who are these people we call THE LOCALS? (fit in, hotels)

[eureka1]

to all three questions.

[kaimuki]

Kani-Lehua, interesting opening post!

1.) IMO, I consider anyone born and raised in Hawaii to be local...race or ethnicity does NOT factor in. Haoles CAN be local!

2.) Someone who has lived here for a long time? I might consider them local too.

3.) Marrying a local, makes someone local? This is a tough one, maybe, maybe not.

[leilaniguy]

Locals come in many flavors. Sometimes the TV news will report a crime and say "the suspect was descibed as being local". How on earth do police ever catch anybody with a description that vague?

[howzitgoing]

I think theres just a vibe that you feel when you are around a local.. its hard to explain but you can tell sometimes

[Cluesaw]

I've read that the Hawaiians came from Tahiti but I can't seem to find any reference to "locals" in any Hawaiian history books I've read.

Are the "locals" the descendants of imported laborers brought in by the sugar plantations? Thanks.

[JuliaHuff]

So if i dont learn how to speak pidgen, i will be getting stink eyes? sad news. it only took me 10 years to learn english and almost get rid of my russian accent. now i will have to forget everything i learned and pick up pidgen.

[treedonkey]

Excellent question, OP. Unfortunately it's undefinable, though, as you can tell from the many varied responses. That's the problem with anti-local mentality in hawaii or elsewhere. It is arbitrary, prejudicial, and, eventually, hateful.

[hotzcatz]

You are local when the locals say you are as well as when you know who they are.

[manoagirl]

Originally Posted by kani-lehua

if you are born and raised here, does that make you local?

I have known people who were born on the islands and then left and was raised on the mainland. So I would say it take more than being born on the Islands. You have to be raised on the Island from a young child or "hanna butta dayz" and have gone to the locals schools on the island. Locals give a lot of respect for people who have attended the local schools because that is where the local education come into play in addition to your ohana. Also local customs and Island ways are what you feel the most familiar with. The mainland ways may be foreign or strange to you and Hawaii is always your home. You have aunties and uncles some calabash some not and local friends on the Island that you went to school with. Also if you have to ask if you are a local then you probably are not a local.
Personally I consider a person a local if then attended local schools from K-12th.



if you marry a local, does that make you local?
No this does not make you a local.

[manoagirl]

Originally Posted by JuliaHuff

So if i dont learn how to speak pidgen, i will be getting stink eyes? sad news. it only took me 10 years to learn english and almost get rid of my russian accent. now i will have to forget everything i learned and pick up pidgen.

No not at all locals don't expect you to speak pidgen just understand it.
Sometime it sounds funny to me when a person tries to speak pidgen. Some locals can take it as "mocking" especially if what you are saying comes out wrong. Just speak English.