Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hawaii's People
Whatever your postcard idyll might be - a paradise of white sandy beaches,
emerald cliffs and azure seas; of falsetto-voiced ukulele strummers, bare-
shouldered hula dancers and sun-bronzed surfers - it exists somewhere on
these islands. But beyond the frame-edges of that magical postcard is a
startling, different version of Hawaii, a real place where a multicultural
mixed plate of everyday people work and live.
Mary Kawena Pukui's Folktales of Hawaiʻi (1995), illustrated by island artist Sig Zane, is a
delightful bilingual collection of ancient teaching stories and amusing tall tales.
Island Life Today
Hawaii is a Polynesian paradise. But one with shopping malls, landfills and industrial
parks, cookie-cutter housing developments, sprawling military bases and ramshackle
small towns. In many ways, it's much like the rest of the USA. A first-time visitor step-
ping off the plane may be surprised to find a thoroughly modern place where the interstate
highways and McDonald's look pretty much the same as back on 'da mainland.'
Underneath the veneer of the tourist industry and consumer culture is a different world,
defined by and proud of its separateness, its geographical isolation and its unique blend of
Polynesian, Asian and Western traditions. While those cultures don't always merge seam-
lessly, there are very few places in the world where so many different ethnicities, with no
one group commanding a substantial majority, get along.
Perhaps it's because they live on tiny islands in the middle of a vast ocean that Hawaii
residents strive to treat one another with aloha, act polite and respectful, and 'make no
waves' (ie be cool). As the Hawaiian saying goes, ʻWe're all in the same canoe.' No no
matter their race or background, island residents share a common bond: an awareness of
living in one of the planet's most strikingly beautiful places.
Local vs Mainland Attitudes
Hawaii often feels overlooked by the other 49 states (except maybe Alaska, with which it
shares the distinction of being the mainland's oddball younger sibling), yet it's protective
of its separateness. This has both its advantages and disadvantages. On the up side, there's
a genuine appreciation for Hawaii's uniqueness. On the down side, it reinforces an insider-
 
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