The butt end of Aloha

During JFK’s watch, there were plans to convert the U.S. Territory of the Pacific to join the State of Hawaii. Uninhabited northwest Hawaii are not unlike the NMI and it would have made quite a state to administer. 

Hawaii observes its entry as the 50th State of the Union on the third Friday of August. This event was longed for by Washington, D.C.’s imperial impulse to join European allies in parceling out the Orient into respective domains. 

Missionaries from New England influenced Polynesia, got Hawaiian royalty wearing frills and tailcoats but the U.S. Navy needed a coaling station; Pearl Harbor was just fine for the purpose.

Southern gentlemen opposed the cheap sugar business the islands developed, but industrialists from the north dollar-gleamed into China and took to Iolani Palace to banish Kamehameha’s kin and Kalakaua progenies. President Clinton apologized a century later for the militant and Enfield-triggered indiscretion!

After the Spanish-American War, Dewey and his command took Hagatña and the Manila harbor until vets from the Native American War, still wearing their wools and mitts, ran into a taste of Samar opposition that marked a My Lai response on local forces. The bloody resistance against alien rule made Washington rethink the whole strategy of moving into the Orient, reverting to indirect rule, not over folks but through local vested leadership.

We did that in China but Chiang’s mienzi could not countenance Stillwell; still, we backed Chiang in Taiwan until Nixon finally saw the wisdom of having tea with Mao Zedong and heed the Kissinger-Chou En Lai connection.

The Germans established their empire, inter alia, took in islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, abandoning it during WWI, leaving Meiji Japan and England to divide the Pacific with those north of the Equator fluttering the red sun banner, and those south the Union Jack.

“Peace in diversity” was Saipan Liberation month’s theme this year, a rather auspicious slogan from the island where we assembled and flew over the only uranium and plutonium atomic bombs used on an innocent human population.

Butt end is in reference to the last in line in any grouping, and Hawaii as the last state to join the Union (so far) definitely fits the bill, but also because in Hawaii, particularly Waikiki and beaches, the butt end prevails. Piguo was one of the first Chinese words I learned, generally flat (not all) on the Chinese physique. My use of the term on the state is a double entendre as Hawaii not only is the last that joined the Union but also displays back ends prominently up Waikiki Way, IMH sexist O!

The cost of living in Hawaii is prohibitive. But first, the popular nicknames of the islands in the order of their sizes. Hawai’i the largest is the Big Island (duh!), Maui is the Valley Isle, O’ahu of Honolulu is the Gathering Place, Kaua’i the Garden Isle, Moloka’i the Friendly Isle, Lana’i the Pineapple Isle, Ni’ihau the strictly native Hawaiian isle of 70 sq. mile with its less than 200 inhabitants in 2010 is the Forbidden Isle, and Kaho’olawe the Target Isle was once a live-fire training ground (uh, their Medinilla) before it became a reserve park (uh, not a chance for our Farallon).

The preceding are windward southeastern islands; the leeward northwestern ones extend from Kure northwest of Midway to Ni’ihau, slightly more latitudinal than longitudinal, but terrain-wise, this part of Hawaii looks like the Northern Mariana Islands.

The demographic divisions have mixed ethnicity ascending to be the dominant group. In addition, three distinguishable groups are native Hawaiian, Caucasian and Japanese, with Filipino, Chinese and Korean behind but ahead of Pacific Islanders. Retired rich Caucasians increased of late while the Kama’aina (native born of any race) moved to less expensive grounds on the mainland. The mention of the well-off from the rest of the world retiring to Paradise Isles is appropriate in this weekend’s Senior Citizen’s day!

The peopling of Hawaii began with Marquesas and Tahiti, the sailors canoeing northeast before heading westward to Hawaii, written beautifully by Michener; the isles later turned into the hub of the Pacific whaling trade (Cook was killed on the Big Island), and later, the sugar industry. The territory was established in 1900 and Congress recognized statehood in 1959. On the third Friday of August, Statehood Day in Hawaii is as happy as a deaf ear in the midst of flying fireworks. 

Ben Cayetano summed up what was at once a nebulous and precise Hawaii statehood outlook: “The people of Hawaii enjoy a diversity unlike any state in the nation. We are committed to ensuring unity and equality for all of our residents. While we celebrate the differences that define and enrich our island culture, we also treasure our identity as Americans and affirm our shared commitment to a happier and more prosperous future for all.” 

I shaka Miley Cyrus wannabes’ twerking ’til mañana. Aloha!