The beauty of Hawaii is obvious. That’s why so many people love it. So many different kinds of people. That’s why “local” people are all so different. We’ve all ended up here.
What I embrace about our local culture is that it revolves around familiarity. The way we speak, what we like to eat, values, relatives, friends, places – are things we have in common.
The exclusivity of being “local” is awesome not because it leaves people out, but because the people who are included in this group have been welcomed in. Does that make sense? We choose to include each other in the things that are dear to our hearts. Like a family. You gain members because somebody’s somebody, attached themselves to a person that was somebody to you.
Researching Hawaii people through history, we find resources about Native Hawaiians. Then about the different groups that settled here, and how other groups came successively. Here we are, the offshoots of those people, along with the others that have joined us. The images we capture today, chronicle what will be hawaiiana in the future.