Virtual Island

Menlo College's  Lit 306: literature of Hawaii & The Pacific is happy to announce the Virtual Island’s November issue, Contemplating Cultural Disruption. Here at the VI, we are deeply appreciative of it’s first video interviews created for the zine, by Chara Higaki and Jadalee Takara. Their pixelated profundity shares the November issue with more student generated works that explore the themes of, conservation, reclamation, preservation and perpetuation.  

The Pacific Island Fight Against Eurocentric Hegemony   Joseph Kohlhase Auckland, New Zealand Hegemony is defined as: leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, especially among smaller nations, through aggression or expansionism. Hegemony is rooted in ideology and is achieved through those in power who institute and influence the values, norms, ideas, expectations, worldview, and behaviors of their society to reflect the majority and dominant culture. Moving to America from New Zealand three years ago, I have been able to see firsthand the dogma that cultural hegemony breeds. Whilst I have not seen the extremes that many individuals face on a daily basis, I have been subjected to the expectation that my worldly beliefs are wrong, and that I must change the way I dress, speak and act to fit American Eurocentric standards. Although there is hegemonic influence in New Zealand, moving to the United States, opened my eyes wider to the everyday adversities that

Hawaiian Inoa By Abigail Roxas Kalihi, O‘ahu There were limited but highly valued personal possessions in the early days of Hawai’i. “Poi pounders, woven mats, a man’s malo (loin cloth), the stone adze of a canoe maker, the bone hooks of a fisherman, the spear of a warrior – all these were prized.” (Pukui, Haertig, Lee) Aside from these possessions, the most precious possession one can own was their name. A Hawaiian name tells a lot about a person. It might tell you about the place and conditions of birth, family lineage, ancestor’s occupation, and mana. “Whatever the meaning behind the inoa… the name itself had mana; the name itself might bear a kapu. Both could play a part in shaping the character, personality – even the fate and fortunes – of the bearer!” (Pukui, Haertig, Lee) Hawaiian names also uphold values bestowed upon the child which creates a unique and special meaning. It is also believed that Hawaiian names are crafted very carefully and diligently because they were thoug

Video: Through the lens of a local Through the lens of a local in Hawai'i  by Chara Higaki Being born and raised on the islands of Hawai'i there is so much unknown history that needs to be learned and heard. I have conducted an interview with responses from individuals located across the state of Hawai'i including the islands: Hawai'i, Maui, and Oahu. The purpose of this interview was to understand what knowledge these individuals knew about the history of Hawaii, and their perspective on events occurring today.   Learn more about 'Ōlelo Hawai'i Link: https://wehewehe.org

Homestead Lands  by Christian Paet  Waimanalo, Hawaii  The Hawaiian homestead is the land that was given to the Hawaiian peo- ple through the Hawaiian Homes Commission act of 1920, which was made by the US congress to to protect and improve the lives of the Native Hawaiian peo- ple. The Hawaiian Homestead to me is home. My family acquired land in Waimanalo in the 1940ʻs and have been living there ever since. The homestead lands are extremely important not only to me but all native Hawaiian people. This essay will explain the history and functionality of the Hawaiian homelands along with the impact to the Hawaiian people and the state. Also what the homestead means to me and my family through stories of what it was like growing up there. The lands are controlled and regulated by the Hawaiian Homes Commis- sion Act of 1920, The act created a Hawaiian Homes Commission to administer certain public lands, called Hawaiian home lands, for homesteads. In order to ob- tain the lands you have t

All Hawai'i Stands Together  by Serena Lum Ewa Beach, Hawai’i  When I first began searching for something that represented my culture, I came across a plethora of videos that I wanted to share about events that had a profound meaning to me. They each held their own amount of mana, knowledge, and meaning that brought upon a different kind of chicken skin and chill. Although not being able to share each one of these videos, I was able to find one video that did an amazing job at representing a part of each of these videos as a whole. The plethora of videos that I mentioned earlier highlights the strength and sense of community that our people still hold even after enduring decades of injustice and wrongdoing. The #Jam4MaunaKea video, although only named after one Hawaiian sovereignty movement, represents so much more than that one movement. The video, which encompasses a part of each video’s mana, is a representation of Hawaiians uniting worldwide after years of being brutally stripp

 Something for the keedz, the keiki, the kiddos... Keiki Means Child by Liliana Chisler in consultation with one Ian Martins Keiki Means Child

  https://youtu.be/ovHN2LTxO6U

  Puanani Burgess reads from The Mouse is Dreaming | PBS HAWAIʻI: GET CAUGHT READING

  Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, Lahaina Slow Jamz, “E Piʻi Mai”

  Talk Pidgin, talk Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, talk English, be one trilingual speaker @SPEAK HAWAIIAN(youtube)

  Puakea Noglemeier: Step Inside Hawaiʻi’s Native Language Newspaper Archive (The Lost Library)

  TEDxManoa “Moʻolelo Refigured, Developing a new Hawaiʻian History Textbook,” featuring Umi Perkins

  About Moʻo (Amaukua/Geckos), Moʻolelo (stories) & Newspapers @ Living Hawaiian Culture, Kumukahi  http://www.kumukahi.org/units/na_kanaka/kaaike/moolelo

  Get Good Grindz: this is a food review from “Frolic Hawaii’s” “Eat” section where they feature Lee A. Tonouchi’s, brilliant food reviews,“Broke da Mouth:” https://www.frolichawaii.com/stories/broke-da-mouth-dis-flower-shop-get-amazing-mandoo