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Joey Abely
To what degree has Hawaii’s intermarriage and neighborhood integration resulted in “ethnic and racial harmony” (251). Find, describe and explain the “materials to think with” that Olson uses to answer this question.
- “ Interracial marriage is a cumulative process, so once an individual of mixed ancestry is born, all of that person’s descendants also will be mixed. As intermarriage continues in Hawaii-and already almost half of all marriages are between couples of different ethnicities-the number of people who will be able to call themselves pure japanese, or pure hawaiian, or pure white (haole in hawaiian), will steadily decline.” (Olson 251). This being said Olson’s point on racial harmony is very true due to many people having racially mixed ancestors. With that being said the racist actions committed by people are committed fewer and far between due to people not wanting to disrespect others and more importantly their own ancestry.
Why is it difficult to answer accurately “Exactly who is a Native Hawaiian?” Why does the answer to the question matter – both in everyday life in Hawaii and to us as we think about the realities of social identities?
- It is difficult to answer accurately “Exactly who is a Native Hawaiian?” due to the fact that there are so many mixed and interracial marriages that have been going on for centuries in Hawaii (hawaiian women who were usually poor used to swim out to ships to exchange sexual favors with the crewmates in exchange for various items; also many women were killed by foreign diseases given to them from these sailors). With the past of interracial marriages and many of the women being killed by these diseases it makes it extremely difficult to find and even prove you are of pure Hawaiian ancestry. This matters to everyone due to the fact of not knowing where you originated from, this is a fear of many people but a blessing worldwide not only in hawaii where racial tension is declining but in countries all over the world with the same situation.
