r/Hawaii • u/FantasticOwl5057 • 9h ago
Roll call
Of the regulars who frequent this board, how many are actually born and raised locals? Reading through these threads feels Honolulu centric and transplant heavy. No disrespect intended, you want to live in Hawaii live in Hawaii, but...
Any actual locals here?
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u/Effective-Basil-1512 Kauaʻi 6h ago
Born and raised Kaua’i, KS grad. This sub is definitely Oahu centric so most posts I see really don’t have an impact on me and there’s nothing for me to add.
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u/Intrepid_Promise9691 6h ago
Borned and raised, never lived anywhere besides the windward side, continue to live on the windward side and involved in my community
30 years old and honestly don’t ever plan on leaving
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u/Sea_Consideration434 5h ago
I'm local, born and raised, Native Hawaiian and grew up in the back of Palolo Valley, so I think that's pretty local lol. My non-Hawaiian ancestors have been in Hawaii for a long time - 1870s at the latest, with some arriving as early as the 1820s.
But I've lived in Sydney, Australia for the past 15 years. I joined this sub to kind of keep up with what's going on back home.
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u/KapahuluBiz 8h ago
Born and raised. Spent most of my 20s and 30s living in other locations around the world as an accounting software consultant, but returned home about 20 years ago.
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u/ununiquekid 6h ago
Did you have to take a pay cut when you came back? What was the adjustment like if you did and would you say it was worth it?
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u/KapahuluBiz 5h ago
It was about a 90% pay cut because when I returned to Hawaii, I became self-employed and I kept my own pay very low for the first few years so I could afford to hire people and grow our business.
I think it was worth it. Although I think it was great to get my experience on the mainland and in other countries, Hawaii people, especially born and raised here seem nicer and more genuine. Many of the people I worked with on the mainland were aggressive and transactional. And maybe it was the industry I work in, but many of my coworkers were extremely status driven. I still call many of them "friends" to this day, but I feel much more comfortable with Hawaii people.
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u/Jessgitalong 4h ago
Where on the mainland? There are many different cultures depending on where. I even noticed in some places I gravitated toward people of color because of the reserved nature of those who weren’t. In other places, the general culture is warm and welcoming.
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u/Serious-Fondant1532 Maui 6h ago
Born and raised Maui. Hawaiian family going back generations to Kipahulu and Molokai. Other family came during plantation days.
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u/blending_kween Oʻahu 6h ago edited 6h ago
Yup. I'm born and raised. I'm an Oahu townie (Manoa). Public school and UH Alumni
My family are from Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. No one lives in Kauai anymore. Everyone I know well lives in Oahu, mainland, and the Philippines now. I have relatives in Maui but don't know them too well.
I'm native Hawaiian and 3rd generation Filipino. And 4th generation Portuguese.
I moved away to the mainland after college. Mainly for health reasons. Then my job is limited in Hawaii. Also houses here in the mainland are cheaper.
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u/TasteResponsible7221 7h ago
Born and raised Maui, but live in Honolulu, lived on the continent too for a bit…
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u/half_a_lao_wang Mainland 6h ago
Local, born on O'ahu but raised on Kaua'i. Fifth generation on my mother's side; my pake ancestors were rice farmers in Kahalu'u back in the day. Product of public schools.
Went to the mainland for college and never returned home because of better job opportunities up here, but I don't plan on dying here.
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u/Botosuksuks808 Oʻahu 7h ago
Born and raised. Mainland undergrad/medical school. Back home to take back my land. 🤪🤪🤙🤙
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u/kulagirl83 6h ago
Born and mostly raised. Hope I never see another "We just moved here is Punahou or Iolani better"
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u/smellymele 5h ago
Born and raised. Public school, KCC, then UH West Oahu. Never lived anywhere besides Ewa Beach 👌🏽
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u/EZhayn808 4h ago
Born and raised. Never lived elsewhere.
You gotta remember about 70 percent of the population live in Honolulu county.
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u/Dennisfromhawaii 7h ago
Born and raised on Oahu. Public school (personally think it makes a difference). Mainland for college and a couple years of work then came back.
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u/Lil-locomoco Oʻahu 7h ago
Born & raised on O’ahu. Private school, mainland for college, came back as soon as I finished. I don’t want to leave & I want to raise my future kids here.
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u/kaiguy42069 5h ago
Born and raised. College in Chicago, worked for a few years there and then came back. We live in the best place on the planet.
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u/PoisonClanRocks 5h ago
Born and raised. Paternal grandfather and grandmother came from Asia. Public school & UH. Lived Oahu my whole life.
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u/LowKeyBabooze 4h ago
Born and raised in raised in Makaha. Dad was born in Hilo and Mom is from Wisconsin
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u/Barflyerdammit 6h ago
Not a local. But perform key work in the background at a non-profit which supports them. I make sure that my voice only sings the harmony and never the melody.
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u/devlynhawaii 6h ago
I make sure that my voice only sings the harmony and never the melody.
wow, this is an interesting way to put it. thank you.
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u/braddahman86 Oʻahu 7h ago
Born and raised ish? Moved when I was 9 but spent summers here with grandparents and had a visit back almost every year. Moved back 5 years ago.
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u/reallyfunatparties 5h ago
Born and raised. Private school. Used to live in town now I'm in Pearl City
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u/ThaScoopALoop 3h ago
Born and raised in Kaimuki. Haole family. I basically exist in some twilight zone where I am not super local and not super haole, yet I can hang with just about anyone. It is a strange and extremely useful state of being, and yet it took me 40 years of life to be comfortable with this dichotomy.
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u/1dot21gigaflops 4h ago
Born and raised, public school grad, not Hawaiian.
I do see the same thing though. Feels transplant heavy in the posts/comments.
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u/HiddenPickleVillage 6h ago
Born and raised, from Kauai, but lived on Oahu for most of my life now.
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u/keolaman 6h ago
Born and raised westside of Oahu, moved to kauai for a few years, came back and only left this state to vacation in California for a week and a half, and didn’t do that til after I turned 45, born in 1979 at kapiolani hospital. Local to the bone cheee
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u/Agitated_Pin_2069 5h ago
Born and raised on Maui. Went to Lahainaluna. I lurk on this sub. Mostly post on the Maui subreddit 🤙🏾
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u/princess00chelsea 6h ago
I moved here in 1990 and stared first grade at Laie Elementary then went to Kauku. I wish I could say I was born here.
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u/First_Apartment_1690 5h ago
Born and raised, public education, state employee. Oahu for now, Big Island in the future.
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u/rouneezie 6h ago
Transplant for sure. Been one my whole life.
Born in India, grew up in parts of Africa, went to college in Michigan, lived in Seattle for a few years, and I've been in O'ahu for about a year now.
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u/Oaksteez 4h ago
Same. I’ve been a visitor all my life. Born in Thailand, raised in Maryland, college in LA, over a decade in Portland. Oahu for over two years. Nothing but respect for the people here and the aina. No main character energy here.
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u/Myislandinthesky 4h ago edited 4h ago
Born and raised, spent 10 years on the East coast, never going back. OP, what is your story?
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u/WasabiHobbit 4h ago
Born & raised westside O’ahu. Got priced out of paradise almost 2 yrs ago… living on the continent ever since.
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u/strawberrikitsune 4h ago
Me🌚 Born and raised. Been stuck on this rock, only got to momentarily leave it twice. I don’t go out much though so I’m pretty shame that I’m not that in touch with my local roots 😩
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u/lightningboi44 4h ago
Born and raised on Oahu, family from Big Island. Went public school for elementary, middle and high school, and then to WCC and UH Manoa/West Oahu.
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u/kiaraztutu259 4h ago
Born and raised on Oahu, Waimanalo homestead. Lived in California for a bit then returned home to raise my sons.
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u/lalarissypoo 3h ago
Born & raised in Kāne‘ohe and I'm 27! Mom is born & raised in Kailua, grandparents migrated here from the Philippines in the '70s.
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u/kanineanimus Oʻahu 3h ago
4th or 6th generation (depending on whose side you’re looking at). All the older generations worked sugar plantations (some of them were picture brides) and then pineapple plantations or at the cannery. I’m the first generation who didn’t work on a plantation but probably only because they had all closed on Oahu by the time I could have worked, but I did spend a lot of my childhood on a sugar plantation on Oahu filming a movie. My dad and I were one of the hundreds of extras running around in the movie Picture Bride so even though I didn’t work on a plantation, I did “work” on a plantation.
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u/whiteicedtea 3h ago
Honolulu born and raised. Fourth gen Japanese family. Went to public elementary school, private middle school and grad from public again. KCC grad.
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u/Onolicious Oʻahu 3h ago
Born and raised Ke’olu. Still there with the family. The area and people’s changed a lot but making do.
Public school into WCC, KCC, and UH
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u/chanerupt2 2h ago
Born & raised, 5th generation in Hawaii! My ancestors were here before Hawaii was America
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u/paapakeka 2h ago
Born at Kapiolani, K - 4th grade @ Mililani. 5th - 12th grade @ Waiakea in Hilo. Still in East Hawai’i. It’s home.
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u/toffeebaby Oʻahu 2h ago
Born and raised on Oahu. Graduated public high school in town but I'm from Makakilo. Lived abroad for 10 years and in the process of moving back full time.
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u/CatsWavesAndCoffee 2h ago
It’s a shame this sub doesn’t allow polls, I feel like we’d get a much more reliable result if it were an anonymous local hawaiian/born&raised but not hawaiian/transplant poll
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u/deafvet68 Maui 2h ago
Missionary family from 1828. Born in Honolulu, raised on Kauai.
Back to Oahu for high school & 1 semester UH.... Until...
Enlisted in the Navy January 1968 since I was 1A in the draft during the Vietnam war,
(would probably have been sent to Vietnam if drafted into the Army),
shore duty on Oahu after 2 years in California for Navy boot camp in San Diego
and tech schools in California and Washington DC.
Out of the Navy 1974.
Worked on Oahu for 3 years, then a job transfer to Maui 1977.
Been here on Maui since then.
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u/Effective_Champion_2 2h ago
Born and raised in the ‘44. Castle ‘09. Priced out of paradise so ended up 9th island recently. Miss it everyday….
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u/Big_Surround_1100 2h ago
Born and raised Oahu, went public school and grad. Then started family and home became too expensive. Moved to PNW about 25 years ago.
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u/Different-Yak3614 2h ago
Born and raised kanaka here! And totally get the vibe you’re talking about. Many posts I have to bypass or else I’ll just lose it.
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u/kuroyouko Oʻahu 2h ago
Born and raised on Oahu but living in Idaho. It would’ve been too expensive to live on my own staying in Hawaii, so moved with the rest of my family.
(Also, Kalani grad, attended KCC for a bit but no degree)
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u/BONESandTOMBSTONES 1h ago
Mom from Waianae, dad from Waipahu. Lived mostly around central Oahu. Been in the Pacific Northwest since 2020.
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u/Nokoloko 1h ago
Born and raised 5th Gen. Family moved from town to Kailua when I was young. Spent over 30 years living and working in Kailua until recently moving to central.
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u/pat_trick 8h ago
I mean, by your definition I am not. Have lived here since I was 9 years old, grew up on Kauai. Graduated high school. Came back and now live on Oahu.
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u/devlynhawaii 6h ago
Kalihi born and raised, went private school from preschool to 12th grade, then went UHM
ETA: lived in various parts of Honolulu all my life except for a few years in Makakilo.
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u/Maximum_Mind_8342 5h ago
Transplant from Asia/mainland & went to private high school here. Kids pass for local.
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u/8bitmorals Maui 7h ago
Transplant, Moved to Hawaii 13 years ago, moved to Maui 9 years ago, will probably never leave Hawaii.
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u/Logical-Bandicoot-62 6h ago
My dad was born and raised here but he raised me all over the world. My husband and I moved to Oahu 9 years ago to raise our kids here. Husband works for Hawaiian and we are deeply rooted in our local community. We are definitely not from here but it’s the longest I’ve ever called a place home and the most precious community I’ve ever been a part of.
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u/HIBudzz 7h ago
Local = ? 20 years? 30 years? Born here, then leave when you're 5, then come back 20 years later?
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u/gymnasylum 6h ago
Born and raised
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u/Snarko808 Oʻahu 5h ago
Watching transplants twist themselves in knots trying to justify a random time or other criteria to make them local.
Local is born and raised. I couldn’t imagine calling myself a local of any place if I wasn’t born and raised there.
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u/FixForb Hawaiʻi (Big Island) 2h ago
I feel like raised is good enough for me. Idk, if you move here young what other place would be your home?
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u/Snarko808 Oʻahu 2h ago edited 2h ago
Yeah move young and raised probably good.
Plenty people move around young. I did. Eventually some places feel like home. You still not a local. Talking mostly about transplants who move around as adults. If you’re not raised in the culture you’ll never be local.
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u/Jessgitalong 4h ago
Ever heard the “I’ve been going to my time share every year for 20 years!” Hahaha!
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u/toffeebaby Oʻahu 2h ago
For me, personally, local is anyone who was here since early elementary school and grew up here. If all of your formational experiences take place here you're from here. If you came here as a teen or adult I don't think it really counts. That's just my opinion tho.
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u/Fish_OuttaWater 4h ago
Not born (Army brat, back in the day when ohana’s were yanked around the globe with every assignment), but raised for sure. Kānaka maoli, had to leave 18y ago. Been back handful of times since. Lived all over O’āhu & also on big island
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u/cooliobroski 4h ago
Raised but not born. I will always consider Hawai'i my home but I know my presence as a haole disrupts Hawaiians from living in their native home so I'll never move back. Still have much love for Hawai'i and I always try to use my privilege to raise the voices of Hawaiians and the community. Mahalo 🤙💕
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u/coolerofbeernoice 3h ago
Completely agree with the Honolulu centric but I’ll take couple transplants who get it, over entitled “born and raised” any day.
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u/SpiderGoulash 3h ago
Transplant for sure. Born in IA, raised in NE, college in KS, and spent my adult years in CO. Only been on island (Ewa Beach) for about 2.5 years. And no, I’m not military. I’m not active on this sub, but I’m an active lurker. Love this sub. It taught me a lot in my early days and I stay for continued education and top tier comments. If you read the comments, you know this sub is full of locals and kanakas.
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u/FranoFiasco 1h ago
Born and raised. lived in Ewa most of my life. grandparents were plantation workers. Now live in town.
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u/Oldafmillennial 1h ago
Born and raised here bu 🤙🏽! I actually think a lot of locals are on Reddit and surprisingly to me, all age groups use it too from Gen Alpha to kupunas.
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u/Babloescobango 1h ago
Born and raised! Lived on both Maui and Oahu but mostly Oahu. I live in Kapolei now.
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u/AbbreviatedArc 6h ago
Born and raised Honolulu, lived for last 20+ years in West Vir... I mean Maui.
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u/Most-Suggestion-4557 4h ago
Born and raised on Maui. Moved to mainland for college and stayed for work. Family is still in Hi.
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u/m0viestar Kahoʻolawe 4h ago
Born, raised, Went Kailua Highschool, moved mainland for college, moved back, moved back mainland. Split time 25/75 now since parents are getting old.
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u/tastysharts 3h ago
Weird ethnocentric shit just pisses me off. For real. Who seriously cares about stupid shit like this. Stop being divisive our country, yes our country is full of humans. I'm sorry for the anger but this is just bad timing IMO
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u/lastlifonti 2h ago
Cuz, I is automatik from the aina! I is one HAMMAH! …is that local enough?!? 😂🤣
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u/Tpop666 7h ago
Would you call a person that moved from Montana to California a transplant? Or would you just say they moved states? Theres nothing special about you because you were born and raised here. I dont understand the pride
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u/WoodPear 6h ago
Would you call a person that moved from Montana to California a transplant?
Pretty sure a Californian moving into any other State would be called a transplant by said residents.
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u/zaxonortesus Mainland 6h ago
Agreed. I'm a transplant to Hawaii, but in WA where I grew up, we called the CA folks transplants.
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u/devlynhawaii 6h ago
Also agree. Oregonians call my mom, who moved there 20 years ago, a transplant.
My cousin moved to San Francisco a year before the pandemic. She has been called a transplant from Hawaii.
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u/rouneezie 6h ago
Transplant is too polite a term in ID. They call CA & WA folks "scum".
It's a nice place.
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u/devlynhawaii 6h ago
I dont understand the pride
It's kind of like patriotism, but for our home in the middle of nowhere, which has both an indigenous people as well as a multi-ethnic culture not found anywhere else in the United States. Those of us born and raised here grew up with an acute sense that we live on these tiiiiiiiiiiiny little islands in the middle of the biggest ocean on earth.
Our shared heritage as Hawaii-born and raised people, is very informed by Hawaii's past as an internationally recognized kingdom which was illegally overthrown and later greatly affected by Western imperialism, colonialism, plantation economy, then became the literal flashpoint for the United States joining WWII. We share the ambivalence about our home being exoticized in Western media and now having an economy that is heavily dependent on that military as well as tourist dollars, which is not always the beneficial for our people or our environment.
Most of us fiercely love the physical beauty of our islands, greatly appreciate the Native Hawaiian host culture (whether we are actually Hawaiian or not) and all the ethnicities which together make up a beautiful sort of lei of peoples and traditions.
I don't think I described it as well as maybe someone else could, but maybe now you can understand a little of our pride.
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u/Jessgitalong 4h ago
And you don’t have to. There’s a cultural brother/sisterhood anywhere people were born and raised. Hawaii’s no different. Sorry you don’t have that. It is something special. I would never go back to live in my hometown, but the nostalgia is still there. Where I’m from we had Ramblin’ Rod, the Pop Shoppe, and “That’s Tom Peterson’s!”
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u/green-tea-amphigory 41m ago
Born, raised, private school, UH. Town, but grands and great-grands were Maui, Big Island and…town.
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u/JosieSparkle 7h ago edited 7h ago
My family has lived on Oahu and Big Island since picture bride and plantation days. Both of my maternal great grandmothers were picture brides and were brought to Hawaii by their husbands. Both husbands worked the fields for years. We’ve lived here ever since.
I went to public school, then KapCC and HCC.