An Overview of The Hawaiian Culture and Way of Life

Hawaiian culture is filled with many different traditions that emphasize its values, however one would be hard-pressed to find a tradition as representative of Hawaiian culture as the luau celebration. Generally, the luau serves as a Hawaiian icon, but when further analyzed, each aspect of the celebration embodies various values of the state’s native culture. As O’Connor notes, “by following the luau through time and space it is possible to move beyond the superficial oppositions of authentic/inauthentic, and to explore deeper issues of identity and social change, ultimately gaining a better understanding of the complex culture of the islands today.” This paper will explore main aspects of the luau in order to explain why it serves as a strong metaphor for Hawaiian culture, one that Hawaiians now use to introduce tourists to the values of the islands.

Perhaps the most relevant and direct representation of Hawaiian culture is the history of the luau celebration. “Before contact with the western world, Hawaiians called their important feasts an ‘aha’aina (‘aha – gathering and ‘aina – meal). These feasts marked special occasions — such as reaching a significant life milestone, victory at war, the launching of a new canoe or a great endeavor.” The entire event was to be celebrated with family and friends, and was designed in attempt to unite the attendees with symbolic names or characteristics of food that represented virtues or goals the attendees hoped to achieve. While the luau is similar and still functions as a feast with even more traditions occurring throughout the event, a significant difference is that women and men ate separately during the ‘aha’ainas of the past. The major changeover to feasting together came when King Kamehameha II ended traditional religious practices in 1819 and feasted with women as a celebration to mark societal change; soon after, the term ‘aha’aina was mostly replaced with the word luau. Luau is the Hawaiian word for taro leaves, which are often used to wrap food as it cooks in the underground oven, the imu. The transformation to further unite all attendees at the luau by letting men and women eat together marks how the luau’s history is representative of the collectivistic nature of Hawaiian culture – one that is characterized by “a sense of duty to group, interdependence, harmony, and working with the group.” The choice to have men and women dine together also reflects the importance of women throughout historic Hawaiian cultural beliefs and tradition. Though Hawaii has a traditionally paternalistic power structure, women are actually highly valued as leaders and are considered equal to males within the culture. According to the Hawaiian Star-Bulletin, the concept of women and men being able to dine together dates back to ancient Hawaiian religious practices and the concept of balance. For each male god, there is a female counterpart who is “equally important and powerful”, a notion that contrasts to Christian values and beliefs. Because these traditional Hawaiian religious beliefs emphasize balance and equal representation of males and females, it only makes sense that they should feast together, meaning that the history of the luau reflects deep-rooted Hawaiian cultural beliefs past simply collectivism.

Due to the heavy Asian and Polynesian influences on Hawaiian culture, it is no surprise that Native Hawaiians tend to be collectivistic in nature. Hawaii had been a Polynesian-dominated archipelago since 400-500 A.D., with the late 1700s and early 1800s ushering in Caucasian missionaries and Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese immigrant plantation workers. Okinawans, Koreans, and Filipinos arrived in the early 1900s. Hawaii is a melting pot of sorts, yet all of the cultures that exist within the state value collectivism. The only culture in Hawaii that does not highly value collectivism is American mainland culture, which is not a dominant culture in Hawaii. At any luau, but especially at those for which visitors may purchase tickets, there is typically a large mix of people from various backgrounds. Multiculturalism, especially with some form of Asian background, is a prominent part of Hawaiian culture that Boston College junior Joyce Chang identified while living there from 1995-2001, and continues to notice when she visits her extended family in Hawaii.

Boston College senior Nelson Hyunh, who has lived in Hawaii since birth, has noticed that Hawaiian culture holds strong roots in Asian culture – something easy for him to recognize particularly since his parents are Chinese-Vietnamese and immigrated to Hawaii. He discussed how the concept of progressing into modern day society, while maintaining a balance between past and present through the continuation of certain traditions, is prevalent in both cultures. Hyunh cited the luau and the practice of the hula dance, which are still traditions retained by Hawaiians. Hawaiians are able to incorporate the past while celebrating at a luau and practicing the hula, yet have begun to include more tourism and visitors from outside of Hawaii as their state develops into the future. Though luaus may be restricted to just a group of family and friends, in which there can be diverse backgrounds behind each member, they are commonly held for visitors from all around the world wishing to experience a celebration of Hawaiian culture. Again, even within a familial luau, each member can have diverse backgrounds that probably take root in multiple Polynesian, Tahitian, and Asian cultures. This “melting pot” aspect of the luau is indicative of the mix of influences many different cultures have had on Hawaiian culture. These influences are results of Asian and other Pacific Islandic immigrants as well as the western world’s presence, with initial contact beginning even before Hawaii was officially annexed to the United States by President McKinley on July 7th, 1898.

Another aspect of the luau that reflects Hawaiian cultural values is the location in which it is held: always outdoors, and most often by the ocean. The Hawaiian “Aloha Spirit,” the most all-encompassing value of Hawaiian culture, represents the importance of “the coordination of the true self’s mind, heart and soul, manifested by thinking good thoughts, emoting good feelings, and sharing goodness with others.” Within the “Aloha Spirit” is the notion of lokahi, or harmony found in the “balance of mind, body, spirit, nature and community.” Holding their luaus outside allows Hawaiians to be closer to nature, where they believe everything begins, including themselves – the “children of the land,” keiki o ka ‘aina. As Chang reflected on growing up in Hawaii, she mentioned how respect for the environment was taught in the Hawaiian school system, and due to the lack of harsh seasons, she spent much of her childhood outside, especially at the free-admission beaches – unlike the expensive beaches near her current home in New Jersey. Hyunh shared similar sentiments, describing how the fairly low socioeconomic status of most people living in Hawaii is a further impetus for spending time outside, a free activity that allows people there to connect to nature. For example, a favorite pastime for him and his friends is exploring the outdoors by going on hikes around the islands. While discussing the Hawaiian proclivity for nature, Hyunh brought up the duality of past and present again, describing how preservation of the past while moving forward is reflected in the conflict Hawaii is currently managing in regards to overpopulation – they are facing the decision of whether nature should be preserved or developed, and to what extent this should be carried out. Again, considering nature as such an important factor while making land use decisions is a value of Hawaiian culture that is reflected in holding luaus outside in order to be close to nature.

The languages that can be heard at a luau, both in conversation and in music, are also representative of Hawaiian culture, but at a deeper level than simply the basic relationship of a certain language being associated with a certain culture. The grammar of the native Hawaiian language separates and distinguishes the singular, dual, and plural – “you alone,” “you two,” and “you all.” Moreover, Chang described how nearly every Hawaiian uses the term “aunt” or “uncle” to greet people they are close with, even if they are not related, as a way of acknowledging them as “family.” Hyunh echoed her remarks, saying that the part of Hawaiian culture he appreciated most while growing up there is that “everyone looks out for each other and has the best intentions for one another; even as a kid, when my mom was working I would sometimes stay with her coworker, who I called my ‘auntie.’” What Hyunh is describing refers to the social network of the ohana, the “family” in Hawaiian culture, which is what takes precedence in Hawaiian decision making – looking out for one another. These phrases, as well as the behavior that can be seen amongst people engaging with one another at a luau, represent the importance of family and interpersonal relationships in Hawaiian culture and reflect its collectivistic value of thinking in terms of the group’s behalf.

In addition to Hawaiian, a good deal of the Hawaiian pidgin language and English would also be heard at a luau. Pidgin is “a mixture of several languages into one curious but serviceable jargon,” a form of which initially developed in Hawaii as Hawaiian-English pidgin. It was later shaped by the various Asian languages of immigrants who were brought to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations as a means of communicating across worker groups. Today, many people in Honolulu still use pidgin to conduct daily business. Hyunh commented that “pidgin is used very colloquially” and that he often hears it while walking around Hawaii. In addition, there is currently a dialect continuum of Hawaiian English that ranges from “the crude efforts of a simple immigrant to make his needs known in the most broken English, to the speech of a university graduate who may speak English both adequately and forcefully, and yet not be quite at home among the subtleties of the English language.” These differing languages being spoken at a luau reflects the multicultural background of Hawaiian culture, as well as the inevitable incorporation of the English language into Hawaiian culture through contact with the western world.

Upon arrival, while hearing the different languages spoken at a luau, each person is typically given a lei – a handmade necklace typically crafted from flowers or shells. It is considered rude to remove the lei in front of the person who gifted it, and the lei must be physically returned back to nature where it came from, rather than throwing it out. One is expected to hang the lei on a tree, burn it, bury it, toss it into the ocean, or return the flowers or shells to where they were initially gathered to show respect for nature. Chang described receiving leis from her grandparents and that she could never bring herself to throw leis in the trash, as it would “feel wrong.” They represent a “lot of love,” and at graduation luaus, “people give each other leis and the stacks around their necks become so high that people can’t see.” Chang’s memories regarding lei necklaces reflect the celebratory and ritualistic nature in which they are given in Hawaii. The exchange of leis, which is an inherent part of the luau, reflect how both nature and following rituals closely to maintain tradition are very important values in Hawaiian culture.

All throughout a luau, it is common to hear storytelling, as it is a practice deeply ingrained in Hawaiian culture: “Native Hawaiians pass on ancient cultural practices, values, traditions, and historical information through oral traditions, including storytelling.” “Talk story” is a Hawaiian oral tradition that could be most commonly heard at a luau, as it “is the act of sharing history, ideas, opinions, and the events of the day with other people at any time and in any place.” Sharing stories at a luau reflects the “Aloha Spirit,” perhaps the most identifiable aspect of Hawaiian culture. Once again, the “Aloha Spirit” involves “emoting good feelings, and sharing goodness with others,” which can be done largely through the tradition of storytelling. This practice can also reflect the importance of myth and legend in Hawaiian culture, an outlet for Hawaiians to speculate about various gods and mythical creatures as explanations for different events, as well as document “history, knowledge, facts, and beliefs from generation to generation.” The legends of gods and goddesses are used to explain “everything from the creation of the Earth to the lava flowing from the volcanoes,” which also reflects the Hawaiian affinity for nature. Overall, storytelling at a luau is representative of Hawaiian culture in those four main ways: holding close to traditions, the “Aloha Spirit,” the importance of myths and legends, and the veneration of nature.

Storytelling is not only done through oral channels, but also physical channels such as the hula dance, in which “every movement, expression and gesture…has a specific meaning.” A hula dancer does not play a character or role, but rather becomes a storyteller and tells “about a person, place, event, or emotion.” Traditionally, the hula’s main function was to praise the Hawaiian gods and goddesses. Its basic element being poetry, the most common mele hula incorporates motions to properly accompany and illustrate words that are sung in a steady, rhythmic song. Mele inoa, or “name chants,” were most often used for the fire goddess Pele, who personified the volcano, a prominent and powerful force of nature in Hawaiian geography. These different hula performances at luaus represent the importance of religion, tradition, and nature in Hawaiian culture.

Unfortunately, because of its relations to indigenous religion, performances of the hula died down as Christianity began to take over the islands during the arrival of missionaries throughout the early 1800s, until King Kalakaua was able to restore and revive the hula. Halaus, or hula schools, are growing more and more popular throughout Hawaii as well as in several different countries. The hula being performed at luaus is highly reflective of Hawaiian culture in that it continues to not only provide a source of pleasure and community, but also an education of the “mythic ideology and the ideals that gave meaning and continuity to ancient Hawaiian culture,” including the Hawaiian emphasis on nature.

While watching the hula dancers perform, and throughout the entire duration of luau, attendees can enjoy a Hawaiian feast. However, food is not just something tasty to eat – it “embodies history, memory, tradition, invention, place, diaspora and cultural values, and reflects both continuity and change.” In this sense, the feasting aspect of the luau reflects all of these embodiments of Hawaiian culture: “the luau is considered a paradigmatic example of food as travel, able to transport the eater across time and space into another realm of experience.” Before more modern tourist luaus were created, feasting at a luau served a cultural, religious purpose of “increasing and harnessing the power or mana of the gods through food,” basically, trying to feed the gods in order to increase their power. The aforementioned social change that King Kamehameha II introduced by allowing men and women to feast together represented the concept that food can reflect change and the notion that its method of consumption has a deeper cultural value than simply its flavor.

To expand on the cultural value of food, the foods served at a luau feast can vary, as immigrant groups often appropriate the luau “as a vehicle for their own celebrations, mixing Hawaiian foods with their own ethnic specialties – a paradigmatic example of the dynamics of diasporic cuisine.” This reflects the aforementioned multicultural (including Asian, Polynesian, Tahitian and other cultures) presence and influence in Hawaii that ultimately shapes and is shaped by Hawaiian culture. The food of a luau is also culturally connected through its preparation methods. For example, the whole roasted pig, the most common main dish served, is so bound in tradition that preparing it “is a sacred act all in itself.” The pig must be cleaned, seasoned, and wrapped in leaves from the sacred Hawaiian ti and taro plants. It is cooked for eight to nine hours in an underground oven, an imu, in between layers of wet leaves and is sealed with a layer of volcanic ash. This preparation ritual is followed in reverence for the earth and its plants and animals, which once again, is a cultural value held by Hawaiians. Overall, the feast of a luau is rooted in traditions and rituals that reflect Hawaiian cultural values and influences.

Experiencing the food, in addition to the rest of the cultural traditions carried out during a luau, creates a large appeal for tourists and all visitors to Hawaii in general. Though not every luau catered to tourists features extremely authentic traditions, and the tourist luau can be considered “an iconic form of commodified hospitality and leisure, readily available in embodied and mediated forms,” for the most part luaus still reflect Hawaiian culture and traditions when analyzed on a deeper level like described throughout this paper. Some commodification of Hawaiian culture for tourist luaus has become necessary because of the poor state of the Hawaiian economy, which shapes Hawaiian culture itself. As Chang describes, the main source of Hawaii’s income is tourism, and because native people, or even families who have lived for many generations in Hawaii, are typically less well off, expressing their culture to tourists has become a popular way to earn money while trying to teach at least some degree of Hawaiian culture to others. Chang also mentions that the poor economic status of Hawaii has given way to a “culture of giving,” where people share what little they have. She described a typical Hawaiian Sunday at church, where “people would bring extra stuff and everyone could grab whatever they needed, it’s the way of life and there’s no shame – we’re all family.” Overall, the luau has a strong “symbolic and economic value…to Hawaii tourism.” Since the economy and tourism in general are so related to culture, luaus that cater to tourists still serve as metaphors for Hawaiian culture. If anything, cultural commodification of luaus simplifies cultural traditions into an easily understood metaphor for visitors, further supporting this paper’s thesis.

According to a cultural study from 2000, “learning the Hawaiian way of life from the family was the best unique predictor of all Hawaiian ethnic identity variables, and it was negatively related to valuing non-Hawaiian beliefs.” As Hyunh described, the preservation of culture is highly important to Hawaiians – their history and cultural values are subject matters entwined in both public and private school systems in Hawaii. Many values that make up Hawaiian culture, from its past to present day, can be seen in each aspect of the luau discussed in this paper. The Hawaiian collectivistic “Aloha Spirit,” affinity for nature, emphasis on storytelling, tenacity in keeping traditions, multicultural backgrounds, mixed languages, economic importance of tourism, and overall history are all aspects of Hawaiian culture represented in the luau. The luau is a strong cultural metaphor for Hawaii, as it is a way for Hawaiians to look to the past in preserving their culture while showcasing it to whoever is willing to join their celebration in the present and future.

Works Cited

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