Kumu Hima 2015 dir. Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson
This movie was important to see because of how it showed the intersectionality of culture, race, gender identity, age, etc. Kumu Hima is inspiring and powerful for a number of reasons. I am glad that they included the parts of her being an activist in the community to protect burial sites. It was important to see someone taking what they have and spending their time and life protecting culture, traditions, ancestors, teaching and passing down knowledge and going towards a balanced life. She is very inspiring and I am thankful for her work and how she is willing to share her story.
Pasifika Presentation
This was such an important presentation. I feel so thankful for classmates and peers that took the time to put work into this and be willing to share about their personal lives and connections. Pasifika cultures and histories are very hidden from public knowledge and media. I was struck to learn about American occupation of Samoa and how Samoan people are considered U.S. Nationals and not citizens. It was intense to learn that how that plays out is that America has the power to buy and sell land at their disposal and the Samoan people have barriers to protecting their land legally until they have American citizenship. That is how I am understanding it right now anyway, and that is super messed up. Another alarming fact is that 80 percent of Samoan youth join the military with Samoa being the number one recruitment center and Guam being the second highest.
A lot about Pasifika being a strategic part in wars and how Guam was bombed by the Japanese two hours after Pearl Harbor and then went into a two and a half year Japanese occupation of the island.
The talk about Hawai’i being a racial paradise was interesting. The distinction of the role of white supremacy in the idea of a racial paradise was an important distinction. The idea exists that when people look racially ambiguous, race/racism will not exist. This is coming from the lens of people being mixed white and of color but hopefully more white than brown. Once this is accomplished the talk and reality of race/racism will disappear. This seems more like white people wanting to be more comfortable and otherizes people and disrespects people’s identity, ethnicity, race, and culture.
In the video “Meet the Native Hawai’ians Fighting U.S. Occupation” the leader of the group said that America had colonized the area and left in a way that would cause the native people to come to their own destruction. This deceitful and morbid practice is similar to how America treats Native Americans. For the last part of wiping out Native Americans, the colonizers instilled white values and beauty standards and cut them off from traditions and culture along with food and lush land, when all this happens, it leads to a slow death.
Lots of closing thoughts to think more about:
- culture of Aloha used against Hawai’ians
- culture of matriarchs damaged through colonization
- article “Asian Settler Colonialism”
- global warming/climate change is literally killing the islands and affecting poor populations in the global south
- in our lifetime islands are disappearing and will cease to exist
- sharing information about Pasifika cultures and issues is important, start conversations in the learning community
- who are these boarders benefiting, who are they keeping out, holding in
- Samoan sense of community in conflict with white normative sense
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My Lolo was stationed on Guam and my mom grew up there when she was around age 2-6. Even with that connection, I have not learned about Guam except for the story my mom and Lola tells about a hurricane that hit when they were there.
This summer I learned a little bit about refugees in America from the Marshall Islands because my sister’s friend goes to a church that has a Marshallese service. I am so angry that America has done so much ‘scientific’ testing like nuclear and medical that is carefully hidden from our thoughts. There has been so much sh*t done and its hard to take responsibility but we need to recognize and talk about it.
Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
Intense book. Very real. I appreciated the honest look at Hawai’i in different pockets of APIA people that have been brought, settled, and have always been there. This book clearly illustrated how the western value system is at play and negatively affects people. It shows how people cater to whiteness. Themes throughout this books are home, search for belonging, acceptance, pain, death, racism, white values, self hate, internalized racism, body image, animals, traditional way/modern way, trying to fit in, religion, dreams, older versus younger generations, abuse, coming of age.