Posted by Tane on July 5, 2009 at 1:08am in Culture
Since I cannot post any blog or participate in commenting on a blog, I've decided to respond through the forum. da princess was questioning the terminology of haole and ha'ole. We should remember that the okina and kahako are modern diacritical marks to enable non-speakers to pronounce the words more correctly as they learn the language. Here's my comment to her question:
From what I learned from my tutuman was that it meant foreign or foreigner. It never had to do with race or ethnicity unless you qualify the word; e.g., haole kina = chinese foreigner; haole kepani = Japanese from Japan; haole melika = American foreigner, haole palani = french foreigner, etc. You get the picture.
How did people assume it meant white man was the fact that the first haole that was introduced to the islands were white men. Those white men took it upon themselves to identify themselves to mean that the word identified them without qualification. Soon Hawaiians bought into the perverse definition to mean only white men. Nonetheless, the word still meant foreigner. The usage is used properly yet the whites identify with that reference to them as being a white person. Since they are not natives but visitors or settlers from a foreign country and still are foreigners, they are referred to as haole, which is correct; but it also means any foreigner no matter the race or ethnicity that consider themselves as U.S. Americans or from another foreign country and not a Hawaii national. So the reference is to their foreign origin. The whites claim the word to mean only them and that's when it got more confusing and perverse.
The two other words that are similar but subtle in pronounciation is ha'ole and hao-le (emphasis on the "le").which my grandfather's cousin, Pilahi Paki, explained to me.
Ha'ole again referred primarily to the first foreigners that arrived in Hawai'i. Back then they were more stoic and very pale. They were expressionless and appeared that they had no soul. They weren't as animated as what Hawaiians regarded as a human that was alive, thus, no-breath. Here again it does not emphasize race or ethnicity because a person's demeanor could be souless and dead-like and lifeless.
The other word is hao-le which again doesn't refer to a specific ethnicity or race; but actuates a behavior which appeared to be characteristic with many whites and americanized non-whites. It refers to a person that is forceful that grabs or grasp, pillage, plunder or is a robber who goes about listless ly or aimlessly who appears to do no work and is lazy in the eyes of the Hawaiian. Unfortunately, this characterization falls to the white businessman or a business person that doesn't seem to do much work except to order people around or aimlessly going around and robbing people and scamming them. Land grabbing; not working or it but paying people coins for their work. Sound familiar?
All three words have different meanings and the pronounciation is slight that it is similar and easily be misinterpreted if one's ears cannot hear the subtlties. So don't let foreigner take our language and redefine it. Don't buy into it and adjoin yourself to that mindset. These U.S. Americans (haole melika) are foreigners; they are not Hawai'i nationals and the usage is proper to identify them as who they are. I do hope this clarifies it more accurately and that we know the usage is not in reference specifically to caucasians alone. The person is either haole or kama'aina regardless of race or ethnicity. Many of us are part-Hawaiian and part-haole due to the descendency from a foreigner or from a foreign origin. We embrace our ancestors of foreign origins as well because without them, we wouldn't be here. Don't be bamboozled by whites that claim we are racist. Racism is a caucasian malady and their problem; not ours.
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I thiink you are still buying into the white mahn's definition. Haole is not a pilau word. A foreigner can come from anywhere in the world. Malihini is a newcomer. Kama'aina is an old-timer/ native-born or Keiki o ka 'aina is a child of the land/ born here. It's the adjective which can either be good or bad. U.S. Americans are haole because they are foreigners which has nothing to do with ethnicity. It's the whites that keep referencing it to mean white people only. But traditionally being separate from others; they tend to remain haole. Calling all U.S. Americans haole is just as proper because they are here in Hawai'i illegally. If more people use it correctly, then it won't sound as pilau as you think.
you are a racist for sure. but then again i am a haole(your right, we do control this word) and racism only exist in my world as true Hawaiians such as yourself are above these afflictions.
dude, get a life.
Aloha
haole(without breath, dead looking and lifeless)
i am wondering if you are addressing me or the other dudes before my comment above yours.
however, listen to yourself eric, it that is the attitude that i was trying to expose.
the word haole has nothing to do with any ha (breath of life), meaning lifeless!!!
it is all about a foreigner, black, white, pink, yellow, it doesn't matter.
it is not about anyone being racist, again its about education and attitude.
even if you one haole (foreigner), i will still ALOHA you.
so please i ask you eric, to aloha our sacred lands and her people, the kanaka maoli's
and i am sure will be given the right directions to your journey of the
correct knowledge of our wonderful hawaiian words...........................~da princess~
I know its meaning and its attitude, but we cannot avoid the connotation that it holds, The kaona of so many Hawaiian words have been misrepresented. you know my mana'o is not different then yours except that is going to have a tough time finding its way back to its molekumu [root]. I don't mind when they call me haole boy when it comes from the olelo, Most times it comes from the pilau part of American occupation.
call what you want but work with me to end the occupation [now]
“Over the years, I’ve come to realize
that there’s also a larger and subtler
Meaning to ha’ole.
It’s not a skin color, it’s a brain process. It really means someone
whose mind-set is foreign--who behaves in a clueless manner. If
you’re unaware and “disrespectful” of your surroundings, you can devolve
into a ha’ole anywhere, anytime. It’s all in your attitude.”
This says it in a nutshell; which many of us have been saying for generations.
Kala mai, But Haole still stay pilau. "Good" haole and "Bad" haole, the kaona [meanings] have a negative root and we just reformed okole puka's. I know the Aloha for na poe haole and I believe we need have one better word with a kaona that reflects pono kanaka with different koko.
aloha kai, its not about the blood or the bad / good, its about the ATTITUDE of one that is on our sacred lands. i also see pilua in kanaka maoli's, no difference from the haole that you see that is pilau.
EDUCATION is the way to teach the attitudes of all as humans. at times i see more Aloha in haole's than in kanaka maoli and thats a fact that we can not play blind to what surrounds us, every day. we have to stop the word calling and get to the root of Educating our next generation of the Attitude of the Values of our native hawaiian kupuna kahiko's (ancestors). i found some of our kupunas has forgotten the values, and/or was never taught to them at all, and/or refuse to take the time to teach it to their next generations. whatever the case, Kai we are the next generation to apply it to the full to teach the Right (being and saying PONO). it is our Responsibility to teach and educate the ohana's of this generation and
the next 7 generations to come. Lets all stand together and be, if not good, BETTER Examples.
until we all meet in unity, Mahalo Ke Akua...............................~da princess~
Aloha everyone, I am new to this site and wanted to share a little quote about "ha'ole" It was from a book written by Laird Hamilton the world renowned big wave rider, who himself is "ha'ole". He says
“Over the years, I’ve come to realize
that there’s also a larger and subtler
Meaning to ha’ole.
It’s not a skin color, it’s a brain process. It really means someone
whose mind-set is foreign--who behaves in a clueless manner. If
you’re unaware and “disrespectful” of your surroundings, you can devolve
into a ha’ole anywhere, anytime. It’s all in your attitude.”
Replies
wow....so good to go back to the reference of what was said, by the Wise....thank you kupuna tane
I thiink you are still buying into the white mahn's definition. Haole is not a pilau word. A foreigner can come from anywhere in the world. Malihini is a newcomer. Kama'aina is an old-timer/ native-born or Keiki o ka 'aina is a child of the land/ born here. It's the adjective which can either be good or bad. U.S. Americans are haole because they are foreigners which has nothing to do with ethnicity. It's the whites that keep referencing it to mean white people only. But traditionally being separate from others; they tend to remain haole. Calling all U.S. Americans haole is just as proper because they are here in Hawai'i illegally. If more people use it correctly, then it won't sound as pilau as you think.
you are a racist for sure. but then again i am a haole(your right, we do control this word) and racism only exist in my world as true Hawaiians such as yourself are above these afflictions.
dude, get a life.
Aloha
haole(without breath, dead looking and lifeless)
i am wondering if you are addressing me or the other dudes before my comment above yours.
however, listen to yourself eric, it that is the attitude that i was trying to expose.
the word haole has nothing to do with any ha (breath of life), meaning lifeless!!!
it is all about a foreigner, black, white, pink, yellow, it doesn't matter.
it is not about anyone being racist, again its about education and attitude.
even if you one haole (foreigner), i will still ALOHA you.
so please i ask you eric, to aloha our sacred lands and her people, the kanaka maoli's
and i am sure will be given the right directions to your journey of the
correct knowledge of our wonderful hawaiian words...........................~da princess~
I know its meaning and its attitude, but we cannot avoid the connotation that it holds, The kaona of so many Hawaiian words have been misrepresented. you know my mana'o is not different then yours except that is going to have a tough time finding its way back to its molekumu [root]. I don't mind when they call me haole boy when it comes from the olelo, Most times it comes from the pilau part of American occupation.
call what you want but work with me to end the occupation [now]
aloha ka kou
for your understanding and i feel the mana in you.
Blessings to you and yours.
~da princess~
“Over the years, I’ve come to realize
that there’s also a larger and subtler
Meaning to ha’ole.
It’s not a skin color, it’s a brain process. It really means someone
whose mind-set is foreign--who behaves in a clueless manner. If
you’re unaware and “disrespectful” of your surroundings, you can devolve
into a ha’ole anywhere, anytime. It’s all in your attitude.”
This says it in a nutshell; which many of us have been saying for generations.
Mahalo ia 'oe i ko mana'o.
Tane
hiki no?
Kai
EDUCATION is the way to teach the attitudes of all as humans. at times i see more Aloha in haole's than in kanaka maoli and thats a fact that we can not play blind to what surrounds us, every day. we have to stop the word calling and get to the root of Educating our next generation of the Attitude of the Values of our native hawaiian kupuna kahiko's (ancestors). i found some of our kupunas has forgotten the values, and/or was never taught to them at all, and/or refuse to take the time to teach it to their next generations. whatever the case, Kai we are the next generation to apply it to the full to teach the Right (being and saying PONO). it is our Responsibility to teach and educate the ohana's of this generation and
the next 7 generations to come. Lets all stand together and be, if not good, BETTER Examples.
until we all meet in unity, Mahalo Ke Akua...............................~da princess~
“Over the years, I’ve come to realize
that there’s also a larger and subtler
Meaning to ha’ole.
It’s not a skin color, it’s a brain process. It really means someone
whose mind-set is foreign--who behaves in a clueless manner. If
you’re unaware and “disrespectful” of your surroundings, you can devolve
into a ha’ole anywhere, anytime. It’s all in your attitude.”
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