It was during the state boys basketball tournament that the war cry, basically the tomahawk chant, of Kahuku fans drew me into conversation with a former player and coach (OIA) about the politics of the whole thing.
It was during the state boys basketball tournament that the war cry, basically the tomahawk chant, of Kahuku fans drew me into conversation with a former player and coach (OIA) about the politics of the whole thing. After all, when fans on the mainland use the same chant, they're decried and ripped for being politically incorrect.
But Kahuku has done it for years. And in more recent years, I've started to wonder more and more about where that line rests between school history and sensitivity to Native American tribes. This is my theory.
Because the Mormon church is entrenched on the North Shore, particularly La'ie, doing the tomahawk chant isn't just something that goes along with Kahuku's longtime nickname, "Red Raiders." Though that name came by chance when 'Iolani donated uniforms to Kahuku decades ago (and has more recently dropped the "Red" from its nickname), I started to realize there's more to it.
See, for those of us (including myself), there's very little knowledge about what the history of the LDS is all about. Like any religion, there's good (lots) and bad (sad but true). When it comes to lineage, though, the Mormon church takes it to a really interesting, some say creative, new level. When I hear talk about a Western culture/faith deriving from a "lost tribe" of Israel, I think of Bob Marley, the Rasafarians and their insistence that former Ethiopian president Hallie Selassie was the descendant and king of that tribe, which eventually found its way to Jamaica, etc.
Well, the Church of Latter-Day Saints has used similar historical rewriting to say that Native Americans are descendants of the lost tribe, and from there, they migrated to Polynesia and South America. I don't hear it directly from friends who are Mormon, but it interests me to know more about migration and history, all the good and bad.
DNA in recent years has proven that South Americans descended from travelers who crossed from Siberia to Alaska -- NOT from Israel. There is no Hebrew DNA in Polynesians, either. For literalists of the LDS church, it has to be a stiff blow. But it doesn't really change my perspective of people and their chosen faith. Why?
I believe there's something within us that transcends the name of our religion and church. Being raised a certain way doesn't necessarily limit us to possibilities and realities. America was born out of religious tyranny, among other things, so the right to follow one's path was well-earned by our forefathers.
But I'm sure there are older Mormons who will never trust the technology that has changed our lives, just as I am content to use a freebie cellphone rather than buy a pricey iPhone, just as there are still some folks who refuse to use a computer, let alone e-mail. DNA has reversed the wrongful convictions of more than 200 people and freed them from prisons.
Trying to explain that Polynesians are not genetically linked to the lost tribe of Israel will fall on some deaf ears.
Does it matter? Depends on who you are. For me, I'm gotten old enough to get over literalism. I don't care if God created the universe in 7 days or 7 millennia or 7 seconds. When I meet someone, especially for the first time, it's that person and me talking and sharing a brief moment. There's an imprint left behind, and all I can hope is that the one I leave is positive.
My curiosity about migration will never cease, I guess. Cultures evolve and change, and so do religions. But those of us who would pound another person, culture or nation just because we "know" we're right and they're wrong ... I would implore you to remember how quickly we are all humbled by life. If the tomahawk chant irritates you, let it be solely for competitive reasons when your school is playing Kahuku.
If it makes you smile, know that I'm smiling along with you. There is a unity and spirit within and around Kahuku's athletic program that is unique. Special. I say chant forever, 'til kingdom come.
Showing posts with label Lost Tribe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lost Tribe. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Monday, May 12, 2008
Revisiting theories about Menehune
The more I read, the more it seems the legend of Menehune is more of a fabrication to to downplay the reality of ancient Hawaii: politics.
Work, work, work. Things have been busy and fun with the state tournaments. I was absolutely exhausted by Saturday night, not to mention drenched thanks to the Punahou players who missed their coach (Eric Kadooka) and got most of me drenched. On top of the sniffles I had that night, it was perfect timing for a big bowl of seafood ramen at nearby Ezogiku. I may sound like a shill for that place, but that seafood ramen is so awesome. I hold it up to other great local ramen like Tenkaippin's kotteri ramen and Taiyo Ramen's miso ramen (not so spectacular, but priced right and perfect in combination with the best gyoza in Hawaii.)
Anyway, I need a distraction when things get this busy, and ever since seeing Kalalau Valley on Kauai a couple of years ago, I can't seem to get Menehune out of my brain. Sure, the image of little people running around in the cover of nightfall, building spectacular fishponds and bridges and heiau has always been part of our local folklore. But it wasn't long ago when I read that one of the translations of the name "menehune" was "lower-class" commoners. In other words, they may not have been dwarfish at all. Hmm.
The "Lost Tribe" of Kalalau Valley feeds the imagination of visitors and locals alike, but the notion that they were little people isn't so strong on Kauai. In fact, the 1920 census notes that there were 65 residents listed as Menehune. Was this a separate ethnic group altogether? I've always believed that there's no land of peace. China grew to an enormous size through war, despite the notion that they were a civilized (true) kingdom of peace for millennia. Even in peace, they had warlords.
No different in Hawaii. The early settlers from the Marquesas Islands were not exactly best buddies with newcomers from Tahiti. Of course there were battles for the most fertile land, water (as always) and labor. It's the way of the world. Big fish eats the little fish. I think the Marquesans were pushed further up the island chain, all the way into Kalalau Valley. Though the census listed only 65 "Menehune" (known as manahune in the Tahitian language) in 1820, Kauai folks tell me there were about 200 of them during that century living in Kalalau. The place is pristine, green and water is everywhere.
Put 2 and 2 together, and it makes sense. There were no elfish people out there. It was purely political. It was war and the winners conquered. The losers moved on.
Katherine Luomala, a folklorist, contends that the legends of the Menehune are a post-European contact myth and didn't exist before Captain Cook arrived. Politics? The famous Alekoko fishpond, a.k.a. Menehune fishpond (I've been there and it's enormous!), wasn't built by Menehune. It was built overnight by commoners on the order of the chief, just as a similar pond was built on Oahu back in the day.
As a kid, I always thought of Menehune as a magical, mysterious people. But as it is with everything else in the real world, the truth is embedded with war, suffering and the awful whims of those who abuse their power.
Contact with the outside world didn't matter. Hawaii and all its treasures were always destined to be warred over. They're fighting over water rights on Maui and Windward Oahu. I can only imagine how much they fought over water during the pre-contact times.
The Menehune possibly had it good, after all. Nobody went across the thick forest of Kauai to bother them up in Kalalau Valley. I'd like to know, now that it's apparent that all of the Lost Tribe eventually assimilated into society, who they were and what kind of names they had.
They had their own language, even grew their hair long, according to one account. I want to know more.
Work, work, work. Things have been busy and fun with the state tournaments. I was absolutely exhausted by Saturday night, not to mention drenched thanks to the Punahou players who missed their coach (Eric Kadooka) and got most of me drenched. On top of the sniffles I had that night, it was perfect timing for a big bowl of seafood ramen at nearby Ezogiku. I may sound like a shill for that place, but that seafood ramen is so awesome. I hold it up to other great local ramen like Tenkaippin's kotteri ramen and Taiyo Ramen's miso ramen (not so spectacular, but priced right and perfect in combination with the best gyoza in Hawaii.)
Anyway, I need a distraction when things get this busy, and ever since seeing Kalalau Valley on Kauai a couple of years ago, I can't seem to get Menehune out of my brain. Sure, the image of little people running around in the cover of nightfall, building spectacular fishponds and bridges and heiau has always been part of our local folklore. But it wasn't long ago when I read that one of the translations of the name "menehune" was "lower-class" commoners. In other words, they may not have been dwarfish at all. Hmm.
The "Lost Tribe" of Kalalau Valley feeds the imagination of visitors and locals alike, but the notion that they were little people isn't so strong on Kauai. In fact, the 1920 census notes that there were 65 residents listed as Menehune. Was this a separate ethnic group altogether? I've always believed that there's no land of peace. China grew to an enormous size through war, despite the notion that they were a civilized (true) kingdom of peace for millennia. Even in peace, they had warlords.
No different in Hawaii. The early settlers from the Marquesas Islands were not exactly best buddies with newcomers from Tahiti. Of course there were battles for the most fertile land, water (as always) and labor. It's the way of the world. Big fish eats the little fish. I think the Marquesans were pushed further up the island chain, all the way into Kalalau Valley. Though the census listed only 65 "Menehune" (known as manahune in the Tahitian language) in 1820, Kauai folks tell me there were about 200 of them during that century living in Kalalau. The place is pristine, green and water is everywhere.
Put 2 and 2 together, and it makes sense. There were no elfish people out there. It was purely political. It was war and the winners conquered. The losers moved on.
Katherine Luomala, a folklorist, contends that the legends of the Menehune are a post-European contact myth and didn't exist before Captain Cook arrived. Politics? The famous Alekoko fishpond, a.k.a. Menehune fishpond (I've been there and it's enormous!), wasn't built by Menehune. It was built overnight by commoners on the order of the chief, just as a similar pond was built on Oahu back in the day.
As a kid, I always thought of Menehune as a magical, mysterious people. But as it is with everything else in the real world, the truth is embedded with war, suffering and the awful whims of those who abuse their power.
Contact with the outside world didn't matter. Hawaii and all its treasures were always destined to be warred over. They're fighting over water rights on Maui and Windward Oahu. I can only imagine how much they fought over water during the pre-contact times.
The Menehune possibly had it good, after all. Nobody went across the thick forest of Kauai to bother them up in Kalalau Valley. I'd like to know, now that it's apparent that all of the Lost Tribe eventually assimilated into society, who they were and what kind of names they had.
They had their own language, even grew their hair long, according to one account. I want to know more.
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