Death was so near for several months--sometimes one just has to take a few extra breath of fresh air from heartbreaking woes. I am presently working my way through "Autobiography of Protest In Hawaii" by Robert H. Mast and Anne B. Mast. It's just that I attended a meeting in Nanakuli where our Na Kupuna showed up to share their deaths of spouses and the cause being the truckers dust. The moderator was Gary Gill, and the whole night while I sat on my bottom (an attraction), I wondered how could this be happening that the once son of a highly political father in the history of Hawaiian Politics would wimp out on the voices of our Na Kupuna.
The analysis as large numbers being in my mind--mythical seemed the rule that night. The Na Kupuna didn't have a voice with the newly arrived 'haole' scientist. Our Na Kupuna had a history and he had no validity to the cause and effect of his recently loss of spouse. In today's public education it's all about dummying down high school language arts to 2nd grade reading level so that the football players can get a grade check. And that's what I felt like what was happening in that cafeteria in Nanakuli being led by Gary Gill! Change in society happens in the future, however, the intensive labor is today and Gary Gill had no work ethics, at least none that I could see happening that night. My question is why, and my second though how could this be happening.
I can remember going to college in California in 1991 and there was this hoopdilah about 'diversity', how strange because in 1992 we had LA Riots! Societal changes does not and never will in my mind have to happen with a Jeffersonian death camp, starving children, and dust bowl creations. This is an unfair statement, however, so was that stupid meeting I attended. There was no fairness; Waianae is a dumping ground for nuclear waste! The past history was discounted and the 'big numbers' took its place. Definitions from the continental US ruled the evening and we were given the sorry but--it just doesn't fit our capacity of bean counting.
That night "Nuclear-free and Independent Pacific was a hallow echo!
The inequities and subjugation of our Na Kupuna and their voices was the only sounds that I heard that night, and it is still ringing in my head. I guess my point that I want to make here is the fact that my great-great grandparent were protestors and lead their words, in other words, they weren’t theatrical protestors. As I am reading a few pages that the authors Mast wrote I came to wonder what the heck happened. It's not even a question that one can ask because I sit here in such disbelief! Between concern for the environment, electoral voting, and labor, what the hell happened? Where are the boxes of band-aids, I like the sponge bob ones--not much for beauty and the beast? Lower case please!
In Hawaii all my life diversity, multi-ethnic whatever words want to use to describe in/equality--it is still biquasi in all languages. What I am saying the identities will always be non/Anglo Saxon in progressive measures. I am a Pacific Islander and my ancestors are the rule!
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