Early Hawaiians and Hawaiian Identity Sites Feildtrip to Heiaus [Prompt 5]
I'm sure the westerner thought the native Hawaiians to be very odd indeed religiously. They had multiple gods which were some how represented in wooden idols, but after ceremonies the idols were given away or other wise discarded, making them seem oddly worthless. Not to mention the sacrifices must have come across as particularly barbarous. The Kahunas I'm sure were clearly seen as religious, and most likely pseudo political leaders; which is not wholly inaccurate.
Though this is not to say that there aren't similarities, Christians give away religious symbols like crosses and bibles to new non-Christians in an attempt to spread the faith. Further more Christianity is no stranger to sacrifice, just not for our godhead.
The Polynesian Cultural Center [Prompt 6]
In choosing a term to describe what the center does i think Interpret is the most applicable. Even though I come from a LDS (Mormon) background i though that the LDS involvement in the center, how ever good natured, was oddly contradictory, and i could see it. When i think of natives of any ancient realm, especially tropic areas, i don't picture them completely, modestly, covered from wrist to wrist, neck to knee; though knowing the Mormon doctrine and western societal beliefs i would expect this of them. I though it was thus an interpretation of what these societies were, filter and interpreted though the views and beliefs of the people now relaying the story. I did think considering the interpretation that the did go to lengths to be as accurate as they could consciously allow.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
The rest of December 30
This is a Heiau, or native Hawaiian sacred site used for rituals. This specific one was for agriculture. The village people would prepare the rock pile by putting sand on the top and smoothing it out. They would also carve elaborate representations of the Gods. It was believed that gods would resided in the wooden during the ceremonies once the Kahuna called them, and then leave when the were cast off at the end of the ritual. Since this is an agricultural Heiau there were no human sacrifices, though many fruits and veggies lost their lives here.
I still had fun at the Cultural Center, it just wasn't something they offer as part of their array of activities. A friend and i were talking to two native women in a shop about the class we are taking. All four of us decided that we should adopt Hawaiian names for the rest of the trip. Then the women started explaining that names here are picked based on the individual. After getting to know our personalities a bit, they named us!!! so I'm Pua Lilinoe, which means lily flower, because lilies are a hardy flower but also beautiful with a bold distinct smell [hardy because I'm a tomboy, beautiful is sort of self explanatory, and distinct because i know who i am at such a "young age"]. :))
These are the Pali Mountains that cross the southwestern-ish part of the island. I took this at an amazing look out that was a part of Kamehameha's battle to unite the islands. He fought a back and forth battle between the native on this the windward side of the island. Once he got the upper hand he drove them back to this spot on the mountains. Since losing in battle makes you a prime candidate for sacrifices the soldiers jumped.
And now I give you the Mormon Temple...
This is the "King" from the Polynesian Cultural Center during the Parade of Canoes. The Center was neat, but it seemed fake and touristy, especially when we found out that it was owned, not by locals but, by Brigham young University in Hawaii(not that this is at all bad). Oh well...
I still had fun at the Cultural Center, it just wasn't something they offer as part of their array of activities. A friend and i were talking to two native women in a shop about the class we are taking. All four of us decided that we should adopt Hawaiian names for the rest of the trip. Then the women started explaining that names here are picked based on the individual. After getting to know our personalities a bit, they named us!!! so I'm Pua Lilinoe, which means lily flower, because lilies are a hardy flower but also beautiful with a bold distinct smell [hardy because I'm a tomboy, beautiful is sort of self explanatory, and distinct because i know who i am at such a "young age"]. :))
Sorry, I Know you missed me...
I'm sorry I sort of fell off the plant for a few days, its been busy. So to catch you up... this is my morning adventures on December 31. I have to go to class, but I will completely finish updating to night.
PS. they go back wards in order that I saw them sorry, I will work on that too.
This is one of the missionary homes for the stone church. The funny story behind these homes is they built them in New England. Then they dis-assembled the houses and shipped them around cape horn(i.e. the longest way possible) just to reassembled the houses here.
This (below) is stone church, the first missionary church on the islands. Its a Congregational church and was set up during the Second Great Awakening in the 1830's. On a less historical note its made completely of coral.
This is the Iolani Palace and the statue of Kamehameha, the first king of the Hawaiian Kingdom. He was only able to unite the island after Westerners, James Cook, arrival to this islands in 1777.
PS. they go back wards in order that I saw them sorry, I will work on that too.
This is one of the missionary homes for the stone church. The funny story behind these homes is they built them in New England. Then they dis-assembled the houses and shipped them around cape horn(i.e. the longest way possible) just to reassembled the houses here.
This (below) is stone church, the first missionary church on the islands. Its a Congregational church and was set up during the Second Great Awakening in the 1830's. On a less historical note its made completely of coral.
This is the Iolani Palace and the statue of Kamehameha, the first king of the Hawaiian Kingdom. He was only able to unite the island after Westerners, James Cook, arrival to this islands in 1777.Friday, December 29, 2006
Reading Prompts
The Evolution, Migration, and Diversification of Human Cultures [Prompt 1]
1. Pangaea was a supper continent composed of all the (our) current continents connected as one big one. It existed 200-250 million years ago. The most important concept to understand about Pangaea is that it proves the theory that interrelation among modern species that do not live on the same continent, and haven't since Pangaea. The super continent began breaking apart around 180-200 million years ago. Pangaea is significant because it show that species are interrelated, or rather evolved from shared ancestors.
2. Hominids, or Homo Erectus, showed up around 4 million-750 thousand years ago. Homo Sapiens appeared about 40-100 thousand years ago, originally in Africa and they migrated from there. The ability to adapt to their changing environment it was set Homo Sapiens apart.
3. According to Crosby culture is a means or system of storing and altering patterns of behavior in brain cells, not in genetics. This is what humans are, essentially, the pattern in which we behave.
4. Humans Migrated to Europe around fifty thousand years ago, Australia forty thousand, and the Americas thirteen thousand years ago.
5. When the people migrated to the Americas it was over a land bridge that later became submerged. So the American Populations was then isolated by an ocean.
6. The Neolithic Revolution began when man stopped chipping stone into weapons and began to grin a polish them. This age ended when they learned to smelt metals, thus beginning the bronze age.
7. In the Neolithic Revolution humans learned many new skills like written language, how to construct things, and agriculture as a means of producing food. These skills allowed then to settle in one place, no longer needing to be nomadic to follow their food source.
Debating Cultural Differences: The Last 13,000 Years [Prompt 2]
1. Mr. Diamonds main point is that the reason mankind thrived in Eurasia was that it is roughly on the same latitude. This meant that the whole of the giant land mass was generally the same climate and temperance, so a crop abundant in Spain would with nurturing thrive in say the Balkans or Thailand. Geographically and metaphorically speaking it is easier to move sideways than it is up and down, especially so in agriculture.
2. Diamond believes that the ultimate factor driving history was the urge to settle, or cease needing to follow the food source, and set up and agricultural base. Thus ones who were successful in this endeavor became highly esteemed, and those who failed were looked down on, creating a hierarchy of sort which lead to class structure. A need for protection from rivals and cure for sickness lead to the formation of an military body and science of sorts, respectively.
3. Blaut criticize Diamond with what I thought was the first logical flaw to his theory, that China (specifically) developed very differently and at dissimilar rates.
4. After considering both authors writings, I think that they both have theories and that mine is somewhere in between the two. The climatic similarities had to help, but there are decided difference culturally; in the end I'm left thinking that they are theories, and nothing more.
Understanding Cultural Interactions [Prompt 3]
1. Culture is the qualities inside each person, and collectively in a society, that create interest in intellectual pursuits, religious doctrines, political ideologies, etc. and from that generate a belief system. In relation to the other demarcations of humans, culture is the only one that is learned or otherwise developed through life. All the demarcations of humans, excluding culture, are dependant on genetics or the region in which the subject is raised. American culture is the culture of those people who reside in the American where as, conversely the US culture is on countries culture, and a subset of American.
2. It be part of a culture, truly and not just a passing fancy of the time, one only needs four generations.
3. Cultural beliefs change due to a great many variant, in modern times technology has been the most likely to due so. I think that cultures naturally, and with assistance develop, hopefully for the better. Progress of a culture is less agreeable, only because to say a culture has progressed insinuates that it changed for the better, which is not always the case.
4. I most definitely think that the nationalized or rather regional cultures of the globe are becoming more globalized in mindset. I cant see how they are individually ever really going to be completely globalized, at least not in my life time. There are too many grudges and differences of opinion at the moment to be completely globalized. Though I do like the global economies and globalized politics, i think some difference in culture will always be a good thing; otherwise we as a population would be like minded and always in agreement, never to think outside the box or have a difference of opinion.
5. I think a pursuit of an understanding and appreciation of the literature, fine arts, history, political ideologies, and religious doctrines of not only your culture but many others will provide the necessary skills for cross cultural competency; and a knowledge of languages couldn't hurt. I admittedly hold very high standards.Though I suppose one could get by with nothing more than curiosity, manners and an open mind, after all these three are the keys to any interaction with something new.
Analyzing Cultural Interactions [Prompt 4]
I read the Delay, and was left just as perplexed as I'm sure the lovebirds in the story were. I profess to only know a marginal amount about Japanese culture. After this class and talk to a Japanese coworker, I have concluded i just don't get it. In the story there is a seemingly normal chance encounter that leads to romance, and a potential proposal. Nothing odd about that, except that the girl in this parable is from a rural Japanese town, and thus needs family consent to marry, among I'm told countless other things. as a girl who grew up in a preponderantly feminist friendly society it bothers me that Junko needed permission to marry the man she loves, oh well. I suppose that a delay on her parents behalf is not so odd, but the explanations all left me wanting further information. Option A was the the parents were running some informal background check, which is fine by me to a degree. Though a three week delay seems like plenty time to do so and have a decision. So to explanation B, that is her parents and their rural community have poor telephone connection. Not to sound rude, narrow minded, or to stereotype but last time i checked japan creates the most cutting edge technology, i would think that in three weeks they could find a means to relay and answer. Not to mention that even if they had to use "snail nail" (i.e. a letter) it could have got there in the allotted weeks. Explanation C and D fall in to the culture gap between me and the Japanese culture. Yes Junko was in Tokyo without a formal Chaperon, and this could lead to trepidation on her parents behalf. But to me that where the "what are your intentions with/for my daughter" comes in to play. On the subject of an unmarried older sister preventing her union, its a plausible reason, personally it makes me think of 17th century English society. All in all i think that the last two explanations are the most likely reason for the delay because they are based in the Japanese culture.
1. Pangaea was a supper continent composed of all the (our) current continents connected as one big one. It existed 200-250 million years ago. The most important concept to understand about Pangaea is that it proves the theory that interrelation among modern species that do not live on the same continent, and haven't since Pangaea. The super continent began breaking apart around 180-200 million years ago. Pangaea is significant because it show that species are interrelated, or rather evolved from shared ancestors.
2. Hominids, or Homo Erectus, showed up around 4 million-750 thousand years ago. Homo Sapiens appeared about 40-100 thousand years ago, originally in Africa and they migrated from there. The ability to adapt to their changing environment it was set Homo Sapiens apart.
3. According to Crosby culture is a means or system of storing and altering patterns of behavior in brain cells, not in genetics. This is what humans are, essentially, the pattern in which we behave.
4. Humans Migrated to Europe around fifty thousand years ago, Australia forty thousand, and the Americas thirteen thousand years ago.
5. When the people migrated to the Americas it was over a land bridge that later became submerged. So the American Populations was then isolated by an ocean.
6. The Neolithic Revolution began when man stopped chipping stone into weapons and began to grin a polish them. This age ended when they learned to smelt metals, thus beginning the bronze age.
7. In the Neolithic Revolution humans learned many new skills like written language, how to construct things, and agriculture as a means of producing food. These skills allowed then to settle in one place, no longer needing to be nomadic to follow their food source.
Debating Cultural Differences: The Last 13,000 Years [Prompt 2]
1. Mr. Diamonds main point is that the reason mankind thrived in Eurasia was that it is roughly on the same latitude. This meant that the whole of the giant land mass was generally the same climate and temperance, so a crop abundant in Spain would with nurturing thrive in say the Balkans or Thailand. Geographically and metaphorically speaking it is easier to move sideways than it is up and down, especially so in agriculture.
2. Diamond believes that the ultimate factor driving history was the urge to settle, or cease needing to follow the food source, and set up and agricultural base. Thus ones who were successful in this endeavor became highly esteemed, and those who failed were looked down on, creating a hierarchy of sort which lead to class structure. A need for protection from rivals and cure for sickness lead to the formation of an military body and science of sorts, respectively.
3. Blaut criticize Diamond with what I thought was the first logical flaw to his theory, that China (specifically) developed very differently and at dissimilar rates.
4. After considering both authors writings, I think that they both have theories and that mine is somewhere in between the two. The climatic similarities had to help, but there are decided difference culturally; in the end I'm left thinking that they are theories, and nothing more.
Understanding Cultural Interactions [Prompt 3]
1. Culture is the qualities inside each person, and collectively in a society, that create interest in intellectual pursuits, religious doctrines, political ideologies, etc. and from that generate a belief system. In relation to the other demarcations of humans, culture is the only one that is learned or otherwise developed through life. All the demarcations of humans, excluding culture, are dependant on genetics or the region in which the subject is raised. American culture is the culture of those people who reside in the American where as, conversely the US culture is on countries culture, and a subset of American.
2. It be part of a culture, truly and not just a passing fancy of the time, one only needs four generations.
3. Cultural beliefs change due to a great many variant, in modern times technology has been the most likely to due so. I think that cultures naturally, and with assistance develop, hopefully for the better. Progress of a culture is less agreeable, only because to say a culture has progressed insinuates that it changed for the better, which is not always the case.
4. I most definitely think that the nationalized or rather regional cultures of the globe are becoming more globalized in mindset. I cant see how they are individually ever really going to be completely globalized, at least not in my life time. There are too many grudges and differences of opinion at the moment to be completely globalized. Though I do like the global economies and globalized politics, i think some difference in culture will always be a good thing; otherwise we as a population would be like minded and always in agreement, never to think outside the box or have a difference of opinion.
5. I think a pursuit of an understanding and appreciation of the literature, fine arts, history, political ideologies, and religious doctrines of not only your culture but many others will provide the necessary skills for cross cultural competency; and a knowledge of languages couldn't hurt. I admittedly hold very high standards.Though I suppose one could get by with nothing more than curiosity, manners and an open mind, after all these three are the keys to any interaction with something new.
Analyzing Cultural Interactions [Prompt 4]
I read the Delay, and was left just as perplexed as I'm sure the lovebirds in the story were. I profess to only know a marginal amount about Japanese culture. After this class and talk to a Japanese coworker, I have concluded i just don't get it. In the story there is a seemingly normal chance encounter that leads to romance, and a potential proposal. Nothing odd about that, except that the girl in this parable is from a rural Japanese town, and thus needs family consent to marry, among I'm told countless other things. as a girl who grew up in a preponderantly feminist friendly society it bothers me that Junko needed permission to marry the man she loves, oh well. I suppose that a delay on her parents behalf is not so odd, but the explanations all left me wanting further information. Option A was the the parents were running some informal background check, which is fine by me to a degree. Though a three week delay seems like plenty time to do so and have a decision. So to explanation B, that is her parents and their rural community have poor telephone connection. Not to sound rude, narrow minded, or to stereotype but last time i checked japan creates the most cutting edge technology, i would think that in three weeks they could find a means to relay and answer. Not to mention that even if they had to use "snail nail" (i.e. a letter) it could have got there in the allotted weeks. Explanation C and D fall in to the culture gap between me and the Japanese culture. Yes Junko was in Tokyo without a formal Chaperon, and this could lead to trepidation on her parents behalf. But to me that where the "what are your intentions with/for my daughter" comes in to play. On the subject of an unmarried older sister preventing her union, its a plausible reason, personally it makes me think of 17th century English society. All in all i think that the last two explanations are the most likely reason for the delay because they are based in the Japanese culture.
Pre-accident Beauty
This is Hanauma Beach, our field trip today! It was this gorgeous collapsed volcano. I went snorkeling and sun bathing...ahh this truly is the life!
This is another view of Hanauma Beach. After this we went to Sandy Beach which is a great body surfing beach but also dangerous, as we learned. Jennifer, my trip buddy, blew out her knee, and we had to go to the Hospital. She is fine but will be on crutches for the rest of the trip. C'est la vie. :(Thursday, December 28, 2006
My View!
So this the view from our balcony!Mahalo for following my trip journal, its makes it more fun knowing that people care enough to look!
another in stalment on the way, and it will be for class! :)
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Hawaii Here I Come!
Well it’s the day before the big trip and I finally have time to get excited about it. I have never been to
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