Mark Twain typifies the Anglo-American attitudes toward Hawaiian Natives and the sea in his short description of his experience watching natives surf in Honaunau, HI in 1866. He describes the surfers as "naked natives," highlighting the lack of clothes to set them apart from the more "civilized" travelers. Nakedness gives the notion of wildness, and animal-like characteristics. Twain further exoticizes these individuals by characterizing their behavior in a manner that is wild, exaggerated, and a bit Satanic: "Each heathen would paddle... wait for a particularly prodigious billow to come along... and here he would come whizzing by like a bombshell!" (117). The war-weapon reference also suggests the concept of danger. Mark Twain sets the Hawaiian Natives and their connection with the sea apart from foreign travelers by explaining that "none but the natives ever master the art of surf-bathing thoroughly" (117). By demonstrating that surfing is a Hawaiian Native sport, an inherited trait, Twain presents the belief that the ability to conquer the "prodigious billows" and the wonders of the ocean is only possible for Native Hawaiians, therefore deaming the ocean unsafe and unconquerable by any Anglo traveler.
Here is a video of Native Surfers conquering the "prodigious billows" in Waikiki in the 1920s:
In the short story, "Hawaiian Surfriding," the author gives a detailed explanation of the process of surfboard making and the rituals and ceremonial rites that Native Hawaiians followed as part of the tradition of kahunaism. The author also explains that "before using the board there were other rites or ceremonies that had to be performed, for its dedication. Here is the Surf's Up interpretation of these rituals:
This is a great post - nice job embedding your video links. I really enjoyed the old Waikiki footage, and I'm guessing those angles were shot from an outrigger canoe, pretty classic. And the preparations for kalua pig, which is a staple going back to ancient ceremonies and has been incorporated contemporarily in tourist hula shows and local 'plate lunch'. The relationship between the Big Z and the other penguin is actually troping on an established dynamic in Hollywood surf films that is best typified by Chandler (a shaper and older soul surfer) and Rick Kane (the haole novice) in The North Shore ('87). I also appreciate your interest in Twain. He is a somewhat ambiguous figure in American letters and foreign affairs. I had always pictured him as this staunch anti-imperialist, but after reading more of his lesser known work, he played a pivotal role in the marketing of Hawaii as an absolutely essential asset to American industrial magnates, who in turn wielded their influence over politicians, who in time, moved to annex the Islands.
Megan -
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post - nice job embedding your video links. I really enjoyed the old Waikiki footage, and I'm guessing those angles were shot from an outrigger canoe, pretty classic. And the preparations for kalua pig, which is a staple going back to ancient ceremonies and has been incorporated contemporarily in tourist hula shows and local 'plate lunch'. The relationship between the Big Z and the other penguin is actually troping on an established dynamic in Hollywood surf films that is best typified by Chandler (a shaper and older soul surfer) and Rick Kane (the haole novice) in The North Shore ('87). I also appreciate your interest in Twain. He is a somewhat ambiguous figure in American letters and foreign affairs. I had always pictured him as this staunch anti-imperialist, but after reading more of his lesser known work, he played a pivotal role in the marketing of Hawaii as an absolutely essential asset to American industrial magnates, who in turn wielded their influence over politicians, who in time, moved to annex the Islands.
- Trey