Strong Like the Sea, стр. 74
Darren Tanaka, Oahu
There is much to love about living on the island. I love the food here. With all the different ethnicities, potlucks are always spectacular. Imagine a feast with three kinds of furikake rice, Auntie’s special pasta salad, kimchee, a sushi plater, pancit, kalua pork, spaghetti and garlic bread, chicken katsu, hot dogs, chili, butter mochi, Liliha Bakery coco-puffs, homemade brownies, short ribs, steak, and three kinds of ahi poke. With such abundant variety, there’s always plenty to share, and the friendship is as rich as the food.
I love the fact that you can go hiking in the mountain trails and look out over the island from a summit, then hike down and swim in the ocean, both in the same day.
I love the smell of the air after the morning rain in Kaneohe. Light and fresh. It lets the quiet peace of the island seep through. It makes me feel that there’s hope and good things to come.
S. Mailelauli’i Naki, Oahu
My favorite thing about Hawai‘i is that our islands have a deep history that has been passed down from generation to generation through our oli (chant), mele (song) and mo‘olelo (story). Our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language) flourishes as our ‘ike (ancestral knowledge) from our kūpuna (elders) is passed from generation to generation.
From our Kumulipo (Creation Chant), we learn how the islands were formed and how we are descendants of our ‘āina (land) to the travels of Hōkūle‘a that proves our ancestors could circumnavigate the world. It is this ‘ike that brings pride to our people, our ‘ōiwi. It is this deep history that resonates in all that is Hawai‘i.
Kamake’e Lindsey, Oahu
I love and am grateful for ohana. Family is everything. We love on and share our love with many keiki in our ohana. Biological “gifts” are great, but names are given with love as gifts. That care and energy imbibe the names with power and hopefully protections and connections to ohana members past, present, and future.
K. Dudoit, Oahu
What I love about my hometown of Laie is the small-town feel. Many families have been here for generations, and it shows around town. Everyone goes to the same high school, and sports events are so much fun with the entire community there to support their children.
The feeling of family permeates all aspects of public life in my hometown with how everyone constantly looks out for each other, and the saying “It takes a village to raise a child” really applies. Coconut wireless is a part of it, but a bigger part is how the older community members are hands-on mentors for the youth.
Crystal Gancinia, Big Island of Hawaii
I love the Aloha spirit that is here on the islands. Aloha has a lot of meaning. It can mean “hello” or “goodbye,” but it’s also the way people carry themselves here. You can see it in the way people treat one another.
The Aloha spirit is also seen in how we treat our kupuna—which is the Hawaiian word for respected elderly. We respect and listen to them. We hug and kiss each other on the cheek when we say hi. We always take off our shoes and slippahs when we go into someone’s house.
When we go to someone’s house we don’t just sit down and let that auntie or grandma do all the work. We ask auntie if she needs any help to clean or cook or do stuff. There is a local song that says something like:
We go grandma’s house
on the weekend clean yard,
If we no go
Grandma gotta work hard
When you have that Aloha spirit, it’s infectious and contagious. You make friends easier, and everyone knows who you are. You are quick to say hi to people, to befriend people, you naturally meet more people that way.
When we moved to the Big Island, Hilo side, new town with a baby, we knew no one. So we would have a BBQ and invite neighbors and new families to come for dinner. We’d share a meal, get to know them, and become new friends.
I grew up eating poi my whole life. Poi is traditional food made from taro roots. I grow my own taro and have a bunch growing in the backyard. We can use the leaves for different things like laulau and squid luau. When I was growing up, my dad would mix the poi, but as I got older the responsibility shifted over to me. I learned the difference between one-, two-, and three-finger poi—which is how to tell the thickness. I was taught that the poi should be smooth, not lumpy, and to keep the sides of the bowl clean.
Another cultural tradition I enjoyed growing up was dance. I grew up dancing hula and Tahitian. My parents met dancing at PCC, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and that’s where I later danced while attending college nearby. I just love that you can tell a story through dance. It is a beautiful expression, like in local weddings, the bride will do a hula. I’ve seen hula done at a funeral. If you look at the history of the hula, it is really important because there was a time where Hawaiians could not speak Hawaiian or dance the hula, because it was forbidden.
I love the pidgin slang. I love the way we talk, I love the beaches, I love the way we treat each other, the way we were raised to treat kupuna, and treat people as family. I love how people come together for a cause, like to clean the beach if rubbish washes up, we band together and look out for one another.
It’s a beautiful place to live, but it’s more than that—it’s the people. It’s the way we show love, compassion, affection, and kindness to one another.
E aloha kekahi i kekahi.
“Love one another.”
Sudevika Kealani Okeahi, Big Island of Hawaii
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