Natives Of Hawai'I example essay topic

Ani Par Response #8 In "Shame On!" we see Chrystos throwing colonization back in the face of the colonizers and exposing the way in which Native peoples are constantly being demoralized through the belittlement of their culture. Trask argues that though Natives of Hawai'i have been exploited through tourism for both their culture and their land, they are slowly starting to reverse the process of colonization through resistance to the industry; however, many are raised believing that they are not being oppressed. Chrystos, like in "I Am Not Your Princess", revisits the view that the colonizers have taken on about Natives and covers the portrayal of the poor begging Native and how whites mock the culture with fake relics, faux cheap Indian enlightenment and made up ceremonies. Society does not have to exploit natives if they were to just to act similarly to Natives in regards to sharing, respecting, and acting towards equality, she implies in her final lines. Chrystos is coming from, and reacting to, real life where discrimination exists and Natives are treated as less than whites. She assumes that all are aware of the "white privilege" and do not necessarily see the injustice that exists towards Natives.

She wants people to be aware of how the US is making her culture out to be cheaply represented and how it stems from the US's insecurities and starvation for its own spiritual meanings that come from a lack of a spiritual foundation. "Lovely Hula Hands" is just as aggressive in its own attack of Native Hawaiian exploitation. Trask exposes the struggle that Hawai'i faces with trying to achieve sovereignty but failing due to so because of the corporate domination of the islands and marketing the land and culture for tourism. Trask reacts to the image presented of Hawai'i that is sold to tourists that it is a place to go to and see real live ancient culture up close, all while escaping the daily pressures of home. She points out that despite having the most tourists in the world (per square mile) the native population lives at near poverty levels because they do not reap the benefits of tourism and are merely taken advantage of because of their heritage. Also, the "art" of tourism is passed on to children, for they will most likely know no other profession when they grow up.

Hawaiian culture is disparaged through the commercialism that it experiences. For example, she used the magazine published called "Aloha" that uses Hawaiian terminology in a loosely translated way to make it sound more exotic and exciting for potential tourists. Natives don't go around displaying aloha to everyone she says, because it is nest to impossible to display to something / one that is not familial. However, a positive sub point that Trask brings up is that there is a language revival going on within the schools and Hawaiian society. Kids are now learning their native language, which helps to reclaim their own past and ways of life.

This helps to raise awareness of ongoing Western colonization, which, in turn, will help to raise awareness of the ensuing oppression that people will want to try and escape. When not allowed to use their native language in the 1900's upon colonization by the US, the Hawaiian situation reminded me of the boarding school articles in which the children were punished for not using English. Now that people are becoming more conscious of their heritage and are able to embrace it publicly, there is a great resistance to the corporate tourism industry in Hawai'i and all that supplement it. De-colonization is occurring, which is indeed a step in the right direction of Hawaiians; however, Native Americans have been oppressed for far longer, so the process is going to take a much larger amount of time. 1- Is it possible for Native Americans to follow in the footsteps of Hawaiians by resisting the oppression they experience? 2- Is there a way to change the public's image of Native Americans and Native Hawaiians that has been created solely for exploitation in the media?