“The Hawaiian culture that tourists see is very tourist-oriented,” according to an unidentified Native Hawaiian who was quoted in the study. “Tourists don’t see the authentic culture. They put on leis and sing Tiny Bubbles” —Don Ho’s famous tune. — USA Today
Ouch. That quote cuts straight to the heart of the matter while also painting all of Hawaii’s visitors with the same ugly brush. It’s true, some tourists do put on leis and sing along with the trademarked song. Culture in Hawaii is a commodity, even while it’s a way of life. In the same USA Today article, Native Hawaiians said that the tourism “industry has a bad reputation for presenting Hawaiian arts authentically and accurately.” After all, real culture is kind of messy and doesn’t sell vacations.
Alternative Hawaiian Flag by Ki'i Girl via Flickr
Great cultural sites aren’t far from the glitzy shopping of Waikiki — the spectacular Hawaiian Hall at the Bishop Museum and ‘Iolani Palace are both excellent places to learn a little history and the trolley that serves most of Oahu’s tourist sites will take you there. The Place of Refuge is a must see on the Big Island — with its scowling ki’i carvings (we often call them “tiki” — that’s not their correct name) and beautiful setting, it’s an amazing place to learn about Hawaii’s traditions. Limahuli Garden has living kalo (taro) patches, as does the ‘Iao Valley State Park. All these sites offer insight into Native Hawaiian culture and history, and they’re great places to visit.
But they don’t create human connections. Sure, you can visit a museum and learn about Hawaiian culture and you can educate yourself beyond that Don Ho listening lei wearing mainlander, but does this change your sense of who Hawaiians are today? And while there are lots of volunteer opportunities, most of them are nature focused, not human focused. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with making life better for turtles, but do these activities ease the tensions between the day trippers on the road to Hana and the people who have made Hana their home for three, four, more generations?
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs maintains a Native Hawaiian owned business directory — there’s a small section called travel and tours and while it’s enough to find a few activities for your trip, it won’t help you find a Native Hawaiian owned hotel* and there are only six restaurants listed. It’s no wonder the two populations — tourists and Native Hawaiians — don’t have a lot of understanding for each other — places where we can come together over common ground are rare indeed. Ecotourism, oh Hawaii has that, but cultural tourism? Unfortunately, most of what Hawaii offers visitors is history or commodity, leaving curious visitors hungry for more. And the not so curious? They’re perfectly content with leis and Tiny Bubbles.
Related: Hawaii Tourism Authority awards $600K for programs perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture
*There are two, Uncle Billy’s in Kona or Hilo. If you know of more, please leave that information in the comments.
Aloha — Just wanted to comment on the nature-focused volunteer projects Hawai’i has to offer … in my experience, what seem like solely “environmentally” focused activities typically end up being more about the people you meet and interact with — the sense of ‘ohana, or family, that’s created by the end of the day. When people work together toward a common goal, racial divisions disappear and shared passions take their place, and a lot of learning from each other becomes possible. For the visitor, this way of spending one-on-one time with locals results in a more authentic experience of Hawai’i and its people than the limited interactions that often take place within the hotel resorts. In the words of the late cultural and environmental leader Ed Lindsey, who worked passionately to restore native forests of West Maui with the support of volunteers, “It’s important for visitors to feel a part of us, the Hawaiian community, to see Maui from the inside. Then when they go home, it’s not just the sun and sand and sea they remember, but the people and our culture.” I truly hope this is the experience of many who volunteer for Hawai’i’s environmental projects, as there is so much to be shared with and learned from each other …
@Kristen
Thanks for adding more insight to my questions. I suppose ideally, the volunteer opps should also offer the chance to connect with locals in a meaningful way, to trade stories and to bridge gaps. It’s a good way to build connections, working together on a project of any kind, and it’s becoming a more attractive option for tourists looking for a bit more meaning out of their visits to the islands.
Thank you for taking time to sound off here.