“Untitled 3” by Sean Clark

Kala-multiple different heritages, I am Hawaiian, Spanish, White and more. I am almost a quarter Hawaiian with my mom being over have and my dad having a little bit of it in him as well. But I feel I have never truly understood it. I know people say "Oh its your language" or heritage but I feel I don't really have any idea of what I am talking about. I feel like I am a part of a loving family, but not actually a part of it at the same time. My mother always tries to get me to go to Maui with her to see her family and experience what she experienced growing up. I have been there before, it's nothing like the life I have here. It is much different, there is no wifi, cell phones or young life where I would be staying. My grandparents are would you call old school, they don't own phones, they barely drive and my grandpa only eats what he catches or his friends catch. In my house I have an abundance of Hawaiian artifacts lying around my house, with little to no idea what it is or what it means.

The first artifact is a large painting with this random old lady waterfalling water out of an "Ipu". An Ipu is something that is used to hold water, and carry water from place to place. She is devouring the water like she has not drank anything for days. Her face was as dreadful as the saddest person you can imagine. The ancient Hawaiians used to use these quite a bit in the ancient old days. In the 3d grade I actually got to make one of these and it was actually extremely difficult to create. It really makes me reflect on how these people used to live many years ago and how they really didn't need many of the things we have now. The painting is one of those paintings that shares so much just through an image, it shares a story. In her story it shows how maybe thirsty or dehydrated she must be to be just inhaling the water. Maybe she was super thirsty and needed water?Maybe she just had a long day?There are so many different scenarios of what may have happened.

Another thing I have in my house that represents old Hawaii is two very very large paddle oars. They are about 7-8 feet long and hang up on the wall by my couch. It's pretty crazy to think that we went from paddling canoes with these paddles to having motorized boats that can almost drive themselves and require very little man power. In a way I think it's important to remember where we came from and in some way honor our past. Like maybe use the canoes and remember how it once was. These paddles are crazy to think were once used, because all I have ever known is using motor boats. The people that paddled these must have been as strong as a giant and as big as a statue.I have only once or twice actually been in one and paddled around. I am from Hawaii and barely even use the very things my ancestors used. Is looking at these artifacts and representation of the disconnection I have to my heritage? How do I change?