Kaua'i - Hawaii - page 1073

In Folks You Meet in Longs and Other Stories (2005), local newspaper columnist and
playwright Lee Cataluna captures the flavor and the voice of working-class Hawaii in
side-splittingly funny, exquisitely real monologues.
WHO'S WHO
» Hawaiian - a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry. It's a faux pas to call just any
Hawaii resident ʻHawaiian' (as you would a Californian or Texan), thus semantically
ignoring the islands' indigenous people.
» Local - a person who grew up in Hawaii. Locals who move away retain their local
ʻcred,' at least in part. But transplant residents never become local, even once
they've lived in the islands for many years. To call a transplant ʻalmost local' is a
compliment, despite its emphasis on an insider-outsider mentality.
» Malihini -ʻnewcomer,' someone who's just moved to Hawaii and intends to stay.
» Resident - a person who lives, but might not have been born and raised, in
Hawaii.
» Haole - white person (except local Portuguese); further subdivided as ʻmainland'
or ʻlocal' haole. Can be insulting or playful, depending on the context.
» Hapa- a person of mixed ancestry;hapais Hawaiian for ʻhalf.' A common racial
designation ishapa haole(part white and part other, such as Hawaiian and/or Asi-
an).
» Kamaʻaina- literally a ʻchild of the land.' A person who is native to a particular
place, eg a Hilo native is akamaʻainaof Hilo, not Kona. The term connotes a deep
connection to a place. In a commercial context,kamaʻainadiscounts apply to any
resident of Hawaii (ie anyone with a Hawaii driver's license).
Multiculturalism
During the 2012 US presidential election, island residents were thrilled that someone
from Hawaii was re-elected president (' Hana hou !' read the front-page headline in the
Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper). Barack Obama, who spent most of his boyhood in
Honolulu, was embraced by locals because his calm demeanor and respect for diversity
represent Hawaii values. It also didn't hurt that he can bodysurf, and, more importantly,
that he displayed true devotion to his ʻohana . When his grandmother, who lived in
Honolulu, died one day before the 2008 election, Obama suspended his campaign to visit
her before she passed. To locals, these are the things that count.