A Paradise Lost - KOPS - Universität Konstanz

The power of representation is in the hands of white American chroniclers, and in their
eyes, discovery and conquest are “in the modern mood.” Alternating between imperial
visions, the romance of picturesque Polynesia, and swashbuckling yarns, both Michener
and Day unequivocally participated in the “drive to finalize Hawai’i as American
space.” 239 Their patronizing attitude of superiority is topped only by “jaded, postmodern
touristic works such as Paul Theroux’s Happy Isles of Oceania,” a thoroughly
discourteous travel narrative of a grumpy white man looking for the fake and the cheaters.
What is missing from any kind of Orientalist writing is the compassion and respect
towards the Other demanded by both Albert Wendt in his seminal essay “Toward a New
Oceania” and by Hereniko and his mainly part-Hawaiian students in his Spring 2002 class
“Cultural Identity in the Pacific Islands.” 240 However, the hegemonic outsider visions
were not the only constructions of Hawaiian place and identity. Both native Hawaiians
and Asian immigrants had been expressing their cultures and sensibilities all along, but it
took a long time for their voices to be heard in their own homeland. Today, on the other
hand, there are writers whose Caucasian characters struggle to prove that they are not
merely haole but Locals, also belonging to Hawai’i.
Like a dormant volcano coming to life again, the Hawaiians are erupting with all the pent-up energy and
frustrations of a people on the ‘make.’ This great happening has been called a ‘psychological renewal,’ a
‘reaffirmation,’ a ‘revival’ or ‘resurgence’ and a ‘renaissance.’ No matter what you call it, it is the most
4.3 The “Hawaiian Renaissance”
significant chapter in 20 th century Hawaiian history.
George S. Kanahele – Hawaiian Renaissance 241
During King David Kalakaua’s reign (1874-1891) there had been a first ‘renaissance’ of
native cultural practices to stem the influx of foreign values and customs and to rekindle
national pride. The king himself had initiated it, contributing by compiling Hawaiian
legends in a book and by sponsoring all kinds of traditional Hawaiian activities such as
subtle evocation of boyhood that has a universal verity” (Day/Stroven 1968: 323).
239 Lyons 1997: 61.
240 PACS 693, personal attendance, discussion of Theroux.
241 George S. Kanahele, Hawaiian Renaissance, Honolulu 1982: 10.
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