Tamahere Alo

Kyle Malashewski

IB English

September 28

Pastiche Paper

The stereotype that Native Hawaiians are lazy, uneducated, primitive, poor, overweight,

and territorial bullies is ironic in its laziness to explain the initial impression Native Hawaiians

may give off. Largely missing from this narrative is the historical and generational trauma

Hawaiians have suffered for centuries. These stereotypes lack understanding and empathy for

this group’s complex issues and tumultuous history. The article; Stereotypes and Sentencing of

Native Hawaiians says “it started with the aggressive exploitation, colonization and annexation

of Native Hawaiians and their kingdom.” (Scanlan 4) As depicted in The Truth About Stories, the

oppression of Native Americans resulting in their failure to thrive is a shared experience with the

Native Hawaiian population.

These stereotypes date back to the arrival of the missionaries in Hawai’i. Their arrival

marked the end of Hawaiian chant and dance and Hawaiian language. “The painting of…Native

Hawaiians as criminal and primitive has been used to maintain the social hierarchy.” (Scanlan 5)

“Not long after, Protestant missionaries arrived and coercively began converting Hawaiians to

“save” them from dying of the disease that had been introduced by the missionaries themselves

(Osorio 2002). Pressure to assimilate to western lifestyles grew stronger, and the use of

indigenous language and many cultural practices were forbidden by law. This history may have

contributed to the development of stereotypes of Native Hawaiians including uneducated, lazy,

unmotivated, primitive, and poor (Kanaiaupuni, 2005). Today, colonial forces are perpetuated

through tourism and American militarism (Kanaiaupuni, 2005).”

(Scanlan 7).

Ancient Hawaiians were extremely intelligent. My Hawaiian ancestors were wayfinders,

traversing vast oceans using the stars, weather patterns, ocean currents and wildlife as their

navigational tools. They used handmade wooden canoes rather than motorized boats or ships.

They didn’t have access to technology like a compass or map. The journey by canoe lasted

months; which meant great thought, care and preparation was needed to account for variables

like food, water supply and weather. Ancient Hawaiians were conducting longitudinal studies

before the dawn of scientific research or the internet; which means they observed, studied and

developed efficient systems to sustain life pre-modern society and western contact. Upon

discovering land, these systems became cultural traditions and values that kept Hawaiian society

alive for generations. As tribal and communal people, they created advanced methods of survival

such as the building of fish ponds, the cultivation of taro, fishing, farming and gathering

practices, observing the phases of the moon to record month and track time, a system of

governance and spirituality. They developed an advanced form of art as chanters, dancers and

storytellers.

I have a personal connection to this because I am Native Hawaiian. Secondly, my mother

teaches adult basic education for students seeking their general education diploma (GED). Sadly,

a good number of my mom’s students are Hawaiian. At first glance, it would appear the

stereotype is true. However, my mom always reminds us how lucky we are because these

students share many of the same barriers like substance abuse and domestic violence in the

home, divorce, single parent families, incarcerated parents or orphaned children, lack of
resources, support, access to education, career opportunities and so on. She says it’s a cycle of

poverty stemming from many sources, with one of the root causes being displacement. So I

firmly believe it is grossly irresponsible to reduce the Hawaiian people by labeling them as lazy,

stupid or at-risk. Labeling people puts them in a box, and creates a ceiling that denies growth and

evolution. It’s mean-spirited and designed to cause harm rather than help identify or categorize.

My mom says she always asks her students “what kind of Hawaiian do you want to be? And she

always answers her question by saying ‘You are not at-risk, you are at-promise. The promise of a

new tomorrow and a successful future is within your control.”

In contrast to the high level thinking of the Hawaiians, the recent Maui wildfires

directly reflect colonial era greed and the sinister desecration of sacred Hawaiian traditions,

ideology and well-designed systems of living. Much like their Native American counterparts,

Hawaiians observed a special relationship between themselves and nature. Hawaiians placed

great significance on living in harmony with land and sea.

Why would the Ali’i choose Lāhaina as the original seat of power in Hawai’i? What

determined wealth for the Hawaiian people? It wasn’t the almighty dollar or for-profit

agribusinesses started by the first colonizers. Wealth meant water (wai), land (‘āina), and natural

resources, and preserving these meant longevity and the survival of future generations. Before

the sugar cane and pineapple fields, before the whaling industry and commercial business took

hold in Lāhaina, the area was a verdant, fertile wetland rich in life sustaining resources. All the

water flowed from the mountains and collected at the coastal basin. The original place name was

Moku Ahina and it was abundant in taro fields, freshwater and wildlife. The body of water was

so large that it was navigable by canoe, and one could only reach the other side by paddling over.

At the center of the lake was an island formation called Moku’ula and was the original home of
Chief Pi’ilani, original ruler of Maui. Following Pi’ilani, King Kamehameha III claimed

Moku’ula as his residence while he formed the Hawaiian government.

The sugar plantation era marked the beginning of water diversion and mismanagement,

resulting in the dry and dusty place Lāhaina is today. A horrible truth to come from the wildfire

story is that there wasn’t even close to enough water in the area to douse or even push back the

flames. The gross negligence dates back over one hundred years and underscores how systems of

oppression did more to retard the growth and abilities of the Hawaiian people than any other

factor.

In conclusion, Hawaiians of old were an incredibly evolved and enlightened race. They

were analytical. They were philosophers. Their hands-on experience gave them a thorough

knowledge of environmental science, biology, mathematics, and many other disciplines in a

cultural context. They knew how to manage small communities in expansive regions such as the

Ahupua’a land division system, and everything in between. They established a kapu system, an

early version of law and order, and the Pu’uhonua (city of refuge). They designated trades and

had leadership systems proving their ability to organize and think critically.

People should refrain from generalizing an entire group because it’s short-sighted.

Stereotypes keep us closed off from understanding the individual. Stereotypes mainly take

people at face value, believing them to be only one-dimensional and doesn’t account for their

many layers, dimensions, and individuality. It is important to keep an open mind and give each

person the opportunity to present themself free from preconceived notions. How else can we

hope to have a more tolerant and peaceful society? It starts with our choice to be kind and show

empathy rather than holding onto our prejudices.

Kaua’i longitudinal study. (n.d.). RESILIENCE, ADAPTATION, AND WELL-BEING.

Retrieved September 29, 2023, from

https://www.mccubbinresilience.org/kauai-longitudinal-study.html

Scholarship @ Claremont. (n.d.). Claremont.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from

https://scholarship.claremont.edu

Rhetorical Analysis:

For my pastiche paper, the idea I chose to challenge was the stereotype that native

Hawaiians are labeled as freeloaders. That they are less intelligent and even frowned upon

because they aren’t given or they squander opportunities. Many Hawaiians grow up in the wrong

environment which leads them to lash out. My argument is that this could happen to any

demographic, that it isn’t fair to judge all Hawaiians because of a few rotten apples. Every

community has its share of bad people, the Hawaiian population is so small that it is easy to

assume that we are all bad. More than half of all native Hawaiians on the planet do not live in

Hawai’i. Many years ago however, the Hawaiian people were a very proud race who were very

intelligent. It is very sad to see how drastically Hawai’i has changed over the centuries

To address Pathos in my essay, I used examples from my mothers work. Her general

education degree class that she teaches where a good number of her students are of native

Hawaiian backgrounds. To say that they are where they are because of their ethnicity is far from

the truth and very irrational. Many of these young adults come from broken homes and started

off in life with a massive handicap. My second example of pathos was the recent wildfires on

Maui that affected the lives of many. Not only those who lost their lives, but their friends and

family, and those who are now without homes, and have nowhere to go and no idea what to do.
It's not like we didn’t know that Lāhaina was at risk for wildfires. Greed has turned it into a dry

and hot place in very vast contrast to the place the Hawaiian’s in the old days kept flourishing

and plentiful.

To support my claim using logos, I analyzed these ideas; the reason that modern

Hawaiians differ from those of olden times, is that society has changed dramatically, and not in

their favor. Since the arrival of missionaries, it’s been an uphill battle. The communal system was

overruled by the revolution of the cane industry, pineapple fields, and ownership of land. When

previously all land was shared. Secondly, the first Hawaiians who navigated from Tahiti were

very intelligent to have crossed vast oceans with minimal tools and resources.