It's like a different country...

So I am in Hawaii this summer taking law classes at University of Hawaii law school. I may write more on that later, but I want to share notes from an experience I had this weekend. I was invited along with several classmates to participate in a beach cleanup crew at Kahana Bay Beach Park, organized and run by locals. It was an amazing experience because I got to see the "real" side of Hawaii. On Oahu, people tend to be divided up in two main groups: "locals," and "haoles." I am probably considered a haole as I don't really "live" here (just visiting for 2 months), but as it refers generally to white people, I try to distance myself from that term by emphasizing my Native American heritage. This weekend was ALL about locals. Hawaiian culture is very similar to Native culture, in that you have to know someone to get an "in" with the local population, but once you do, you're part of the group, no questions asked. We of course knew the fellow law student who invited us, and she then introduced us to the organizer, who was also a UH Law alumni. Once we got to know them, we kind of just blended into the crowd and became part of the crew. I don't really want to detail the entire day (we spent 7 hours out there!), so I'll just highlight specific experiences and impressions:

1. Picking up trash was interesting, depressing, and mildly infuriating. The most common things I picked up were cigarette butts, plastic pop bottle tops, and bits of fishing netting. And plastic. So much plastic. Plastic of all sorts of colors, sizes, shapes, and wear. Many of the plastic pieces had washed up on the beach after swirling around the ocean for a while, so they were worn and broken down in to palm-sized, unidentifiable pieces. I grabbed everything I could see, because I knew that once it washed back into the ocean and became the size of a grain of sand, it would be too late to get rid of it. (note: feel free to search for "plastic beaches.") I was angry about the cigarette butts though. I don't understand why, just because a beach as sand in it, people treat it as a gigantic ash tray. People (and children and dogs) walk all over the beaches every day! I wouldn't throw a cigarette butt on someone's living room carpet, so why is it okay to throw one down on the beach? The fishing netting was also interesting, because while many locals fish, these nets were likely from commercial fishermen that are detrimental to the area because they take too much fish. Back when Hawaii was still relatively untouched, people only took what they needed from the ocean, and left the rest for others or for another day. The ocean was like their "icebox." But then commercial fishing began to rise, and suddenly, people's iceboxes were being robbed and emptied. Now, to add insult to injury, all of those fishing nets have begun to rip apart over the years and wash up on the beach in bits and pieces of bright green plastic netting. Terrific for birds to choke on. I can't think of many better ways to show people the dangers of our plastic, consumer culture than cleaning up a beach. And this was one of the cleaner beaches in the area!

2. We saw their fish pond, which was a shallow area of the bay blocked off by rocks. Its purpose is to raise fish and protect them as they grow to full size, so as to provide food for the many locals who depend on catching fish to supplement their diet. The rocks also provide a home for things like crabs and other small creatures. The woman in charge had been working on it in some form or another since she was 9 years old, and took on the project recently, as it had been suffering from some damage and neglect. Additionally, many uncles have provided insight on how it used to be and locals are providing labor during monthly work days to shore up the rock wall and make it bigger. This is oral history in action, and it's amazing to see how valuable it is.

3. Hawaiian children being raised in this local culture have the best lives in the world. There was a whole gaggle of kids there today, many of them related, though many more simply neighbors or close friends. All of them were deeply tanned and even the little toddlers swam like fish, flinging themselves into the water and leaping off the pier into the water. Talk about a free amusement park. Even the boats became diving boards. They played on for the entire time we were there, with kids trooping in occasionally to grab a hot dog or help walk along the beach to pick up trash and plastic. The kids trusted all the adults in the group, and everyone was "auntie" or "uncle," regardless of actual relation. This applied to us visitors as well, and we too also were introduced to many uncles and aunties throughout the day, all of whom were vital to passing on this tradition of Hawaiian life. While some of the kids may have been poor in money, I guarantee you not one of them thought today that they wish they had a Playstation 4 or a big screen TV. Talk about learning life's real values. There's more to life than just making money, and growing up in the ocean that money can't buy is priceless education.

4. We went out on a boat with an uncle (the father of the UH Law alumni organizer) later in the day to snorkel around the reef. This uncle was straight up local and old school, with references to people "in town" (Honolulu/Waikiki) and "country people" (like him, people up north, etc), and us girls as "sista" and the guys as "bruddah." He had an intimate knowledge of the area, the reef, the rock formations, the sea life, and the people; a knowledge that can only come from a lifetime of experience and learning. But what struck me most about the ride were the two kids who had hopped on with us (both of them climbed all around the boat like monkeys, even when we were in choppy waters): a little girl and a preteen boy, both his grandkids, and they called him "Papa." He took great care to continually teach them lessons during the whole ride. While the boy was driving the boat at one point, uncle commented, "That's the only way they learn." True words of wisdom. The little girl also drove the boat at one point, and it was clear that she was proud to be trusted with such responsibility. The boy was, even at his young age, extremely knowledgeable about everything. It's hard to pinpoint how these kids learn it, because passing on knowledge is so important for everyone in this culture. One thing I loved was seeing their almost innate reverence for the sea. At one point, the little girl told me about a time when a baby sea turtle (honu) accidentally swam into a net she was holding in the water, and she began to panic, trying to figure out how to get him out without hurting him. I don't know too many little kids on the mainland who automatically respect nature like that. They both recognized that they were only a small part of this world. They were both obedient, smart, capable kids, and I don't think it's just because of genetics. I think a lot of it is because they are given the autonomy to become smart kids. So many American kids are carefully dragged through life without being allowed to make their own choices and yes, their own mistakes.

5. We were present on their one-year anniversary of their beach cleanup crew's inception, so we got to participate in a group photo. Afterwards, I was speaking to the organizer about the impact this program has had. Throughout the day, we had been told stories about "before," with trash everywhere and boats and jet skis roaring through the bay and scaring away fish. Those were obvious problems that had changed since this group began educating people on the laws and picking up trash. But another change that nobody anticipated was how this was bringing the community together. Various families from the area, people who had never really met or gotten to know each other were becoming close friends. Families that had never spent much time in the ocean, despite living up the street from it, were now spending all weekend at the beach. This group of somewhat random neighbors in an isolated area of the island were becoming ohana. And everyone was beginning to take personal responsibility for "their" beach. Kids began to respect and take care of the ocean. Even the littlest ones have been learning about the fish pond and the older ones are starting to teach visitors about the importance of fish in this area. Today, a mom, whose son a few months ago wished she would get in the water, went for a swim. If it seems I am waxing poetic about it, it's because this impact cannot be understated. This sense of community and belonging is what keeps kids on a good path. It's what makes people look out for their elders, honor them, and turn to them for knowledge. It's the support system to keep single mothers and poor families from falling through the cracks. It's what motivates people to go off to college and law school and then still return to the island. This is what saves our cities and our people.

6. I learned something fascinating that seems to be something only locals learn. There's a beautiful indigenous plant here called naupaka, which is commonly seen lining beaches and is quite important in preventing beach erosion. It has a flower that looks like it was cut in half, and there is a Hawaiian legend explaining it. But the most interesting thing about naupaka is that, if you take the leaves and wet them, then rub them on the inside and outside of a snorkel mask, it prevents it from fogging up as you snorkel. Makes you wonder how that was discovered.

7. Also, dogs and beaches go together like Americans and apple pie. I've never seen so many joyous, happy dogs. All racing around in the water with their owners, barking happily, playing fetch, and then plopping down in the surf to rest and cool off. If you have a dog and you live near the beach, take him there. Now.