YEESAH ... BANGAZZZ ... by Pua, Nahua, Hayden

YEESAH BANGAZZZ

PuaʻsUntitled#1

IgrewupinHawaiiKai.SomepeoplesaythatitistherichsideofOʻahubutI havenevervieweditinthisway.GrowingupIalwayshadtothinkabouthow thiswouldaffectmyfamilyfinancially.GoingtoPunahoudidnothelpthis situation.Iplayedmultiplesportsgrowingupandthat'sjustwhatmyparents wantedmetodo.Myparentshaveagreatloveforsports.Bothofmyparents foundeachotherincollege.Bothofthemplayedsportsfortheuniversity.My momisdoingtrackandmydadisplayingfootball.Mydadgrewupplaying baseballandfootballinhishometown,Waipahu.MyDadisfullySamoan.And mymomspedbyeveryoneonthetrack,soccerfield,andbasketballcourt, whereshegrewupinKaʻu.Mymom,isamixofmanythingssuchas Hawaiian,Portuguese,Chinese,andwhite.Me,IgrewupinHawaiʻiKai.A mixofbothmyparents.LongcurlyblackhairjustlikemyDad.Yetso different.

Myobjectisanʻielavalava.Thebeautifulpatterns.Wornwhenyouaredancing orwheneveryouwant.Butforme,IneverfeltlikeIshouldbewearingone. Alwaysbeingsurroundedbymymomʻsfamily.NotthatI'mcomplainingbutI wouldhavelovedtoseemyDadʻssideofthefamilymoreoften.Maybeevery monthwewillgooutallthewaytoWaipahutobewiththemforafewhours. Maybetheywillcometoourgamesiftheyareeveronthatsideoftheisland. MyDadʻsfatherisfromSamoa.Comingheretogiveabetteropportunityfor hisfamily.JustlikemyDad.MyDadgrewupwithmanytroubles.Ithinkone ofthemainreasonswhywedonʻtliveinWaipahuisbecausehewantedtogive abetterlifeforhiskids.Hedoesnʻtwantusinanyharmorattheslightest chancethatwewon'tbeabletogotocollege.

GrowingupIwouldlovetoseethevideosofmyauntiesdancing.Iwouldlove toseethebeautifulattireandthewaytheirhandsmove.Iwouldlovetoseethe feetworkofthedancers.Ialwayswantedtobeabletodanceasbeautifullyas theauntyinthatvideo.Iwouldalwayswanttobeapartofmyfamilyinthat typeofway.ThispastmonthIdancedmyfirstTaualuga.Iwasexcitedand nervousatthetimebutIwishIrealizedthiswouldliftaheavyweightoffofmy shoulders.ThefeelingthatIhadafterthatdancewasunbelievable.Ilovedthe feelingofhavingeveryonelookingatmewatchingmedancegracefully.Allof mycousinshadadifferentwayofconnectingbecauseofwheretheylive.I alwaysknewtheythoughtofmeinadifferentwayjustbecauseofwhereIlive. Overall,Iknowthatnomatterwhatmyfamilywouldbethereformenomatter whereI'mfrom.

NahuaʻsArtwork

Puaʻs Untitled #2

When I was little living on the Big Island it felt as if we were moving every month.The first house I remember living in was a house in Kaʻu. I don't remember the life that I lived in Kaʻu but I know it was fun. I always think about how it would have been if I were to grow up in Kaʻu. My mom's family grew up there and I always wanted to. It sounded as if they were distanced from everyone just having fun.They grew up going in the Rodeos and they also had a big piece of land that they would spend all of their time on.The next place I remember is somewhere in Kona. I remember only living there for a short amount of time because there was either a jail or a mental hospital in that area. My parents thought that it was not safe for my brother and I.The next place where we moved was right above Konawaena. My mom taught at Konawaena and also coached track there.This house from what I remember was one of my favorites. Not too happy about it,The next was up captain cook. I have a few memories about this house but I remember that I had a trampoline there.The last house that I lived in while I was up on the Big Island was the Ranch in Captain Cook.This place has always held a special place in my heart. I remember that the garage used to be so tall and we had a swing hanging down from the ceiling.This was where almost my whole mom's side of the family hung out.This is where I hold most of my memories while living on the Big Island.

HaydenʻsArtwork 4

NahuaʻsUntitledVignette#1

IlivedinKaimukiforalmost12yearsnowandit's beenagreatneighborhoodforalongtime.Before Iliveinanotherhousejustdowntheroadfrom whereIlivetoday.BothhousesstillinKaimuki andamazinghouses.BeforethatIlivedin Kaneohe.ThosethreeplacesaretheonlyplacesI rememberlivingin.Iknowwehavelivedinmore placesbutIdon'tknowwheretheyare. Thehouse ilivedinbeforewaswaybiggerthanthehousei liveinnow.ButIlikemyhousethatiliveinright nowbetter.ThehouseIliveinisacornerlotwith asmallfrontyardwithabeatupbasketballhoop. ThatIhavedunkedonformanyyears.Therimis allrustedandthere'sbigrockstoholdthebasket downsoitdoesn'tfallover.Myhouseissmallbut it'scozy,Ilikeitthatway.Nottwostories,noback yard,onlyhouseandfrontyard.It'squietmostof theday,youcanhearcarsdrivingby,firetrucks andpolicecarstoo. Iamonlyablockawayfrom theparkandusuallywalktheretoshootaround.I havemyownroomwithabigbedandAC.Ihave adognamedakathatcomesinmyroomwhenhe istired.Myhouseisthebesthouse.

PuaʻsArtwork

NahuaʻsUntitledVignette#2

Alanguage I have a relationship with that's not English is the Hawaiian language. I live in Hawaii so I should learn what the language is. I feel like I have a deep relationship with this language because of where my dad grew up and where I'm from. My dad grew up on the island of Hawaii where a lot of people used to speak Hawaiian. Where he grew up is where King Kamehameha was born. So a lot of times when I'm in the car with him he tells me stories of what the king would do.As I grew up on Oahu more signs of language started to appear as I got older. I started to learn in school what an oli is. Which is a chant that Hawaiians sing to ask for entry into a sacred place. I started to take a Hawaiian language class, which really helped me get to know the language better.This Hawaiian class taught why this place is named after a certain person. It taught me how the islands came to be and who ruled over all the land before the islands were taken over, it taught me how I got taken over. It told me the history of the rulers and what mana was, mana is the spiritual power one has over someone and the people with lots of mana have a lot of power and connection to the culture. In the beginning when I first started Hawaiian class I was not very good. I couldn't write a word of Hawaiian. But as the years went on it got easier. I started to see the patterns and know the answer to the questions because my dad told me the same story when I was younger. I just connected the dots.

My name is Nahuaoleloakealiʻi. I am named after my uncle Nahua. I didn't really know what my name meant when I was young. But my dad is the one who told me all about the names in our family and who is named what. He told me how special my name was and what it meant. What my name really meant. So when people ask me what my name means, I can tell them because I learned it and because I feel connected to this culture. I also feel connected because I am 25% Hawaiian and that is a lot nowadays.As I learned the words from my dad and as I learned the words in school I can feel the connection to this language grow into something that's more than a language. I can feel the connection when I say Hawaiian words a lot of the time now when I say

HaydenʻsArtwork 8

By:Hayden

MalamaHonuaisasocialstudiesclassthatistaughtthroughthe perspectiveofanancientHawaiianvoyage.Wewereassignedtowriteathesis paperaboutacontemporaryissuethatinterestsme.Mygreatideaessential questionwaswhymustthestategovernmentprioritizethereductionofyouth vapinginHawaiʻi?Ithoughtthiswasgoingtobesupereasy.Iknewtherewasa lotofinformationonthetopicandIknewalittleaboutitbefore…thiswasmy firstmistake.

Time.Timeiswhatgotme.Insteadofsittinginthelibraryand researching.Istaredoffintospacewaitingformyfriendstotextmebackon whatweweredoingforlunchafter.Orplayingthesnackgameonmy computer.IwouldhavemomentswhereIwouldtellmyselftodomywork.I wouldshutmyphonedownand,orclosemysnakegametab.Itriedeverything butIcouldn'tgetmyselftodoanything!Timewasrunningout.Classended.I packedupanddidnʻtthinkaboutteensvapingfor48hours.

Thenextclasscameandwentjustlikethefirst.Igotacanvas notificationthatanewassignmentwascreated.ThesispaperNOTES,duethat dayat3.Itwas12:30.Ihadanhourandahalfleftofmybreak.Ihave27hours lefttofinishmyproject.IsatinthebackofCornelleLectureHallandtook threepagesofnotes.CitedallmysourcesandIgotfullcreditonmyNOTES assignment.ThenextclasscameandwentjustliketwobeforeandIdid absolutelynothing.Forsomereason,Icouldnʻtgetmyselftofocusonmy paper.Ithoughtaboutchangingthesubject,buttherewasnʻtenoughtime.I knewIwasfightingmyself.Itwasacombinationofnotbeingabletodomy workandnotwantedtodoit.IhadtobecauseIwasonadeadline.

Sunday,9:45atnight.Theglowofmycomputerscreenlitupmydark room.Thecanvasassignmentwasopen.Dueinlessthantwelvehours.10:30. 11:45.12:00.Ifellasleep.

4:45myalarmwentoff.Screamingatme,practicallyyellingatmeto wakeup.Myeyesshotopenrealizingmypaperwasduein3hoursandIdidnʻt haveanythingwritten.Iwasrunningoutoftime!Isatup,openedmycomputer, andwroteeverythingIthought.EveryonceandawhileIwouldlookupatthe time.Ineededtoleavethehouseat6:55whichgaveme55minutestofinish.I hadbeenworkingfor75minutes.Ihavewrittenthreeparagraphs.Twomoreto go.Icouldfinish,Ihadtoo.Ineededagoodgrade.Thelastparagraphwasa breeze,andtheconclusionwastheeasiestpart.Iwasdone!Ifinished,Ifought againsttheclockfor2weeksandIprevailed.IknewonthenextassignmentI shouldprobablyjustusemytimeinclass.WhyshouldIifInowknowIcan finishitwithverylittletime.

NahuaʻsArtwork

MangoTree

By:Hayden

When my mom was pregnant with me, she had gestational diabetes.This type of diabetes occurs when a woman is pregnant and usually goes away after she gives birth. However, a woman that goes through gestational diabetes needs to be even more careful with her sugars because she has two people to think about. Her and her baby. Since my mom had this while she was pregnant with my sister and me she had to find creative ways to get rid of her sweet tooth but keep her blood sugar at healthy levels. She would look for fruits and healthy sugars instead of lots of processed foods. We were living in a house in a small neighborhood in Kailua. It was one story, a kitchen the size of a closet and two bedrooms. It was tiny, but full of love and life.There was mango tree in the yard, and a red fence that surrounded the yard.The tree always had fruit on it and it wasnʻt green mango it was Haden mango. Haden mangoes are the best tasting mangoes on the island. My mom could eat 3 or 4 mangos in one sitting and that is how she would satisfy her sweet tooth.This went from a guilty pleasure to a pregnancy craving to a must-have.Throughout all 9 months of pregnancy, this is what she would eat. When I was born there was only one name that felt appropriate, Hayden.

PuaʻsArtwork

PuaʻsAuthorStatement

Inmyfirstvignette,Iusedsymbol,motifs,and repetition.IusedanIeLavalavaasa demonstrationofmyculture.Iusedmotifsas “growingup.”WishingthatIgrewupcloserto myculture.WishingthatIwascloserwithmy Dadʻssideofthefamily.Iusedrepetitionto demonstratefeelingdistant.Iwantedtoshow thatIhaveneverfeltlikeIbelongedandwill probablyneverwill.Iwantedthereadertofeel theemotionsthatIfeltwhileIwaswritingthis vignette.

Inmysecondvignette,Iusedthewriting deviceslikeimagery,motif,andrepetition.I usedimagerytakingaboutthelifemymom grewupin.WIshingthatIgrewupinthattime. Mymotifwasmovingaround.WhenIlivedon BigIslanditfeltasthoughweweremoving everymonth.IwantedthereadertofeellikeI wasmovinglikethespeedoflight.

OverallwithmyvignettesIdemonstratedthe wayyougrowupaffectswhoyouareasa person.Myvignettesweretalkingabouthow wouldIturnoutasapersonrightnow.Ithink thatIgrewuptobecomeexactlywhatGod wantedmetobe.Overall,Iamsogladmy parentsraisedmethewaytheydid.

NahuaʻsAuthor'sStatement

FormyfirstVignette.IusedImagery and repetition.Iusedabasketballhoopto describewhatmyfrontyardlookslike outsidemyhouse.Irepeatedalotoftimei livedinanotherhouse.Showingand comparingeachhouse.Notbyhowgoodit looksbutthesizeandthelocationmadea difference.

FormysecondVignette.Iusedimagery andrepatriation.Iusedimagerybytelling howIwouldalwayshearstoriesfrommy dadeverytimeIwasinthecarandtheses storieswouldlastthewholecarride.He wouldnʻtevenfinishitsometimes.Ikept repeatinghawaiianwordsthatIlearnedover thecourseofmylife.

LookingattheVignettes.Ishowedin bothoftheVignetteshowconnectedIamto myfamily.HowconnectedIamtomy culture.ItshowedthatIamconnectedto house,somuchthatIcandescribeit.Iam happyaboutthewayIshowedmyself.

HaydenʻsAuthorStatement

In my vignettes, I used a lot of imagery and motifs. In my long vignette, I wanted to make it very dramatic. I wanted to make sure my reader knew I was running against the clock. I used a few of the same words a lot. For example, I repetitively said time. Every time I hit a milestone I would remind my readers, even though I made some progress I am still running a marathon to finish. The first time that used time was the most dramatic. “Time. Time is what got me. Instead of sitting in the library and researching. I stared off into space waiting for my friends to text me back on what we were doing for lunch after.” (Schreck, Time) In my shorter vignette, I wanted to be more of a narrative than anything else. I wanted to create a very clear image of where I lived and part of my mom's first pregnancy journey. Overall I hoped that my two vignettes showed my work throughout this semester. I used the literary devices we learned in class.

For Nahuaʻs vignette I drew out his name in big bold letters. His vignette was all about how he got his name and what makes him proud of his name. He also talked about King Kamehameha and stories his dad would tell him in the car about the king. So I drew out King Kamehamehaʻs statue downtown.

Puaʻs vignette was about the Big Island and her roots there. I wanted to show she had lived in many places on the island and each place had different memories. I drew out the whole island and divided it by moku. On each of the moku she talked about, I drew out little images that were connected to her memories. Which is what the little images on the sideshow.