As we rejoin the real world from our surreal isolationism, and as some people tremble at the thought of 10-million visitors returning annually to our shores, I thought a diversionary trip might be appropriate… as in- how did we get here?
Our infectious culture (a good use of “infectious”) brings happiness to people all over the world. The melting pot of humanity and the relative ease with which we usually get along here is an enticing amalgamation of Polynesia meets East meets West. People have found Hawai`i to be enthralling for well over a century now… there’s a reason (beyond climate) that Hawai`i is sometimes referred to as “Paradise”, with a capital “P”.
Here are a couple of lesser known examples of our passive inculcation over time. In 1916, recorded music featuring Hawaii steel guitar (invented by Hawaiian teen, Joseph Kekuku, according to Smithsonian magazine) was the most popular recorded music in America, outselling popular sounds from stars of the day like Al Jolson and Enrico Caruso. If you ever get to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, AZ., you’ll see just how influential Hawai`i’s steel guitar, pedal steel, ukulele, slack key, paniolo music, etc., have been on mainstream music art forms for over a century.
And then there was the widespread appeal of the Aloha shirt throughout the mainland pre-Elvis Presley in the 1920s and 1930s. Visual promotion via Olympic champ, Duke Kahanamoku, and renown crooner, Bing Crosby, showed vibrant patterns and colors that celebrated the islands’ presumed happy-go-lucky, appealing outlook on life.
Unique items, endemic traits, and memorable people associated with these islands goes way back and has helped to entice visitors. A constant of this lengthy list is that that whichever local item, concept, custom, flower, or person resonates with others, it invariably brings a smile, a joyous release of cranial serotonin and dopamine.
From 1920s music and shirts to Don Ho to Bruno Mars, plus “Hawaii 5-0”, pineapple, Spam, papaya, mai tais; from local ethos to patois to dance to unique traditions, the lures and legacy of Hawai`i has only grown stronger, deeper, and more vivid over the past 100+ years. It’s understandable and it’s been earned, as is the local angst felt locally now in terms of housing, retail prices, mere sustenance, quality of life, fading traditions, eco-dangers, traffic, economic stasis, and more. OK, we’re now opening back up. To what?
Think about it…
“Think About It: Ideas And Inspiration For Today’s Hawai`i”, my new book, is now available to order online from Watermark Publishing locally (including FREE shipping) at: https://www.bookshawaii.net and is also available at many local bookstores