For my out-group project I visited the Native American Longhouse. When I arrived I was given a tour of the building. It consisted of two main rooms, an office area, bathrooms, and a kitchen. Everything was decorated in a native fashion (the patterns on the furniture, the pictures on the walls, the figures displayed around the rooms, and the display cases.) The first room was a computer/study place, where people can come and get a bit of homework done. The second room was an entertainment center, basically. It had TV, VCR, CD players, etc., where people could simply hang out.
After the tour, there were very few people present, but I gathered those I could and we sat down and discussed the questions that were given on the syllabus for this class. The group consisted of Native Hawaiians and Americans. (Note that the Native American Longhouse is a place for *all* natives, whether they are Hawaiian, American, Pacific Islander, etc.)
The first topic that was discussed was how language defined their cultural groups. From the Native American point of view, language is how they communicate. It’s how they relate to and connect with one another. These languages of their culture have been disappearing fast, and it was very sad for them. They really would like to see their languages restored, or restored as much as possible. One person expressed a desire to learn Modoc, and Northern Paiute (her own tribe). It was very important to all of them that their native tongues be revitalized and taught to their children. Programs are being started in schools, and this is a significant step in the right direction.
From the Hawaiian perspective, theirs, too, is a dying language. There are very few speakers left. The importance of the Hawaiian language is that it is really the only way that the past can be passed down to younger generations. It is their history, and without it, there is no way of keeping the true cultural traditions. But programs teaching Hawaiian in schools are also beginning to be seen.
Both languages have been affected by English at some point in time. For the Hawaiians, they developed a form of Pidgin English, described by one person as broken English, a blend of English and non-English words. The Native Americans had developed Chinook Jargon, which was said by them to have started developing when Lewis and Clark arrived. In order to communicate with them, a new style of speaking had to begin being adopted.
Styled of speaking differed greatly between the Native American and Hawaiian languages. The Native American speech does not allow for rapid conversations. Things must be said slowly and clearly to be properly understood. Most of the time, things are spoken in a moderate tone, not loudly (it is considered rude to do so), and spoken slowly. A lot of the time, sentences or dialogues are ended with “aaa...”, which is a bit like “eh” used in other languages. It was expressed that this was very common practice for almost everyone. The “aaa...” is often trigger for laughter, and laughter was said to be very important in their culture.
Hawaiians, on the other hand, speak in a louder, more excited or agitated manner. Things often get slurred because of the rapidity of the conversation. The pitch and tone played an important part in conversing as well. Often, the higher the pitch of the speech, the better the mood of the speaker.
Non-verbal communication played a significant role in both cultures. Non-verbal cues for Hawaiians often express how they feel, whether they are happy or sad, pleased or upset. There were also “the looks,” which often conveyed displeasure and were usually used in discipline.
Non-verbal communication for Native Americans tended to be a lot more physical than simply “a look.” In their communities everyone corrects everyone else’s children. It is often seen elders grabbing children by the scruff of the neck and then disciplining them. Elders are always respected, and were known for giving “the look.” And if a child was spanked at school for misbehavior, it was almost guaranteed they would be spanked again at home for misbehaving at school. This line of discipline my discussion group believed built community.
The next issue we discussed was the names of their cultural groups. The Hawaiian situation was rather complicated, with many names that were felt to be acceptable for use by others. Native Hawaiian or simply Hawaiian were best agreed upon, while there others who would rather be called Native American, Asian Hawaiian, or Asian Pacific Islander.
For Native Americans, they said that they often call themselves Indians. One interesting comment that was made was that they had really appropriated the term “Indian” from the actual Indians and now applied it to themselves. “You’re *Hindu*, *I’m* Indian.” But there was also a lot of focus on their tribe names, as well, such as Paiute.
A name that was found particularly offensive to the Native Americans was the word “squaw.” It was verbalized by one person that when she came across it in a text, she would simply white it out. I asked about the use of the name “Injin,” since I’ve heard it used in a mean fashion. It didn’t really seem to be an issue (as in they don’t hear it all that often).
The Hawaiian group couldn’t really think of any truly offensive names, but when “outsiders” used words like “cuz” or “bra” (like “bro”), they felt a bit taken aback. It seemed as if the people were trying too hard to fit in. I imagine it would be close to the feelings of kids when their parents try to talk to them using current or outdated slang. They also pointed out the stereotype that Hawaiian’s walk slow, and thus they are lazy (“Hawaiian Time”), which is not true.
Both groups considered people who use terms like these to be uneducated. If they ever encountered someone speaking like this, they would typically correct the person and tell them that is not how everyone is.
The question “How has language been used to disenfranchise your cultural group in the past?” really evoked a big response from both groups. I received a bit of history from the Hawaiian perspective. They asked “How far do you want to go back?” I told them as far as they wished to go, so we started when there was absolutely no English spoken by Hawaiians when whites first came to the island. Since English was not mutually understood, when trade took place, the Hawaiians did not realize that they were trading their land. Due to the white settlement and rule, they eventually lost their monarchy and own language as well. Hawaiian was not allowed to be spoken in the schools, homes, or anywhere. Since so much of Hawaiian culture is bound up in their language, the English only policy severely hurt the Hawaiian cultural, beliefs, and traditions. The Hula was among the practices that was stopped. It was seen as being uncivil and even pagan because they dancers were considered to be naked. There is the modern hula, but it isn’t the original traditional dance. Religious sacrifices and ceremonies were also halted. The domination of English really changed the whole of Hawaiian society.
The Native Americans said that basically the same thing was true for them. Only they added the use of boarding schools to stop the use of their languages. Children weren’t allowed to see their families or to speak their native tongue. Also the use of reservations hurt their culture.
The next topic, “How has your cultural group been depicted in the media?” was another one that triggered a great deal of discussion. Both groups agreed that most of everything that is put in the media is not true. The Native Americans stated that often their cultures are depicted as savage, pagan, warlike, unyielding, sneaky, and untrustworthy. Movies, however, seemed to offer some exceptions. “Smoke Signals” was a movie created by a Native American, so it was much more realistic than others. “Dances With Wolves” was another “success” because it used actual Natives in it and was somewhat accurate. “The Last of the Mohicans” was another movie that was thought of to be okay, although it was said that many people didn’t like it.
The Hawaiians also cited stereotypes from movies and television shows. One Disney movie that has come out recently, “Lilo and Stitch,” had a lot of these stereotypes. It portrayed everyone as having “huge thighs,” being from single family homes, and needing social workers. It also included sunsets, beaches, many people wearing grass skirts and being totally self-sufficient, as well as a “typical” luau. (I thought it was amazing that movies still coming out so recently continue to have these types of inaccuracies, especially those being shown to children.) An irony that was pointed out about a TV show that was set in the Islands, was that a cab driver named Ponci, “Pons”, was the only Native character in the entire show. Another TV show, “Rocket Power,” on Nickelodeon has a character, “Tito” who is always citing Hawaiian proverbs that make absolutely no sense. One movie that was generally approved of was “Beyond Paradise,” which gives a view that is, well, beyond that paradise that most people expect Hawaii to be.
Both groups said music was a problem when it made up words then attributed them to native languages.
One effect that the use of language in the legal and media realms has had on the Native Americans is the portrayal of their tribes in the media in association with the drought in Klamath County. Here, for background information, the tribe says they have first rights to the water, while the farmers think that they do and that the Native Americans do not. It is currently trying to be extrapolated who has sovereignty to the water rights. The tribe is very willing to work with the water company and farmers to sort the matter out. They need the water for their fish, which are currently inedible due to low oxygen levels in the water. The media has been portraying the tribe as uncooperative, even though they are more than willing to work something out. The conclusion was that media plays a large role in shaping policy.
The next topic to be covered was that of linguistic discrimination. The Native Americans said they were simply trying to maintain control and not lose any ground in the rights they have been able to obtain. They are striving to hang onto what remains of their language and get back as much of it as they can.
The Hawaiians stated that they are always fighting over discrimination and policies, especially what they, as a cultural group, should be called. Also, in congress, the senate trying to get a bill passed that Hawaii can be somewhat sovereign again, but not totally devoid of government.
The last topic to be discussed was how the groups would like to see things changed in the future. The Hawaiians said that they would like the media to have more accuracy and for people to do research before speaking, to which the Native Americans agreed.
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