Snowdon - 3/24/22 - How Identity is Understood, as Seen in the Life of Eddie Aikau

 3/24/22


The other day I watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau. I found that its contents, and the life of its titular figure, reflected some of the things we have discussed in this class relating to cultural contact, formation, and identity. Without delving too far into a summary, it detailed the life, career, and exploits of the Native Hawaiian surfing legend, Eddie Aikau. But within his life, and the culture which he grew up in, and eventually perished tragically while defending, so much can be seen and understood about broader trends, even the interactions between literate (dominating) and non-literate cultures.


This manifested primarily through surfing in Aikau’s case, which stands to reason. The documentary detailed the origins of surfing among the Native Hawaiian people, the bewilderment expressed by the first Europeans to witness it as recorded in their journals and diaries, and its formation as a competitive sport. This final step came at a time when Hawaii had recently become a state, and its culture had been officially suppressed for some time already, which only increased in intensity after tourism experienced its spike in popularity, where many of the beaches were cleared for luxurious, exclusive resorts, where Native Hawaiians were not welcome. The conflict here is clear, as the Native Hawaiian culture and way of life was so inextricably linked with the ocean, a fact which in itself hearkens back to our guest lecture the other day, regarding how geography, and especially water, shapes a culture.


Eddie Aikau, in his own right, wanted others to enjoy Hawaii’s natural beauty; he became the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay, and he participated in surfing competitions hosted by “haoles” throughout the island, even when surfing was beginning to be more associated with California and the thriving movie industry around it, in addition to Australians and South Africans who contributed to the sport of it. All of this led to the Hawaiians losing some of their traditional stake in the beach culture around Hawaii, which had been such a long-standing keystone of their civilization. Aikau perished while voyaging on the Hokule’a, a recreation of a traditional Polynesian double-hulled canoe, in order to prove that they could have navigated in ancient times against some modern criticisms, when Aikau set out for shore after it capsized in a storm. Even though this first attempt ended in tragedy, another voyage in Aikau’s honor successfully landed and returned, and Hawaiians continue to rally around his name in preserving traditional cultural heritage.

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