Hi there!
My name is Stefanie and I am excited to get started with ENG 470 this summer! Welcome to my blog where I will be discussing, with all of you, the histories and origins behind Canadian Literature and where European and Indigenous stories fit into that.
I grew up in Hawaii and as a part of the public education system, I learned about the history of ancient Hawaiians. Much of the history of First Nations connects to Hawaiian history, as both cultures were colonized by Europeans. Something that has really stuck out to me is the commonality between the taking of land of both of these cultures.
Sunrise at Makapu’u Beach on Oahu, Hawaii.
Land was of huge importance to the ancient Hawaiians. The islands were divided into Ahupua’a and everything they had was made from the land. In 1893, when the missionaries overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy, Queen Liliokalani was imprisoned in her own room in the Iolani Palace. Similar to the land treaties of Canadian’s Indigenous peoples, the missionaries were taking away Hawaiian history, government, and stories. Queen Liliokalani was imprisoned on her own land, in her own room, while her stories were being stripped from her. First Nations people have been living on their own land, and yet it has been reclaimed by Europeans.
Once coming to UBC, I took HIST 236 where we discussed how Canadian history has been taught since the opening of public education and where there are problems between what is taught and what actually happened in history. This course opened my eyes to the incredible discrepancy in education and how, while taking over the land, these outsiders were also stripping the original culture of their stories and their voice.
I am excited to look into this interesting discourse further this summer. ENG 470 will be discussing stories and their connection to the land they came from. Where do the history and stories that we have been taught fit in? I hope to question the truth and history behind the stories that we know.
Works Cited
“Ahupua`a.” Hawaii History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.
“Land & Rights.” Indigenous Foundations. University of British Columbia, 2009. Web. 10 May 2016.
Pitzer, Pat. “The Overthrow of the Monarchy.” Hawaii Nation. N.p., May 1994. Web. 12 May 2016.
Rose, Chris. “Makapu’u Beach Park Sunrise on Oahu.” Hawaii Photography Tours. N.p., 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 May 2016.
Hi Stephanie!
First of all I think that you’re so lucky to have grown up in Hawaii! Canada has always been my home, and I think its a beautiful country, but every winter when the cold rainy weather hits Vancouver I always wish I lived somewhere warmer! The history of colonization in Hawaii was something I did not know much about until I read your post. You’re right that you can really see parallels in the history of contact between the Indigenous peoples and the Europeans in Canada with Hawaii. The concept of Ahupua’a was something I also didn’t know, so I found that link very interesting. Its so wild to think that the colonizers thought they were bringing civilization to indigenous peoples, yet there was already a complex system of civilization in place, and they just destroyed it! Look forward to more of your insights.
– Natasha
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for your reply! Living in Hawaii was very beautiful, though coming to Vancouver has been such a fun experience to see a different part of the world.
I absolutely agree that it is crazy to think that people came in to a civilization and just took over. There were many years when I was growing up where I very honestly believed colonization was the only option for the Hawaiians because that is what was taught in school. People have bumper stickers that say “Keep the country country” and I would have conversations with others saying “well, without the missionaries they’d all still be living in grass huts”. A discussion we never had was about the complex and intelligent society that the Hawaiians had grown. How they had there own monarchy system that ruled the islands and were completely civilized. There is nothing to prove that Hawaiians would not have survived on their own as a country.
~Stef~
Hi Natasha,
I too am incredibly jealous that you grew up in such a beautiful location and I find it almost necessary to apologize for all the rain you receive here! You made a really crucial point and I completely agree with how cruel it is to take over lands, strip away cultures and then try to get away with not educating any of the youth that go on to grow up on those lands. I’m curious to know, with the similarities between Hawaiian and First Nation’s history, how were the history lesson back home? Did they deliver authentic perspectives? It would be interesting to see how a different community handled a similar situation and what we might be able to learn from the educational process you received.
Navi
Hi Navi,
Hawaii is definitely a great place to grow up, and wonderful for retirement but I wanted to go to a place more suitable for young people! Somewhere that has more going on and more opportunity. Hawaii sometimes is cut off, in a way, from the rest of America as we can get songs on the radio and movies released later than, what we refer to as, “the mainland” (the 48 continental states). We also have Hawaiian culture mixed in with American culture which doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. Public garbage bins will say “Mahalo” on them, which is the Hawaiian word for ‘thank you’, and McDonalds sells rice, spam and eggs for breakfast. With that, our education is slightly different, because, while we learn world history and US history, we also spend a fair amount of time on Hawaiian history. In elementary school, one year, a Hawaiian studies guest teacher came in once a week to teach us and we made our own miniature wooden canoes. We all spent hours and hours sanding them to be perfectly smooth. As great as this sounds as a history lesson, I don’t quite remember anything about history that went along with the canoe making.
While I was in school, as far as I knew everything was a fact. I never once questioned if what my teachers lesson plan said was at all twisted or false. Once learning about the way Canadian history has been taught and twisted in so many different ways over the years, I doubt what I was being taught was pure historical facts. I, however, am not extremely educated on Hawaiian history beyond what I was taught in school. Though, from what I know of the Hawaiian language and culture, it is all slowly being lost. Hawaiian is not considered by most a ‘world language’ because such a small amount of people speak it. With the growing industrialization of the islands, the amount of people with native blood is shrinking and with that less people practice the culture. I am fairly certain Native Hawaiian history is also being lost.
~Stef~