A Paradise Lost - KOPS - Universität Konstanz

issue have been sovereignty and a ‘decolonization of the mind,’ as African writer Ngugi
wa Thiong’o has termed the necessary process towards a native identity, starting with the
reclamation of one’s mother tongue. 246 The revitalization of the Hawaiian language and
the reclamation of indigenous culture are still being seen as the most important steps in
this direction.
In a 1979 lecture, George S. Kanahele, an avid chronicler of the cultural side of
the renaissance which he defines as the “revitalization of the human spirit in all aspects of
endeavor,” listed some areas of renewed creative activity: a “resurgence of Hawaiian
music,” both in production as well as in reception and in the study of Local forms like
slack-key guitar and steel guitar; a “revival of the hula kahiko and the male hula;”
exhibitions of the visual arts as well as renewed interest in ancient practices such as
featherwork and lei making; surfing, canoe racing, and voyaging; classes in the Hawaiian
language increasingly being offered on all levels; and finally, research and scholarship
undertaken both on the formal level of universities and libraries and, more informally, in
communication with the kupuna, the elders. 247 While Kanahele could still unequivocally
embrace the help of non-Hawaiians – “These Hawaiians-at-heart have held key positions
in many Hawaiian causes, and often it has been their support in money, time, and counsel
that has spelled the difference between success and failure” 248 – more recent debates
about sovereignty have focused on indigeneity, sometimes dismissing any claims of
‘immigrant’ belonging. Although decolonization and reassertion need to focus on
indigenous culture and society, other Locals’ works and cultures co-constitute Hawai’i.
Especially Asian American residents share a postcolonial consciousness. Moreover, many
residents regardless of ethnicity are concerned with environmental and political issues. A
more inclusive, common cause might be the only chance of shifting majorities. On the
other hand, the assertion of an Asian American presence and legitimacy in the islands is
seen by some native Hawaiian critics as ‘settler arrogance,’ especially in the case of the
Japanese who have gained a powerful speaking position since plantation times:
246 See Trask 1999: 90. Ngugi is a Kenyan author of various plays, essays, and novels. At some point, he
publicly relinquished English as a medium of communication in favor of his first languages, Gikuyu and
Kiswahili.
247 See Kanahele 1982: 10-26. Kanahele himself worked at reviving traditional songs and chants in the
1960s, intending to counter the immensely popular ‘hapa haole music’ that had boomed between the 1930s
and 60s. In 1979, he published the compendium Hawaiian Music and Musicians with the University of
Hawai’i Press.
248 Kanahele 1982: 26.
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