POST-NEH PEARL HARBOR: HISTORY, MEMORY, MEMORIAL...EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!
Okay, I did not have time to visit the Honolulu landfill. I recently read where the Danish are going so green that they are eliminating use of landfills altogether. I'm gonna send the Wall Street Journal article I read to Honolulu's city manager.
All expectations were met and surpassed regarding this study/travel experience! The presentations were excellent; visits to appropriate historical sites were well organized and timely. Cherylene Hidano, Program Officer, did a masterful job of making everything flow. Daniel Martinez, U.S. Park Service Ranger, was extraordinary in his duties--the man is truly an expert on events in and around Pearl Harbor. So many other professional staff from the East-West Center could and should be mentioned--everyone did a magnificent job in making the program successful!
Besides all the history, we learned about the "Aloha Spirit." Just about everyone on earth knows the word, "Aloha." We learned that it is much more than just a greeting. It is "an emotion which can't be seen, touched or heard, but if expressed from the center of one's being toward all of creation, it is found in all things and it is the connection of all things. That is the true meaning, the Hawaiian definition of Aloha.
CLOSELY EXAMINING THE WORD ALOHA, LETTER BY LETTER:
A - Akahai, meaning kindness, as expressed through gentleness
L - Lokahi, meaning harmony, as expressed through unity
O - Olu Olu, meaning pleasing, as expressed through gentleness
H - Haa Haa, meaning humble, as expressed through humility
A - Ahonui, meaning patience, as expressed through perseverance
Truly, I learned that the Hawaiian people, as expressed through their language, are deeply soulful/spiritual in nature. Later in the week, we had a musician, Jon Kay Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio, make a presentation that gave our group songs of remembrance, songs about loss, and songs reclaiming the memory of Pu'uloa, as Pearl Harbor is known to the Native Hawaiians. His presentation was titled, "From Fishponds to Warships." Jon's story, along with his wonderful renditions of authentic Hawaiian music were moving. His strong, melodic singing, accompanied by his knowledge of the guitar, had everyone sitting in stunned silence. He brought tears to my eyes when he spoke of learning a certain song from his mother at the age of three.
Importantly, we were able to meet and talk with many survivors from that era of history. It was extremely interesting to observe the Japanese educators interact with some of the survivors. Learning at its best--multiple perspectives personified!
I accomplished all my goals by participating in this meaningful workshop. It is now certain that the memorial envisioned to honor Owen Francis Patrick Hammerberg WILL happen in Flint! As Flint's only Medal of Honor recipient during WWII, Hammerberg deserves an appropriate memorial/monument at the road named after him. More on that later...
All expectations were met and surpassed regarding this study/travel experience! The presentations were excellent; visits to appropriate historical sites were well organized and timely. Cherylene Hidano, Program Officer, did a masterful job of making everything flow. Daniel Martinez, U.S. Park Service Ranger, was extraordinary in his duties--the man is truly an expert on events in and around Pearl Harbor. So many other professional staff from the East-West Center could and should be mentioned--everyone did a magnificent job in making the program successful!
Besides all the history, we learned about the "Aloha Spirit." Just about everyone on earth knows the word, "Aloha." We learned that it is much more than just a greeting. It is "an emotion which can't be seen, touched or heard, but if expressed from the center of one's being toward all of creation, it is found in all things and it is the connection of all things. That is the true meaning, the Hawaiian definition of Aloha.
CLOSELY EXAMINING THE WORD ALOHA, LETTER BY LETTER:
A - Akahai, meaning kindness, as expressed through gentleness
L - Lokahi, meaning harmony, as expressed through unity
O - Olu Olu, meaning pleasing, as expressed through gentleness
H - Haa Haa, meaning humble, as expressed through humility
A - Ahonui, meaning patience, as expressed through perseverance
Truly, I learned that the Hawaiian people, as expressed through their language, are deeply soulful/spiritual in nature. Later in the week, we had a musician, Jon Kay Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio, make a presentation that gave our group songs of remembrance, songs about loss, and songs reclaiming the memory of Pu'uloa, as Pearl Harbor is known to the Native Hawaiians. His presentation was titled, "From Fishponds to Warships." Jon's story, along with his wonderful renditions of authentic Hawaiian music were moving. His strong, melodic singing, accompanied by his knowledge of the guitar, had everyone sitting in stunned silence. He brought tears to my eyes when he spoke of learning a certain song from his mother at the age of three.
Importantly, we were able to meet and talk with many survivors from that era of history. It was extremely interesting to observe the Japanese educators interact with some of the survivors. Learning at its best--multiple perspectives personified!
I accomplished all my goals by participating in this meaningful workshop. It is now certain that the memorial envisioned to honor Owen Francis Patrick Hammerberg WILL happen in Flint! As Flint's only Medal of Honor recipient during WWII, Hammerberg deserves an appropriate memorial/monument at the road named after him. More on that later...
posted by John Davidek, Fulbright South Africa-2006 @ 7:23 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Sounds as if you had another wonderful learning experience to share with your students. Good show! Did you learn how to pronounce Hawaii? I asked a guy in Honolulu and he said its pronounced Ha va ee ee. I said thank you and he replied "you're velcome".
Yep, that's about right, Bill! If the fellow really knew his stuff, he would have replied MAHALO, which means thank you in Hawaiian language. Emphasis is on the "HA', just as it is in the HA-va-ee pronounciation. It has to be said with a certain softness. Indigenous Hawaiians believe the "HA" relates to the spirit, the soul, of the one saying it...so it is spoken with reverence and meaning because you're literally exchanging soulfullness with the person with whom you are saying it to.
John, I don't want to come across as a smart aleck, but the pronunciation thing was a joke. There is no V sound in the native pronunciation of Hawaii.
Like you, I was very impressed with the soft, almost melodic sounds of the polynesian languages. As I understand it, all vowels are pronounced individually, as in Hawaii, a four syllable word. I don't know how many consonants they have, but they are far fewer than english or other European languages. Incidently, I learned some of the foregoing from the entertainer (singer) Don Ho, a guy very much associated with the Viet Nam time frame in (R & R) Honolulu.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home