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To say that Hawaiian literature should be only Literature in Hawaii: written by native Hawaiians limits the amount of literature that is contributed. My ethnic background is Who Gets to Write It? Japanese and Chinese. So what culture or geography would my writing represent? IÕve never been to either by Jennifer Lui of those countries, but would my writing be ÒJapanese literatureÓ or ÒChinese literatureÓ? That makes no Many people have different ideas of what should sense. There are so many people in HawaiÔi and constitute ÒHawaiian LiteratureÓ and because of these around the world, whose background is comprised various ideas the deÞnition has become blurred. The of more than one ethnicity. But how can our literature idea of Hawaiian Literature or even Local Literature is represent countries that we have never visited or that something that it seems everyone has a different idea we have never immersed ourselves in the culture about. So what makes literature Hawaiian or Local? of? HawaiÔi is my home, not Japan nor China. The Where is that line drawn? Can someone from the culture of HawaiÔi is the one IÕm representing. It is the mainland, who has lived in HawaiÔi for a signiÞcant culture I know. If IÕm not considered as contributing amount of time, be considered a Local writer? What to Hawaiian literature, then what literature am I about a person who isnÕt a native Hawaiian? Can contributing to? According to Haunani-Kay Trask, they be considered a Hawaiian writer? After reading Òresidence in HawaiÕi does not make one Hawaiian, a great deal on the subject, IÕve had to come to my anymore than residence in Samoa or Tahiti or China own conclusion about what should be considered or Japan makes one Samoan or Tahitian or Chinese Local or Hawaiian literature. Although Haunani Kay or JapaneseÓ (168). While I agree that ethnicity-wise, Trask and other authors like her may disagree with a resident of HawaiÔi is not Hawaiian, I do not agree me, I believe that Local and/or Hawaiian literature is that the person can completely not call themselves anything that reßects the diverse culture of HawaiÔi. Hawaiian. When you look at HawaiÔi as a state and You donÕt need to be able to trace your genealogy not a speciÞc ethnicity, just by living here weÕre back to indigenous Hawaiians or even have been born automatically categorized as ÒHawaiianÓ and should here to be considered ÒHawaiianÓ or even ÒLocal.Ó be included in Hawaiian literature. There are many HawaiÔi is not only native Hawaiians anymore, we different ways to look at it. have an extremely diverse culture and the literature What about ÒLocalÓ literature? ÒLocalÓ being coming from HawaiÔi should reßect that. different than ÒHawaiianÓ because to in my mind it DeÞning who is a Hawaiian and who isnÕt would mean more of the area that youÕre from or that is something that has been debated for a long time. I you live in rather than the culture all together. To me, was born in HawaiÔi but am not Hawaiian ethnically. there isnÕt much of a difference between contributing Does that mean my writing cannot be considered to Local literature or Hawaiian literature. It all ÒHawaiianÓ? Writers like Haunani Kay Trask believe comes down to the culture and lifestyle that youÕre so. According to Trask, ÒHawaiian literature is that representing in your writing. Being local should be which is composed by HawaiiansÓ (Trask 168). By her a state of mind, not determined by your ethnicity. deÞnition, to be considered Hawaiian you must be A person shouldnÕt be told theyÕre not local just part of the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. because they werenÕt born in HawaiÔi. A person from DonÕt get me wrong, I can completely understand the mainland who has embraced the island culture why she feels like she needs to protect the deÞnition and lifestyle can be just as ÒlocalÕ as someone who of ÒHawaiianÓ, and many non-natives donÕt consider has lived here all of their life, sometimes maybe even themselves ÒHawaiianÓ necessarily, but there is a more so. I think the term ÒlocalÓ could be used to Þne line between wanting to keep your ethnicityÕs describe almost anyone who understands that there identity and discriminating against other ethnicities. are things that make HawaiÔi special, things that I donÕt walk around saying that IÕm Hawaiian, but cannot be found or experienced anywhere else in the I do believe that my writing should be considered world. While it does seem that ÒlocalÓ is sometimes ÒHawaiian LiteratureÓ because it reßects the a term too casually used, it doesnÕt lose any of its Hawaiian culture as it is today. importance. There is always going to be debate on what is local and what isnÕt. But IÕm sure this is the 41 same everywhere, not only in HawaiÔi. When it comes down to it, in my mind, both Trask goes on to say that this is a falsiÞcation local and Hawaiian literatures are represented in of place and culture. Perhaps there is a deÞnite line the same way. To represent them, there needs to be a between who should and should not be included in level of understanding of the Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian literature, but the fact that Asian writers are history. This is a different idea from many of those getting the type of attention that the native Hawaiian that have come up in the readings about ethnicity that authors would like is possibly causing the friction I have read. I donÕt think it should matter what your between the two ethnic groups. ethnicity is. You have no control over that. As a writer, One representation of ÒHawaiÔiÓ I donÕt as a person, you do have control over the aspects of agree with is the case of someone claiming to culture and life that you represent. be contributing to either ÒHawaiianÓ or ÒLocalÓ So where does literature like ÒAsian literature and they have never lived in the islands. AmericanÓ literature Þt into Hawaiian literature? ThereÕs a huge difference between a person who Does it Þt into Hawaiian literature? Sure it does! is only a visitor and a person who lives here. The And it Þts in right where it should, right next to the listing of writings in A Hawaiian Reader is a good literature by native Hawaiians. In many of the early example of how writings that I feel should not anthologies of Hawaiian literature, Asian writers be considered Hawaiian literature are sometimes were not represented at all. Stephen Sumida, while included in a Hawaiian anthology. How can writers talking about James Michener in his essay ÒWaiting like Jack London understand what the culture is like for the Big Fish,Ó said Òin this supposed paradise, in HawaiÔi and consider themselves and their work hard-working Asians did not write, did not cultivate part of Hawaiian literature? I donÕt feel that you can verbal expression while they cultivated HawaiÔiÕs understand the culture of HawaiÔi without living here soil, much less indulge in verbal creativity. There and immersing yourself in it. A visit will not give were utterly no Asian voices to drownÓ (Sumida you the exposure you need to be able to embrace the 303). That was the notion when anthologies such as culture. A. Grove Day and Carl StrovenÕs A Hawaiian Reader When you take into consideration all the were released. Michener, in his Introduction in A various cultures and ethnicities that are part of Hawaiian Reader, said Òhaving arrived in the islands Hawaiian culture, how can you not consider them as laboring peasants, these Orientals did not produce all to be part of ÒHawaiÔiÓ? To me, it doesnÕt seem a literature of their own, but Professors Day and fair that weÕve grown up in HawaiÔi, embraced the Stroven have included important passages that give diverse culture, and contributed to the culture of the them representationÓ (Michener xiv). Of course, islands, but our writing is not considered to be part all of the passages he spoke of were not written of ÒHawaiianÓ literature. Everyone is entitled to their by Asians (or ÒOrientalsÓ as he calls them) but by own opinion, but the exclusionary one some people Caucasian writers. To me, this implies that they feel espouse can only go so far and still be considered that Caucasians can represent Asians better than reasonable. Just because a person isnÕt ÒHawaiianÓ the Asians can represent themselves. As the years ethnically doesnÕt mean that their writing cannot have gone on, Asian American writers have taken a be considered a representation of Hawaii. There larger place in local literature. Part of me wonders should be no ethnic division between what is and if native Hawaiians resent this, and that is why isnÕt considered ÒHawaiianÓ or ÒLocalÓ literature. they feel like they need to protect the deÞnition of Asian writers have just as much a place in Hawaiian ÒHawaiianÓ literature. Haunani-Kay Trask, in her literature as native Hawaiians do. There is something essay ÒDecolonizing Hawaiian LiteratureÓ says: special about writers that are able to contribute to Asian writers who grew up in Hawaii Hawaiian and Local literature and there is something and claim their work as representative of special about their writing. We are all very fortunate Hawaiian literature or of our islands are the to be able to contribute to a growing ÒgenreÓ of most obvious example {of writers who claim literature and to help deÞne what can be considered that they are Hawaiian}. By asserting a special part of it. island identity, these local Asian authors hope to separate themselves from Asian writers elsewhere in the American imperium. Their claim to difference is precisely that they are local, that is, they are ÒfromÓ Hawaii. (Trask 169)

42 WORKS CITED

Michener, James A. ÒIntroduction.Ó A Hawaiian Reader. Ed. A. Grove Day and Carl Stroven. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 1959. xi Ð xvii. Sumida, Stephen H. ÒWaiting for the Big Fish: Recent Research in the Asian American Literature of Hawaii.Ó The Best of Bamboo Ridge. Ed. Eric Chock and Darrell H.Y. Lum. Honolulu: Bamboo Ridge, 1986. 302 Ð 321. Trask, Haunani-Kay. ÒDecolonizing Hawaiian Literature.Ó Inside Out: Literature, Cultural Politics, and Identity in the New PaciÞc. Ed. Vilsoni Hereniko and Rob Wilson. Lanham: Rowman & LittleÞeld, 1999. 167 Ð 183.