who are these people we call THE LOCALS? (transplants, private schools)

[NVplumber]

pigin was pretty easy to pick up ( fer me anyway..I have a knack with accents and slang talk) but that didn't make much difference in the grand scheme of trying to fit in. I'm still bouncing back and forth twixt Kuaui and rural NV ( arrrrg) so I havn't been fully acclimated as "local" ( I guess..??) but I havn't had any trouble, as yet, with "true locals". I think my willingness to take Hawaii as is and at face value without any preconceptions or judgment has helped me out a tad. My High Desert accent has drawn some attention to me as not being a long time resident but the guys I have been working with have kinda covered my back ( so to speak) as being an ok guy so I havn't ended up beaten and bloody in a cane field somewhere ( LOL). And as an aside ..Ayea der Kani..Big Alohas from da plummer dude!

[Halopa]

You know those three questions are deep. When I say deep I'm not talking about the ocean, although that could be a good analogy for deep.

You know I'm sitting here and all these thoughts are running around my little pea brain on how I'm gonna answer this one...I mean it's deep so it deserves some considerable thought right?

I started by looking for the definition of 'Local' in the dictionary. No, not online-I'm old enough to still be dependent on the book format. Anyway here's what Merriam Webster has to say.....

Local...
Of or relating to a particular place: characteristic of a particular place: not general or widespread.

Localite...
A native a resident of the locality under consideration.

Then I got to thinking about the real question underneath or behind the question..or questions that Kani-Lehua was posing.

Hmmm! And here is what I realized after reading all the posts on this thread and Kani-Lehua's second post.

There are several perspectives coming into play here.

First, as Kani pointed out, there is sometimes a negative perception of Locals by outsiders. Or said another way, certain stereotypes imposed by others on the locals, perhaps by some, as being hooligans.

Second, there is a perception that outsiders can never be locals unless certain conditions are met. For example: Must be born and raised (K-12) on the Islands, must speak Pigeon English, must be of Polynesian or part Polynesian decent.

Third, some-locals and outsiders-have a more liberal perception of who a local is. If your born on the islands, lived there a long time, and some even if you married a local you can be considered by some as a local.

You know..this topic is very sensitive because locals don't like many of the stereotypes outsiders have of them and also because many outsiders have made the Islands there home and don't want to be considered as outsiders.

Most people want to belong and get along with the people they live around. When I was a teenager at 16 moving from Los Angeles to a small town in Nebraska I was an outsider. It took awhile before I was accepted and not everyone in that town of 1000 people accepted me. I was smart enough to cut my hair before I moved to the so called 'Redneck' country. But I still talked like I came from the land of Fruits and Nuts and some kids did not let me forget that.

No matter where one goes there will always be stereotyping by both locals and outsiders. The desire by outsiders to be accepted by locals can be very strong. And the resentment by locals of outsiders for how they are perceived by them can be very strong also.

Maybe it would be helpful to remember the originally we all came from somewhere else, or at least our ancestors did. But this is also a perception, perhaps we all came from the same place. And perhaps we will all end up in the same place...or one of two places, when we leave this world.

Some cultures just don't mix well is another perception. Blacks verses Whites, Arabs verses Jews, Chinese verses Tibetans, Hutu s verses Tutsi s. What you see with all these clash of cultures is a lot of violence. Some of the atrocities are horrendous. Where and when will it all end? Who is to blame? Is it the governments? The presidents or tribal kings or leaders? Perhaps It's the religious leaders, I really don't know.

Your always going to have conflict. Whether it's haole verses native Hawaiian or surfer verses redneck. In my opinion...it comes down to some basic principles. I don't know what they all are but honor and respect for others is at the top. Even if you have a hard time understanding them.

When it comes to outsiders moving to the Islands. Slow down, learn from the locals. Be observant and if your not good at observation take note when a local gives you the stink eye...there is a reason. It may be a good one or it may not be. But turning a blind eye is always better than conflict.At first the Islands seem like a big place but, they really aren't. People living in close proximity do better when they get along with each other.

So when it comes to living with others and the environment...don't talk trash and don't throw trash...even if you see the locals doing it.

Whoever said the narrow road was easy?

[cynmkolohe]

I'm glad this thread is continuing and many perspectives are being contributed...Kani-Lehua, who is the OP, posted something in another thread that will likely give some background to her question for those who are newer to the forum. Her question is thought-provoking and timeless, and even more interesting when you know a bit more about her! Look for her post here:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/hawai...-identity.html

[pocholakas]

Why worry about a title of wether or not you're local? You're here and we all are people. Be you and be real thats all. Some people will accept you and some won't. We can't expect everyone to feel the same, you'll wait forever to get accepted. And in that time you might lose sense of who you really are and will be faced with a lost identity. My daughter still gets referred to as haole just because she has haole blood in her not to forget she also has Hawaiian, Filipino, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Mixed plate yeah? Thats why she so beautiful! No worry, just be yourself. You might change as time goes on, but I'm sure it won't change the real you unless you don't like who you are.

[Loysum]

Well the question could be brought up where ever you live. When is someone considered to be a local? I think if you were born in a certain town then you are considered a to be a local, naturally. But I don't know how many years one needs to live and assimilate (Borg?) before they can call themselves locals. 5 yrs? 7 yrs? 1 yr?

[ZhugeLiang]

"Kamaaina"

That cursed word. Frankly, I consider it an example of institutionalized racism. Got to love the emphasis on locals discounts.

It never ceases to amuse me that such nativist rhetoric is served up so casually here in Hawaii by businesses both big and small, but in California you would be ostracized as a full-fledged bigot.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

"Kamaaina"

That cursed word. Frankly, I consider it an example of institutionalized racism. Got to love the emphasis on locals discounts.

It never ceases to amuse me that such nativist rhetoric is served up so casually here in Hawaii by businesses both big and small, but in California you would be ostracized as a full-fledged bigot.

It just means resident. If you think it's not done everywhere, go to Disneyland. Different rates for out-of-state, California resident, and OC resident. You going to run Disney out of business for their pro-California bigotry?

[JULANI]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

"Kamaaina"

That cursed word. Frankly, I consider it an example of institutionalized racism. Got to love the emphasis on locals discounts.

It never ceases to amuse me that such nativist rhetoric is served up so casually here in Hawaii by businesses both big and small, but in California you would be ostracized as a full-fledged bigot.

Kamaaina: A long time island resident or local. Oftentimes, hotels and airlines will offer special discounts called "Kamaaina Rates" to anyone who can prove their island residency.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by JULANI

Kamaaina: A long time island resident or local. Oftentimes, hotels and airlines will offer special discounts called "Kamaaina Rates" to anyone who can prove their island residency.

Basically, all you need is a driver's license, right?

I don't find it that strange either. Same if a person is clubbing in Las Vegas, a discount to locals there as well.

Personally, I find it a good thing.

[Cartoonemon]

I'm Southeast Asian and I was there twice. The second time I always pretended to be kama'aina and it really worked! I also get the HI state ID card for $15 in the early days I arrived. Furthermore, my accent is Asian accent and same with majority there. My skin is bright tan like many locals. How could you know that I'm not kama'aina? I get the kama'aina price everywhere I went. However, for a Southeast Asian, the kama'aina price is still very expensive.