How one defines paradise or success is a matter of opinion.
This is because that definition is subject to differ from one person to the next.
Many eras of humanity ago, Pacific voyagers discovered islands distant to any other seafaring nation and inhabited each island, as a season of migration. These voyagers, known as Lapita people, spanned throughout southern Asia and across the Pacific long before Captain Cook expanded European maps to include new trade routes.
Bringing with them what is known as canoe plants, on their sailing expeditions, the Lapita people were quickly able to sustain in adaptability to the islands they built nations upon. Periods lacking migration brought uniqueness to each island nation.
Life was simple. If one wanted what the other had, they either traded or gifted the item in question. Order accompanied law. People were content. There weren't any major diseases until foreigners arrived.
When Europeans and Americans discovered Hawai'i for the first time, they saw what they felt was a perfect opportunity. It was a perfect opportunity to spread the good word and a perfect place to make unprecedented fortunes. It wasn't long before rumors of coup d'etat began to murmur about.
These foreigners wanted to repeat the plight of what they had historically done to American Indians, adding in as much slavery as they could however the Kanaka Maoli - actual Hawaiian people were resilient, learning fast. Too many hands in the pot of conquest also played many a political defeat to that of their own imperialistic cause. Divisions were eminent but the one factor of American unity was the use of American military presence in the islands. Unable to fuel their boats to make it all the way across the Pacific, Honolulu proved to be convenient, especially during the Spanish-American War and the conquest to control the Philippines.
America like this arrangement as well as other fringe benefits of their presence in Hawai'i. Unfortunately their presence in Hawai'i meant high death tolls for Kanaka Maoli. From the loss of land and water rights, to diseases and murder, numbers of the original Hawaiian people shrunk from about a million to just about 40,000.
The mixed work force helped provide a constituent base that outnumbered the imperialists who sought total control over Hawai'i. By the year of 1900, the Home Rule Party was able to maintain some control for local populations. Time, the events of Pearl Harbor and imperialism would soon gain a grip upon the islands that proved detrimental for local interests.
On August 21, 1959
Hawai'i was illegally entered into
the state of the union of the
United States of America
From the period of 1893 until roughly the 1970s, the Hawaiian language, known as ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi was banned in most places including in general public. Strict American laws prevented most of the culture from thriving, while depression stemming from the amounts of oppression, suppression and suffering began to seep in. This combination spurred post-traumatic reactions from the masses of people. It didnʻt only affect Kanaka Maoli. These repercussions effected almost the entire population, sans the rich, powerful imperialists who still frown upon the local population.
Generations ago, this imperialist mentality drove many into such a lack of coping that whatever strains of culture remained, were celebrated alongside new, detrimental habits such as beating children and addiction. Over the same course of time, suicide became a popular way out, still prevalent today in Hawaiʻi.
While still feeling the pangs of a century of oppression, the culture of Hawaiʻi is continually purging forward with the key element of Kapu Aloha at the helm of the waʻa - canoe that everybody paddles together. Today, the language and culture are thriving in ways that a hundred years have not seen. May the healing continue to vibrate across the Pacific and around the world.
Kahala Lei
copyright August 2019
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