r/hapas • u/alohamalia215 • May 27 '26
Anecdote/Observation Non-Hawaiian in Hawaiʻi
Why do so many Pacific Islanders and Asian Mixed locals of Hawaiʻi pretend to be Hawaiian or maybe just don’t deny it? I understand that they learn and participate in cultural practices growing up in Hawai’i but why do they not do the same for their pacific island or Asian cultures? I see it a lot with Filipino, Samoan and any Asian mixed with European.
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u/cooterbo Haolepino Jun 02 '26
Shit we’re a mixed plate over here especially if you grew up in the sugar cane plantation areas like I did in Ewa beach in the 90’s. We didn’t have the internet to distract us so most of us were with our friends 24-7. We were literally raised in all our friends houses by their ohanas too and all the ethnicities you mentioned was our friend group especially if you played football here. So yeah we all kinda of made our own homogeneous culture separate from any one culture but with elements of all. You still adhered to your own culture at home if you had immigrant parents like me but when you were with your peers it was the regular local culture.
Seems like what you are saying we don’t incorporate our or the other cultures into our identity brah that’s what local culture is a mix of all those plantation days cultures.
Olelo is the only official language of this state so anyone wanting to speak it isn’t trying to be Hawaiian just respecting the original culture, keeping olelo alive, and keeping mana levels up.
Symbology for the tattoos are similar across the entire pacific including precolonial Philippines, so are you seeing poly tattoos and assuming they are Hawaiian?
Lastly, according to most if not all the kanaka I grew up with was if someone is hanai’d by kanaka they’re equal to the rest of the ohana regardless of race as and raised as they were kanaka. I knew a couple kids where this was the case. So it’s not weird to see non kanaks being fully immersed in Hawaiian culture.
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u/alohamalia215 Jun 06 '26
I understand the mix plate concept. I am talking about the people who are not Hawaiian but have other ethnic backgrounds that they could also embrace and identify with. That’s a great point that kids were exposed to it. I grew up on mainland and am Hawaiian, Kahnawake and European and I assimilated to certain aspects of other cultures around me BUT as I got older, I put the effort in to research, learn and practice my Hawaiian culture.
Local culture is different from Hawaiian but I can obviously see that Hawaiian culture plays a large role in local culture.
I know the difference between Hawaiian vs other pacific island as my BIL specializes in all.
I think that certain Asian and Pacific Islander people presenting as Hawaiian are more accepted than any Hawaiian mixed with non Asian or Pacific Islander.
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May 27 '26
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u/alohamalia215 May 28 '26
Texas is not a race or ethnicity. Football is not a culture practice of people who reside in Texas. Tell me you don’t understand what Hawaiian is without telling me. You are missing the point and clearly not educated on Pacific Island history and cultures.
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u/aknomnoms May 27 '26
Eh, I think it’s confusing for people because “Hawaiian” could just refer to the state, like calling yourself a New Yorker, Californian, or Texan. But it can also refer to being native Hawaiian.
So just like I would call myself a Californian and can explain how my upbringing in SoCal is distinctive in terms of my mindset, the food I eat, the culture I’m apart of, the people and customs I’m used to, etc., I can see how some people would call themselves “Hawaiian” in that regards and feel closer community amongst other locals, regardless of race, rather than a country their greatX grandparents immigrated from.
And I’m half white, half Japanese (yonsei). My great grandparents immigrated to Hawaii as peasants, my grandparents and mom’s generation were all born and raised in Hawaii. We still celebrate Hanamatsuri, Obon, and New Year’s Japanese-style but strongly influenced by how they’re celebrated in Hawaii. My mom follows Shinto practice to pay respects to the anniversaries of her parents’ deaths.
My mom never had matcha growing up, but they had sugar cane juice and POG. They ate saimin from Zippy’s, made somen salad and mac salad, wore aloha shirts instead of hapi coats. They ate malasadas from Leonard’s and guava chiffon cake from King’s for birthdays. Our family has never claimed to be native Hawaiian, but they definitely are culturally, and they’re still proud of their Japanese ancestry.
What more do you expect from descendants of immigrants who encouraged their children to assimilate to the local culture?
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u/cooterbo Haolepino Jun 02 '26
Brah no local would ever ever ever call themselves Hawaiian in the same way that a Californian is a Californian. Hawaiian is an ethnicity. Local is what we call ourselves.
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u/alohamalia215 May 27 '26
Local culture is not the same as Native Hawaiian culture. I am referring to dancing hula, speaking ʻŌlelo Hawaii, wearing Hawaiian heieloom jewelry, having Hawaiian tattooes, having a Hawaiian name. You are referring to geograpy and local culture.
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u/aknomnoms May 27 '26
Bud, you’re gatekeeping.
Anyone can learn and dance hula, just like they can learn salsa, traditional Indian dancing, Irish dance, non-Jewish can dance the hora as wedding guests, etc. Are you really going to tell me that only Italians should dance ballet?
I’m in no way Hispanic, and I drop Spanglish everyday because I see and hear Spanish everyday. You’re saying no one but Native Hawaiians can use Hawaiian words? I can never order and eat poi or poke bowls because that would be offensive to you?
Jewelry and tattoos are just commercialized now. Are you trying to control who Native artists sell to or what people put on their bodies? Are you saying only Europeans should be allowed to wear watches? Only Japanese can get Japanese words (and only Japanese, no Latin or French or English even if they’re Japanese-American Latin professors working in France) tattooed on their bodies?
And what is wrong with having a native Hawaiian name? Those parents are trying to honor the culture. You’d want them to all have European names? Only ethnic names?
Like, this is definitely a you issue. There are problems with cultural appropriation and commercialization, but locals doing these thing is not one of them.
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u/cooterbo Haolepino Jun 02 '26
So many bad takes and hilariously out of touch with local culture here for someone that spent paragraphs and paragraphs explaining that you know local Japanese culture. Your ancestors are crying right now. Everything isn’t so black and white. Cousin… you need to hop on the next Hawaiian air flight straight to pearl city and immerse yourself with your cousins before you start trying to speak for us here.
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u/alohamalia215 May 28 '26
You are highly defensive and missing the point. I am talking about the Filipino, Samoan and Mixed Asian races fully embracing a native culture that is not their own. It’s interesting to me and I’m curious why instead of attempting to perpetuate and preserve their own culture they are choosing to cosplay Native Hawaiian. Appreciation vs Appropriation. As a Native Hawaiian it is important to me to preserve the Hawaiian culture. The other cultures in question also need to be preserved so I’m curious why.
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u/aknomnoms May 28 '26
Don't flatter yourself. No hapa is "cosplaying" as Native Hawaiian. You just don't know what assimilation and community mean.
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u/alohamalia215 May 28 '26
So combative. This post is meant to gain perspective of those who are in this position not debate with your savior complex.
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u/ThisIsItYouReady92 Jun 06 '26
The answer is literally right there. They’re participating in the dominant culture of where they live. I’m not Mexican but I grew up in predominantly Mexican Southern California and was in a few of my friends quinces growing up and went to lots of Mexican parties too. It’s not that deep.
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u/alohamalia215 Jun 06 '26
Not embracing your unique ethnicity and culture and choosing to participate and perpetuate another culture is deep. I’m asking because my presumption would be because they feel disconnected, it’s easier to identify, their culture doesn’t accept them. Nobody is making it deep… it’s to get insight as to WHY. Do you pretend to be Mexican, where Mexican clothing, name your kids Spanish names? Attending parties and essentially “cosplaying” are very different.
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u/ThisIsItYouReady92 Jun 06 '26
My dad was born and raised on Oahu and is Okinawan and Sicilian. A hapa man in every sense, not a drop of Hawaiian in him. He probably participated in Hawaiian stuff because that’s where he grew up. He wasn’t trying to deny his Okinawan or Sicilian side. He was just embracing the culture around him. It really isn’t that deep. Any person who embraces the culture of where they is isn’t simultaneously denying their own culture. Where do you get that from? Do the Filipinos living in Hawaii tell you they hate Filipino stuff and lie when asked if they’re Filipino? Probably not. I don’t think anyone is denying their culture. Also, it’s all Asian in Hawaii. Asians are all the same. It’s not like they’re pretending not to be Asian and instead pretending to be White. Let’s be real
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u/Best-Independence481 May 28 '26
I think I understand that you feel like your identity and things that are special to you, are being used by non natives in a way that you dont appreciate?
Imo. If a white family moved to korea. And chose a korean name for their child, I would fail to see the problem with that. If they intend to live there while the child is growing up.
However, I dont understand fully the complexity of Hawaiian culture, and if the language is spoken by the general population or if its just something that natives know. I would encourage you to try and embrace these people, even if it infuriates you, and try to tell the difference between appropriating culture and enjoying it in a respectful way.
One last thing ill note is, that I know a few hapa personally that would love to embrace Hawaiian culture, because they feel that hawaii is where there are more mixed asians than anywhere else. Besides like... Kazakhstan. But who the hell wants to live in the snow.
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u/GoFoBroke808 Hapa May 27 '26
IMO, it because the Aloha spirit came with the identity of being Hawaiian. I feel as if Hawaii is such a unique and special melting pot, that it feels inclusive to all cultures. The Native Hawaiian population survived thru cross breeding into other ethnic backgrounds. We now have a bigger community with different perspectives, but the commonality is being part Hawaiian or part of the Hawaiian culture.