Mesmerizing Journey To The Beautiful Hawaii!

Ah! I was feeling excited about the trip to the island state, and it didn’t disappoint me; It gave me more than one can expect. Aloha! The island state was mesmerizing with the beautiful landscape, food, dance, music, and a lively night. We stayed near the beach. The relaxing waves should have put one to sleep, but the music and the crowd were bringing in a gush of happiness that we didn’t bother to sleep. The weather was perfect for November in the United States. You could easily ditch the jackets and wear all that you feel. The weather is warm with showers of rain which add beauty to the lush green landscape. The food, people, and entire vibe are truly amazing and laid back.

In Hawaiian mythology, the turtle represents strength, fertility, and longevity. Five species of turtles are found in Hawaii. The green turtle is Known as “Honu”. Turtle art and design are found in artefacts shops in Hawaii. It was the perfect time; we saw a few turtles on the shores. Surfing is one sport we see on Hawaiian beaches and the high waves give an adrenaline rush to all those surfers out there.

Hawaii is native to the Polynesian community, comprising of the native Hawaiians, the natives who voyaged to Hawaii from the islands of Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, Aotearoa, and Tonga. It was great to meet the people of each community. The Polynesian community strongly believed in mutual respect. Love, respect, and compassion are held high in Hawaiian culture. We had a wonderful time exploring each culture- a day in their life was shown to us. Each community proudly exhibited their culture; it was a good presentation – very entertaining. They showed us how they used coconut, displayed their martial arts, and told us that women weren’t expected to cook or do other chores. It was more of a matriarchal society. Now we want equality, don’t we? Imbalance on either side is not good, right?

In the Polynesian center, we watched a show” Ha – Breath of Life”- it was a magical and entertaining show which took us through the stages of life- Birth, childhood, love, romance, social surroundings, friendship, hatred, fight, victory, joy, death- the entire circle of life. The show had strict rules about not recording and I guess that was a fantastic rule as people kept their smartphones away for 1 hour and were taken to a mesmerized world with artistic and technical brilliance on stage. The show represented all six communities in Polynesian culture.

We had the opportunity to see the Hawaiian Dance Hula, with men and women dancing to the folklore music beats. We did witness the marriage in one of the communities of the Polynesian culture. The attire and ornaments and the garland and flower decorated on the hair are all that fascinate a modern-day woman and she wants to style herself with all of those in this modern world as well. I hope more stores of these can be accessible to people outside of Hawaii as well. We all like traditional dress and ornaments, don’t we?

We had coconut water and the edible mesocarp and they did prepare breadfruit delicacy in coconut milk for the visitors. We also had the opportunity to explore their activities of fishing, and fire making (by rubbing onto wood), and had the opportunity to play the tititorea stick game (which is a traditional stick game) which was very entertaining with the traditional music. Each of the island communities was different in culture, beliefs, and attire, yet they all lived in the state of Hawaii with mutual respect. But what was not very welcoming was their concept of marriage. They were not very much entertained with marrying from outside of their tribe, or maybe they had to follow certain rules and join that tribe which was a huge put-off for the modern world. Sometimes when your heart craves the old-world charm and nostalgia, but then you realize the old world had so many wrongs that were corrected by revolutionary women and men.   

In Hawaii, you can see the plumeria flower all around and women wear them on their hair and both men and women use them as Garland. I have seen these plumeria flowers in Kerala (South Indian state) but those flowers weren’t allowed to be decorated on hair as in Hawaii. Plumeria flowers/plants in Kerala were believed to be an abode of witches and we as kids were never allowed to decorate with these amazing fragrant flowers. See, as I said every part of the world had these nonsensical beliefs. I hope kids in Kerala can / should wear these on their hair and women in Kerala should have them decorated on their hair for special occasions or otherwise if they wish to. Far away from Kerala, in Hawaii, they represent love and romance-the spirit of Aloha- kindness and respect.

Hawaii – food and culture have so much resemblance to India especially the southern part of India. Hawaiian landscape has coconuts, bananas, breadfruit, and widespread cultivation of pineapple and cocoa, sugarcane as well and their cuisine has a deep influence of all this along with the non-vegetarian which include pork, chicken, and fish. The famous pork recipe is called Kalua pork which is a slow-cooked delicacy. Well, legend has it that the banyan tree in Hawaii arrived from India. The big adventitious roots are proof of its adaptability in the Hawaiian land. It is an abode for a lot of birds, and it gives a lot of oxygen, apart from the protection it gives to everyone coming under it.

 Don’t be surprised to see the Koi fish in Hawaii. Studies say Hawaii has the best weather for Koi fish to live. Feeding Koi fish was so much fun, relaxing, and therapeutic. Feral roosters are common in Hawaii, and they start crowing in the early morning hours. And you almost would like to ask “Is that you Hei Hei” straight from a Moana movie!

Hawaii largely survives on Tourism. There are sustainable products like oils, face creams, and shower soaps made from natural products, that comprise women-run businesses also. We all love in this new era and age to use products of self-care that are more natural. Don’t we? And Hawaii has lots of natural resources. I hope for sustainable product market development. I hope people can have better earnings through business keeping in mind the landscape of Hawaii and preserving its natural habitat as it is.

 Visit this amazing island state! For the music, food, and the laid-back life. Make sure you keep the place you visit as it is. The island state doesn’t have Snakes and let’s maintain the biodiversity like that around the world. Isn’t that the beauty!! Preserve Earth as it is.

Love and romance are part of the culture; all the Island tribes we met have reiterated they value “Love and respect and dignity”. A representation of marriage in one of the Polynesian community

Aloha- the spirit of love, respect, compassion and peace!

–Anju Nandakumar has a doctorate in Bioscience. She loves telling stories, especially of women, and loves photography and traveling.