawaiians, not the white dudes (mostly white dudes) who like to write about Hawai`i. A lot of what people think they know about Hawai`i comes from the dominant culture or from what tourism and media want us to think about Hawai`i. Hawaiian history is way deeper than beaches, coconuts, and pineapple on pizzas (I like pineapple on pizza).
  3. Hawai`i has a lot to offer around race learning. Growing up in Hawai`i race is and isn’t a thing. The diversity of Hawai`i allows race to be a more fluid, complex, and nuanced concept. Hawai`i isn’t a racial utopia, but race and ethnicity are more complex conversations. Learn more in this NY Times opinion article; despite the title – don’t move to Hawai`i.
  4. Learn about pre-Captain Cook history. Before Hawai`i was ‘discovered’ the Kanaka Maolis were doing just fine. Learn about their culture, society, and ways of being before white influence.
  5. Follow the Hōkūleʻa. The Hōkūleʻa is a traditional Polynesian vessel and the crew of it are using traditional Polynesian wayfinding knowledge to navigate. They are doing this to preserve the art and techniques of Polynesian wayfinding so it isn’t lost to modernization and technology. Hōkūleʻa just started a new journey around the Pacific, follow the journey here and if you are lucky maybe you’ll get to visit Hōkūleʻa.  
  6. ‘Ōlelo – Hawai`i has a language all its own, it is an official language of the state. ‘Ōlelo, Native Hawaiian, preserving the language is critical to preserving Hawaiian culture. ‘Ōlelo Kanaka Niihau is a dialect of Hawaiian that has been continually spoken from pre-missionaries times and still going. There is a movement to save and pass on the dialect.
  7. Lāhaina still needs us. On 8 August 2023, a massive wildfire ripped through Lāhaina, Maui. Kula, also on Maui also had devastating wildfires. The list of people confirmed dead is 115 people, many more still missing. Many in Hawai`i probably know of someone impacted by the fires — a friend, a cousin, a cousin of a friend, a classmate, and so on — we’re all connected. Be generous and help them recover, grieve, and honor their dead and missing. See this post for ways to give, I’ve updated it since it first came out.
  8. Live Aloha. Hawaiian history is living and breathing. A kapuna (elder) taught me aloha literally translates into breath. Breathe and live aloha.

Take some time to appreciate Hawaiian history and modern practices. There is a lot to learn and to understand. These are some very surface-level observations to hopefully invite you to do deeper learning.

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