Last week I was
privileged to visit the beautiful island O'ahu in Hawaii. On Tuesday I volunteered with a friend of a friend at the
ocean; they say it was actually a pond! For 3 and a-half hours we moved large rocks as a 13 person team to build
a rock wall. For me this was labor intensive! The wall was built so that the
employees of the pond could see the height of the water as it related to the
ocean current.
The rain fell
upon us on the chilly, yet gorgeous night. As I looked down the
shining rock wall and assembly line team I smiled. I saw much beauty in the teamwork happening. The team was passing rocks, building,
laughing, joking, and setting a rock foundation. I was inspired.
At the end of
the building I wanted to take a picture of the rock wall. Not because I was a tourist, but
because the wall was extraordinarily beautiful. I wanted to remember it. As I got one of the women to use her cell phone to take the
picture, a native Hawaiian laughed and said, “humph, tourists!” I thought to myself, “Me, a tourist!” My heart started to beat a little
faster. Without hesitation I said,
“ If I were a normal tourist do you really think I would have spent my evening
in the cold rain in the ocean moving super large rocks? If I were here as a tourist I would be
at a nice resort right now drinking a pina colada.”
He looked at me
and laughed noting, “You tourists like doing things like this to make you feel
as if you are one of us.” My presence seemed to disturb him. The people around kept silent. Some people laughed with him, others looked at me with
distanced concern. For some reason
I knew I needed to take a deep breathe and simply keep silent. So, I did. In my mind I thought, “I never want to
feel like I am anyone else other than myself.” I walked away thinking, “Why would he seem so offended by my
presence? Who and what did I
represent for him? If I
represented “tourist” for him, what did I trigger?”
I went to Hawaii for an advocacy and organizing meeting with
the General Board of Church and Society for the United Methodist Church. The
topic for the meeting was “immigration
& global migration” and “indigenous peoples & Native peoples/Native
Hawaiians.” Within our organizing
meetings I learned quite a lot from the Native Hawaiians who were present. These insights helped me understand the
young man at the pond’s reaction towards me a bit more.
In the 1890’s
the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown and with this reality
and others Hawaii was colonized. This affected Native Hawaiin’s land, language,
and culture. Can you imagine having all that you know stripped away from
you? Intense! Since then the US military has taken
over a large percentage of the Hawaiian land. The Native people of Hawaii
considered much of which sacred. Highways have been built, military bases have
been built, and migration to Hawaii continues to rise.
As a result of militarization
and colonialism native Hawaiian people’s cultural survival was and is
impacted. Native Hawaiians
spirituality and livelihood is directly connected to the land. When this was
taken away this impacted and is still impacting the community. This is shown in high rates of
homelessness, school drop out rates, higher infant mortality rates and the list
goes on.
After digesting
these realities I could now see how the native Hawaiian brother from the pond
would feel a certain way about my presence at the pond. Often times I go into other contexts as
a visitor not knowing the history of systemic oppression that the native people
have suffered. His feelings were
not just about me. I do believe for him the pond, the rocks, the ocean, the
land these spaces were sacred for him and his ancestors. As an American, a “tourist," maybe for him I represented an invasive presence. And if that was the reality, I have to give respect to this
gentleman and his ancestors. Maybe
instead of me reacting, I could have fostered dialogue or maybe in that moment
it was best to respect this brother and simply walk away.
During our
organizing and advocacy meetings there were several men and women working to
restore the Hawaiian Kingdom. They
worked to embrace the language and teach, share the rituals with the next
generation, preserve the land and culture. Though there was the reality of hurt
sometimes present in their voices as they spoke there was a sense of power, passion,
persistence, and perseverance that was inspiring.
When visiting a
new place I know it’s not always possible to learn the history of a specific
context, but one thing I do know is that there are always systems of oppression
at work. Now, if I was to ever see
the Hawaiian brother again I would be able to listen to his truth more, instead
of making my own assumptions. Mark
12: 31 notes, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater
than these.” Hawaii is a beautiful island, but the native Hawaiian language,
spirituality, land, and culture are even more beautiful. This is what deserves
to be respected and preserved!
