NATIVE HAWAIIAN VOICES
INVISIBILITY
Absence of Native Hawaiian Actors
Representation of race is extremely important in media as it tends to affect our idea of “cultural citizenship,” meaning the extent to which certain cultural groups are considered “American” and whether their culture and practices are recognized (Ducros et al., 2018).
Native Hawaiians are one of the least represented indigenous groups in mainstream media. In the early 1900’s, various movies based around Hawaiian themes were released, which were “filmed in Hollywood studios” and “performed by ‘Polynesians’ from Japan and the Middle West” (Schmitt, 1967, p. 76). This erasure of Native Hawaiians from their own stories continues a century later. In movies and television shows released in 2015, less than one percent of characters were Native Hawaiian (Smith et al., 2016). Today, cities like Honolulu have higher than average concentrations of Native Hawaiians, meaning that television shows set in Honolulu should depict more Native Hawaiian regulars. However, most shows tend to lack a single Native Hawaiian character, such as HawaiÊ»i 5-0 which is set in Honolulu and didn’t include a single Pacific Islander character in the 2015-2016 season. Whitewashing a location like Honolulu, which has a significant Native Hawaiian population, erases Native Hawaiian prominence, taking away their power in their own home (Ducros et al., 2018).
MISCONCEPTIONS
Media Misconception Effects on Native Hawaiians
When people are unfamiliar with certain groups, they rely on media characterizations to formulate their own beliefs (Deo et al., 2008). This shapes how the audience sees the world, including their perceptions of racial and ethnic groups and their understanding of social inequalities. As Hollywood continues to leave actors of color with roles as sidekicks, villains, and foreigners, it legitimizes and enforces racial hierarchies in U.S. society (Ducros et al., 2018).
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The portrayal of native groups and their cultures are often presented in demeaning ways. The media tends to promote inaccurate and profitable ideas of an indigenous peoples to non- native groups for entertainment purposes. Due to this misrepresentation, stereotypes are often placed upon Native Hawaiians who have little to no voice to defend themselves. In early encounters between Native Hawaiians and Westerners, Native Hawaiians were viewed as “others” and their title quickly transformed to “the savage” as colonizers attempted to define their sense of self. These “savages” captivated Western audiences and inspired a range of cinematic practices. Stereotypes like these “can contribute to structural inequalities and even adversely affect how people of color see themselves” (Ducros et al., 2018, p. 16).
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Native Hawaiians are often seen as simple and lazy individuals that lack any type of complexity, ambition, or intellect. In the media, they’re portrayed as colorful background characters and when they aren’t laughing, dancing, or eating, they’re depicted as dangerous and cannibalistic (Hereniko, 1999). People have remarkable differences between how they view the islands and how they view islanders. “HawaiÊ»i” evokes phrases like “paradise” and “beauty,” while "Native Hawaiian" evokes phrases like “large people,” “violence” and “gangs.” These stereotypical terms and ideas have been seen in movies over the last 100 years, including Bird of Paradise (1932,1951), South Pacific (1958), and The Thin Red Line (1998) (Hereniko, 1999). Because of this portrayal and lack of fair representation in television and movies, Native Hawaiians are seen as less- likable than other characters (Ducros et al., 2018).
MISREPRESENTATION
Cultural Appropriation, Exploitation, and Stereotypes
The misrepresentation of Hawaiian culture and “visual tableau[s] of an idyllic environment inhabited by a carefree society living in a ‘state of nature’ articulates with images” that have translated from tourist promotion and circulated in film and television, establishing and reinforcing the stereotypes of Hawaiian culture that we commonly see. Hawai’i has experienced multiple cases of appropriation of native traditions and rituals for economic profit and mass consumption (Tamaira & Fonoti, 2018, p. 302).
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Hawaiian cultural practices that are commonly appropriated include Hawaiian oli (chant) and hula (dance). These aspects of Hawaiian culture are significant because they were used to record epic stories about voyaging, gods, accomplishments, and failures throughout Hawaiian history (Tamaira & Fonoti, 2018, p. 305).
Hula is an art, a tradition, and a dance that utilizes mele (song), oli (chant), and physical motions. Hula shares moÊ»olelo (stories), honors individuals, celebrate wahi pana (places of significance), and recites genealogies. Unfortunately, the “hula girl” has become the image most affiliated with HawaiÊ»i and Hawaiian culture, used for postcards, business advertisements, and figurines, often depicting an unrealistic female body wearing a grass skirt and a coconut bra. Although coconut bras were not part of ancient Hawaiian hula, the image of a grass skirt and coconut bras became popular in Hollywood movies. The “hula girl” has become the perceived stereotypical identity of Native Hawaiian women (Dolim, 2014).
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The tourism industry and the media have also commercialized “aloha” and made profit off of the “aloha spirit.” Aloha didn’t have its current prominence in precontact HawaiÊ»i. Western explorers first seized “aloha” to describe their admiration of Hawaiians as ideal natives and noble savages. Aloha means love, compassion, and empathy. “Alo” means the front of a person or the part of the body in which we embrace others, and “ha” means breath, or breath of life, which is recognized as possessing mana (power). Aloha is recognized as being in each other’s presence exchanging the breath of life. However, to promote tourism, the original meaning of “aloha” has been stripped and promoted as hospitality in the form of the “aloha spirit.” In 1962, the “aloha spirit” became a public debate as reports from tourists stated whether or not they experienced the “aloha spirit” while on their vacation. In other words, tourists expect to spend their vacation in HawaiÊ»i recieving welcoming interactions with Native Hawaiians as the “aloha spirit” was understood to be a refreshing change from the places they’ve escaped from (Dolim, 2014; Ohnuma, 2008).
