Recently, there was a discussion on the campus of Cal State Northridge about the Hawaiian/Polynesian Culture Month that is to focus different events and promotions in celebration. I talked to a few students and civilian of this decent and asked their feelings in order to get a feeling of America and its place with this culture.
There was a tone of resentment towards the American government from the fact that they came to Hawaii and overthrew the royalty and current structure of their livelihood. The Hawaiian language was even outlawed for a time while the islands were colonized. Over the years though, I think that the merging of the two cultures were able to appreciate each other and grow within a bond starting with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
A lot of the Hawaiian culture is taken for being kitsch which, Hawaiians find disrespectful, starting with the exploitation of the women being perceived as sexual objects.
The Tiki culture itself began in the United States in 1934 with the opening of Don the Beachcomber, a Polynesian-themed bar and restaurant in Hollywood. The proprietor was Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, a young man from Louisiana who had sailed throughout the South Pacific and later he legally changed his name to Donn Beach. Three years later, Victor Bergeron, better known as Trader Vic, adopted a Tiki theme for his restaurant in Oakland, which eventually grew to become a worldwide chain. The theme took on a life during the restaurant's growth in the Bay Area. The Trader Vic in Palo Alto not only spawned architectural choices, such as the architectural concept behind the odd looking Tiki Inn Motel, which still exists as the Stanford Terrace Inn. There also currently exists a modern sculpture garden from Papua New Guinea that was made to celebrate the modern form of art that was a large part of the original inspiration for tiki culture. Tiki kitsch culture is a theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world. Although inspired in part by Tiki carvings and mythology, the connection is loose and stylistic, becoming that American kitsch form and not a Polynesian fine art form.
Polynesian design began to infuse every aspect of the country's visual aesthetic, from home accessories to architecture. The peak of its popularity seems to coinside with the 1960's. Single family homes, apartment complexes, business and even large shopping and living districts of some cities were heavily influenced by Polynesian aesthetics. However, by the 1980s, most of the Polynesian aesthetic had been completely wiped away in the name of progress, some architectural examples of homes, apartments and restaurant buildings remain. A small handful of locations still contain carved tikis.
Post-war America saw the rise of the middle class as an economic force. This coupled with ever increasing affordability of travel, particularly newly established air travel to Hawaii, helped to propel the nation's interest in all things tropical. Hawaiian statehood was a major factor which further drove the tropical lifestyle popularity, and Americans fell in love with their romanticized version of an exotic culture. Another related factor was the excitement surrounding the Kon-Tiki expedition. Today, Polynesian traditions such as dancing even in good faith can be taken into account of being disregarded in its sense of a scared and religious art and more of a entertaining good time.
In learning this, the focus was not the fact that it is incorrect but the fact no one cares it is incorrect.
I wonder about the importance of exploiting this culture under the goal of gaining tourism and the economy. Personally, I believe that doing all these activities, even if not even performed by authentic natives have to provide a substantial percentage to the entire economy of all Polynesian countries. But is this different in any other culture? It turns out it is mainly because the Hawaiian culture is at a threat of being wiped clean from record. There are less than 150,000 native Hawaiians left and maintaining a sort of purity of their culture and history become more difficult with every generation. I commend the American people for being able to draw attention to one of it smallest states and value its contributions to our society but I hope that understanding that having a good time on the beach is not all Hawaii and its fellow Pacific Island kin have to offer.
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