Jacob Davis

Dr. Luna

OGL 350

10 November 2021

Paper 4

During this module we were asked to interview someone of another culture. I chose

someone I met while I was attending college in Hawaii. He is a seventh generation

native Hawaiian and has grown up in the traditional Hawaiian culture. When asked on

how he would describe culture it went pretty similar to a diagram from the Culture

Studies Hawaiian Studies Project as

seen in the image to the right. “Every

aspect in our culture is centralized

around family, from work to luaus on

the beach.” If you think of the movie

Leo and stitch it is quite similar to that

philosophy that ohana means family

and family means that no one gets

left behind. He then states, “Family is

more than flesh and blood, it is those

you share your life with, those you

meet everyday, and even those that

hurt you. Caring about them and wanting what's best for them is the true definition of

family.” I really liked this definition because I also think that family should include more

than those you live with. Although he lives with grandparents, cousins, and his

immediate family he is always willing to invite people into his home. Along this it is the

eldest male figure or head of the house that has the most status in the family. “We

respect our elders, and all those that have come before us. Mostly because they have a

secret recipe that they won’t tell us unless we listen to them.”

This was an almost perfect segway into my next question which was on the topic

of food.One of the most common food found in Hawaii is Taro. According to an article

titled, Taro, “... it is the stillborn first child of Wakea, the sky father, and his daughter

Ho`ohokukalani (daughter to Papa, the earth mother). This child was buried near the

house and grew into a taro plant they named Haloanaka, or long stalk trembling. The

second son born to Wakea and Ho`ohokukalani took human form and was named

Haloa after his elder brother. From this Haloa the human race descended. Thus

Hawaiians as a people understood themselves to be closely related to taro” (Taro,

2021). It is very much like a potato or sweet potato in ways however Hawaiians prefer

taro over regular potatoes. “I love taro! Not everyone likes it and that's okay, it is

something that I grew up eating at almost every meal.” The most important meal of the

day is dinner. More often than not dinner turns into a luau, or a big feast. This is the time

that people can relax from their day and just let the worries of the day disappear. “It's

pretty much like a mini luau. My family has a big one at the end of every month and we

all bring a dish to share with our ohana.”

 When they are not eating or working, most hawaiians are participating in a

variety of sports. They include surfing, rugby, soccer, volleyball, skimboarding, and

more. “I personally like to go surfing with a couple buddies when I get the chance. I

have been surfing since I was able to walk, it has always been a part of my life.” When

you are surrounded by water for miles on all sides it is easy to see how surfing has

become popular in the Hawaiian islands. In the article titled Ancient Sport and Ali`i

Surfers, it states, “Although they may not have invented surfing… the Hawaiians

earned the greatest renown as surfers. Hawaiian chants as far back as the 15th century

honor surfing and mention contests, competing chiefs, surfing wagers and remarkable

waves” (Ancient Sport and Ali`i Surfers, 2021).

One of the last things that we talked about was discrimination. When asked if he

has been discriminated against, he said something that has stayed with me since. “Not

as much as you might think. That's what I like about Hawaii. We are stuck in the middle

of the ocean between two very different cultures (North America and Asia). Hawaii has

become the center of both these cultures and we invite all races and nationalities into

our home.” What really stuck out to me was that no matter how uncomfortable it may

be for us, they are always willing to accept people no matter who they are before they

judge the color of their skin. The want to be superior over someone else is a toxic

mindset. Hawaiians view everyone as equal unless they have done something to lose

that sense of trust. Finally he said this, “No matter who we are, what we look like or the

choices we make, we all deserve to be treated fairly and just. Even if you don’t know

anything about a person it doesn’t take anything to offer them a friendly hand.”
 Works Cited

Hazama. (1978). Culture Studies Hawaiian Studies Project . Distributed by ERIC

Clearinghouse.

Taro. Taro - hawaii history - farming. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from

http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=533.

Ancient Sport and Ali`i Surfers. Surfing - hawaii history - farming. (n.d.). Retrieved

November 11, 2021, from

http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=287
 Questions asked

1. What is your definition of “culture?”

2. How do you define “family?”

3. Did you ever live with your grandparents or extended family?

4. Who holds the most “status” in your family? Why?

5. Do you eat foods that are indigenous to your culture?

6. What is the most important meal of the day?

7. What are your holidays and traditions?

8. How do people spend their leisure time? Sports? Movies, etc.?

9. Have you been discriminated against?

10. Is there anything else you would like to share?