Fishing line, white claws, glass, styrofoam, rope, cigarette butts, straws, bottle caps, paper, tissue, foil, candy wrappers, beer bottles, billabong tag, croc, flipflop, goggles, comb, cardboard, canvas bag, plates, beach toys, caprisun, caprisun straw wrapper, ear plug, toilet paper roll, plastic spoon, fritos bags, dog toy, flavor packet, chips ahoy, coffee can, trash bag of glass, gum wrappers, t-shirts, bathing suit remains, mini fridge, and an inner-tube are just some of the items i have picked up off the beach and out of the water. One thing and I wish I was joking, a bloody panty liner… The trash is a problem huge.
Hawai'i is a beautiful place after you look passed all the signs of colonization. Even though I enjoyed my stay and I really needed that trip, I’m saying that I am understanding why Native Hawaiians don't want people on their islands. Especially tourists. Now I understand why Lilo took pictures of tourists. It was not just about how goofy they looked, it was about what they represent. They represent colonization. The way they come to a place and treat it worse then their own homes. They appreciate the beautiful but they exploit it at the same time. They claim to understand as if they were in their home but at the same time, they no nothing of the place that they are in. They only understand being a colonizer. I remember seeing that photo that Lilo took of a white person eating ice cream on beach and it was the perfect image of what they are. They just don't know and don't know how to belong. I literally saw one woman sunbathing in the middle of a walkway on a beach path. That simple Disney movie taught us so much without actually telling us.
I was torn on whether or not I was actually going to go on this trip. I always wanted to go and it was lucky that I found really affordable deals to make the trip less of a financial burden. Then after looking at what was happening with Native Hawaiians and the causes that they were fighting against, I really couldn't unsee myself as a colonizer by taking this trip. How can you participate in a form colonialism and not be a colonizer? Natives have asked repeatedly to respect their home and people just ignore it. They think they are above the rules and that is exactly what I saw. I went right as the mask mandate and vaccine requirement was lifted for the islands and i was conflicted.
These factors guided how I approached my stay in Kona. I chose a place that was considered less touristy and planned to do things with a more thoughtful approach. So, on my first full day in Kona, I hit up a public ran beach. It was an amazing view to look out over the water and then to peer in and see a fish swimming in a clear blue pool formed by some lava rock formations. But looking around more, it was there: the trash. The first thing was a baby blue and bright pink croc. Then there was more. I traveled along a beach path to find a more secluded spot to park myself for the afternoon.
As I lay on the beach, listening to the ocean, I searched for my offering to give. I wanted to start my trip off right, the Native way. I went into the water and it was warm and soothing. I parked myself away from everyone except this older Hawaiian man who was watching the waves from a chair under a little tree. I fell asleep on the sand as I listened to the sound of the waves gently, but also somehow fiercely, slap against the rocky parts of the shore. When I woke up, the man was still there in his spot (also asleep) but the water was closer to my feet as the tide was coming in. As the waves steadily got closer to me, I realized that one of the best ways I could be more intentional about my trip was to care for the ocean. The trash that littered the first location I stopped at was still pressed into my brain. So I packed up my stuff and went back to that spot and I threw that croc in the trash. Anytime I was on the beach, I picked up trash. Anything that I could carry or fit in my backpack was going in the nearest trash.
Another observation that I made as I traversed the island of Hawai'i was all the representation of Hawaiin culture and language. It was so amazing that there are so many places named after their traditional names. When you learn about colonial practices, you understand that intentionally erasing the Indigenous inhabitants from history is essential as they weaken your claim on being the "rightful" owners of a territory. So to see the Hawaiian language everywhere was a nice change of pace. It wasn't until later that I started to see the integration of the language as a possible drawback.
Transplanted people believe that they are Hawaiian. No they are not. Just because they speak the language when they know the names of a road or town does not mean that they are Native. It made me think about how people from the mainland call themselves "native" San Diegians or wherever else they were born, as a way to root themselves in the land that they reside on. It is another tactic to spread a colonial mindset. At the same time, colonizers like James Cook were idolized. Cook's Cove is a popular destination to snorkel at and was a common suggest when I asked "locals" while I had dinner or drinks at restaurants and bars in downtown. It was quite an experience to listen to them say with pride that they moved from somewhere mainland to the "slower" island life.
Not everything was "terrible" despite what it may seem with this blog. It's just that, once you learn about these concepts, It is hard to unsee them. Not being a tourist was a major part of my intention with visiting Hawai'i. I learned so much and came back home rested, less stressed, and fulfilled. In my next post, I will talk about the rest of my stay but in the meantime, enjoy these beautiful photos of the effects of colonization.
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