My daughter's public school in Indiana is having "Hawaiian Day" today. That's offensive, isn't it?
My daughter's public school in Indiana is having "Hawaiian Day" today. That's offensive, isn't it?
I dropped her off this morning and saw girls (and boys) wearing grass skirts, some of them with coconut bras too. I'm not sure what else is going on, but it doesn't seem very respectful of a native culture that we have seriously fucked over. Would they have a "Native American Day" and let kids come in wearing feathered headdresses?
Or am I reading too much into it?
You're viewing a single thread.
You're reading too much into it.
Maybe. I just would like to know what a native Hawaiian would think. I know a Native American would likely be offended if they let kids in wearing feathered headdresses. Neither would be universally true, obviously. I'm just speaking in generalities. I guess since it seems offensive to me, I would like an argument for why it isn't.
That depends on the setting currently. A native Hawaiian back when the culture was in its prime might feel honored. These days, though, the culture has taken such a massive hit that the state is 90% empty, most of the land being owned by random billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah Winfrey, many of the traditions having been replaced, and very little being left of their old society. It may come off as a "take what you like destroy what you don't" kind of situation.
Grass skirts weren't used in Hawaii until the late 19th century and coconut bars never existed. Neither are Hawaiian culture, but both are stereotypes.
I know this. Neither are practical for skirts/bras anyways. I don't know any culture that couldn't weave clothes or wear those clothes.
A native Hawaiian back when the culture was in its prime might feel honored.
Now I'm confused
I mean at the general idea of using their culture. At wearing grass skirts and coconut bras specifically? Yeah they'd feel kind of alienated.
I know a Native American would likely be offended if they let kids in wearing feathered headdresses.
Would they? Depends on the context I suppose. There's a difference between celebrating other cultures and cultural appropriation.
But isn't it sort of the indigenous version of blackface? I'm honestly asking, I'm not trying to make a connection that isn't there.
No, I wouldn't say it's the same.
Are you indigenous?
No, I'm a mutt.
Then you have no right to speak for them or decide what is or isn’t offensive to them.
Easy there, our friend. At this point in time, it's hard not to see this kind of thing as a mental exercise. Even when it comes to my own culture, I have trouble knowing what is "offensive". Identity is weird.
Yes, I agree that it isn’t that simple, and as I said in another comment here, people of a specific culture will have differing opinions and feelings on the matter. That doesn’t mean that non-Hawaiians get to decide what is offensive to Hawaiians, and that is what I am addressing.
Ok, then in that case OP doesn't have a right to decide elementary school Hawaiian day is offense. Case closed.
There is a difference. OP is asking if indigenous Hawaiians would find it offensive. You have been stating that it isn’t as a matter of fact, even though it’s not for you decide.
Yeah I catch your drift. I didn't know he was asking Hawaiians specifically. I guess everyone in this thread should keep quiet.
But aren't grass skirts ceremonial? Like part of religious ceremonies? I really would love a native Hawaiian to chime in.
Lei's are ceremonial, too.
Ok, then maybe that shouldn't happen either? I'm just not big on cultural appropriation, especially when it's one culture appropriating another culture they committed genocide against and never apologized for.
Cultural appropriation is a debate of its own. The wikipedia page on cultural appropriation explains it better than I can. My view is that yes, it would be bad if people started wearing pa'u's on a regular basis because they think it looks cool with no respect for where it came from. Wearing one to Hawaii day at school is not bad because the intention is to celebrate the culture.
Later this month I'm going to an Oktoberfest party and people will be wearing lederhosen. I live in the USA. Is that offensive?
But again, the U.S. didn't commit genocide against Germany.
Britain engaged in a strategy of 'terror bombing', the deliberate murder of German civilians, during WW2, killing over a million people. If a Brit wears a lederhosen, is that offensive? What about a Russian? French folk?
The present is more important than the past. In the past, we've all killed each other in horrific, cruel ways. What matters is the present - Native tribes often still use the national dress they're depicted with (without much concern for accuracy in most cases) in important cultural folkways, and Native Americans in general still suffer from severe discrimination. For that reason, not past genocides (though the past genocides are obviously important to recognize and acknowledge), is tribal 'costume' inappropriate and insensitive.