Dressing up Disney

I recently was in a forum where someone asked about cultural issues with dressing up as a Disney character. I thought that some of the points were worth sharing here.

1) My first problem with dressing up as a Disney character is that it supports an oppressive corporate culture with a long history of abusing employees.

2) My second problem is that the Disney portrayals of cultural stories (even those from white cultures) are inaccurate and misleading, and frequently gut the story of its intrinsic archetypes, cultural heritage, and of the life lessons it was created to pass on. (“Little Mermaid,” “Pocahontas,” “Moana,” I’m looking at you!)

3) My third problem is that the Disney portrayals of the characters often reinforce inaccurate white American stereotypes of the characters’ racial/ethnic/social backgrounds. (“Aladdin,” a story about a Turkic Chinese ethnic minority lower class young man, ʻAlāʼ ud-Dīn [nobility of faith], who seeks to win the Chinese princess Badr-ul-Budūr* [full moon of full moons] and overthrow the ruling oligarchy but is enticed by the riches and power)

But. . . kids LOVE Disney characters. SO we can use this as a way to teach the actual cultural heritage of those characters. Learn the traditional story that Disney appropriated, and go from there. Learn the reality about the awesome cultures and people (historical and/or legendary) Disney appropriated.

*High-ranking Chinese officials often married ethnic minority wives to seal bonds with the districts they were assigned to manage. In the telling I grew up with, Badr-ul-Budūr was the daughter of the ranking Chinese official of a city on the Silk Route, from the wife who was the daughter of the Turkic village leader.

Dressing as a specific historical person or legendary character can be a fun way to learn about amazing people and cultures. But, LEARN first.

And don’t use blackface, brownface, yellowface, or whatever-face.

One way to avoid cultural appropriation and whatever-colorface is to “flip it.” Does your daughter (a perfect Heidi, just look at those blue eyes and blonde braids) want to be Moana? Picture a Maori girl who wants to be Heidi. Would you put skin lightener and a blonde wig on her? Of course not. You just dress her in a dirndl and make two braids. So let a little girl who loves Moana dress up like Moana. Teach her the song, We Know the Way. Just don’t paint her brown. She does not even need a brown wig. Just brush her hair out over her shoulders.

MULAN – Mulan did not wear makeup. She was a soldier. I grew up with her story as an example of filial piety. She was not actually Han, as Disney has pictured her. She was Xianbei (a Chinese ethnic minority). So, right there, the Chinese already were appropriating her as the Han rose in power, Disney just continued the process! Anyway, being a strong warrior who fulfills duty to family is very cool, IMO. Just don’t do it in yellowface. Again, would you put Caucasian makeup on a Chinese girl and give her a blonde wig to be Supergirl? No. So if a Caucasian child wants to be Mulan, focus on bravery and honor, not makeup and wigs. You might even sign her up for wushu lessons. Joining a good school is a great way to get exercise, develop poise and confidence, and learn Chinese culture. And your child’s sifu will be able to answer questions about appropriate costume vs appropriation.

POCAHONTAS – Don’t do it. The poor girl was misrepresented, worked as diplomat, then kidnapped from her husband, raped, and kept as a display piece. The popular story was written as a huge PR campaign to justify taking the lands of her and other indigenous people of North America. Don’t perpetuate the abuse and lies. Disney should be ashamed of itself on that one.

LITTLE MERMAID – Just about every culture that has bodies of water has some kind of mermaid, so go for it. But you should study up on the type of mermaid. Disney really does a disservice to Anderson’s amazingly powerful story about desire, self-sacrifice, and coming to terms with ourselves.
a) The Sea Witch was not evil. She was simply a force of nature who tried to keep Ariel from throwing away her voice (Hmmmmmm. . . how many times do we sacrifice our voices for the sake of something we cannot have?)
b) Ariel does not get the prince. She dies in the end. But she turns into an air spirit because she died for true love. (And then Anderson wraps up with a bit of moralizing).

The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale. Unveiled on 23 August 1913, the statue was a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen. You can find some modern Danish mermaids at this link. You can learn more about nøkke here.

MOANA/MAUI – That thing where Disney was selling skinsuits with Maui’s tattoos was just gross, disgusting, and about as culturally inappropriate as you can get. If children want to be Maui and wear kākau, they should learn the stories of Maui, understand them, and then think of heroic deeds they, themselves, have done (saved a kitten? Reminded Mom to wear a seatbelt? Everyone has done something good and brave) and use an eyebrow pencil or something to draw their own kākau that tell their own story.

Costume Ideas

Girl Heroes! Your child can dress as a real-life change-making heroic woman.

Who are your heroes? Here are some ideas for dressing as the heroes we see every day!

Seventy five ideas you can check out!

Angiostrongyliasis – Ratlung Worm

Angiostrongyliasis, also known as rat lungworm (RLW), has been in the news a lot recently. Over the past ten years, more than 80 cases of people developing RLW have been reported. Two of the people died from the disease. Some of those who survived have reported continuing effects.

RLW affects the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by a parasitic nematode (roundworm parasite) called Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The adult form of A. cantonensis is only found in rodents, such as rats and mice. Infected rodents can pass larvae of the worm in their kūkae (feces). Then, intermediate hosts which eat the kūkae, such as snails, slugs, freshwater shrimp, coqui frogs, and similar animals can become infected by ingesting this larvae.

Humans can become infected with A. cantonensis by eating a raw or undercooked infected intermediate host, such as a small slug. This is easier to do than one might imagine, as they can be quite small and hide in the folds of leafy greens.

The parasite does not reproduce in humans, but when they are trying to grow, and when they are dying, they can make people very sick.

The cycle of Angiostrongyliasis, ratlung worm.
The cycle of Angiostrongyliasis, ratlung worm.

Pets can be infected with RLW if intermediate hosts such as slugs are crawling on their food, and the pet accidentally consumes the slug while eating.

Eliminating rats and slugs from areas near your home will help to reduce the chance you will come into contact with it. Manu and I have tried many different traps and pest-chasers. We have found the Rat Zapper to be the most effective for getting rid of rats. For slugs, I lay out sheet plastic, then (wearing plastic gloves) “harvest” the slugs from the plastic and squish them. The remains are bagged and disposed of rather than buried, as we do not want pets digging them up.

For more information on the life-cycle of A. cantonensis, visit the CDC website.

Mauna a Kea – Examining a Chant

by Natalie Mahina and Lucia Terallo, copyright 2019

KEA
{Kauikeaouli}


Canto V
Mele Inoa no Kauikeaouli
Name Chant for Kauikeaouli

The Echo of our Song
[Puku’i/Korn pp. 14-28]

So, who is Kea in the chant? Is it Kauikeaouli? Is it Wākea? It seems to me that Wākea is amply defined…and separate from Kea—there is also the possibility that it could also be a double entendre, applying itself to Kauikeaouli, since it is his name chant. However, I believe the Kea spoken of in this first section is an Aspect of Haumea, the Earth Mother {Kea…Keakea… Keakealani; alluding to Nu’a-kea, the patron of lactation}, in which case, then the canto would make perfect sense, for you have the Loina Wahine giving birth and not the Loina Kāne {Nā Pule Kahiko, June Gutmanis, p. 11}. It is the Earth Mother that gives birth to everything upon it, including mountains. Not one and the same, Papahānumoku gives birth to the islands…Haumea gives birth to all that emanates from them.

So, is it…?

O hānau ka Mauna a Kea! 
To Kea {Haumea} was born the Mountain!

‘Ōpu’u a’e ka Mauna a Kea!
From Kea {Haumea} the Mauna was thrust upward!

Back to the classical pairing. In this portion we have the Loina Kane and Loina Wahine clearly defined, for somewhere in the poetry of this chant, there is not one without the other.

‘O Wākea ke kāne, ‘o Papa-o-wali-nu’u ka wahine!
Wākea the kāne, Papa-swelling-and-pliant, the wahine!

Hānau Ho’ohoku he wahine! {Ho’ohoku-o-ka-lani}
Came forth Ho’ohoku-producer-of-progeny, a wahine!

Hānau Hāloa he Ali’i!
Came forth Hāloa an Ali’i!

Hānau ka Mauna he keiki Mauna na Kea.
The Mauna brought forth a child, the Mauna emanating from Kea {Haumea}!

O ka līlī ‘o Wākea, o ka hai i ka hala,
Wākea shuddered—its emissions placed,

O ke kū kukū lā’au ana me Kāne,
Alongside Kāne, the shuddering of his rising hardness was satiated,

I ho’ouka ai iloko ‘o Kahikikū
Conveyed there within the sky above the horizon,

He’e Wākea, kālewa kona ‘ōhua,
Wākea flowed—his offspring moving with the wind,

Kuamū ‘ia e Kāne, ku’awa {‘awa’a} ‘ia e Kāne,
By means of Kāne, the rain-laden wind, by means of Kāne the many hills and vales,

Ho’i mau Wākea a loko o lani momoe,
Wākea returning time and time again to mate within the confines of the sky,

Moe Wākea, moe ‘ia Papa,
Wākea sleeping alongside Papa,

And here is the third break. Wākea brings forth the Sun, both being Loina Kāne. But who is the Sun in this section? Is it perhaps a metaphor for Kauikeaouli?

Hānau ka Lā na Wākea,
For Wākea, the Sun came forth,

He keiki kapu na Wākea,
For Wākea, the sacred child,

O ka uluna a Wākea—no Kea no,
An offshoot of Wākea—resulting from Kea {Haumea} indeed,

‘Oia ho’i hao ka Mauna—hānau ka Mauna,
So it was that the Mauna came forth with great force!

And since this is part of a lengthy Mele Inoa…it is only one segment of the whole of nature that is witness to the birth of Kauikeaouli, for Keauikeaouli is not only likened to the Mauna, but also the Sun.

O ka Mauna {or māuna} auane’i ko lalo nei,
Hereafter, the Mauna shall be below,

‘O wai auane’i ko luna lā?
Who shall be there above?

‘O ka Lā, ‘oia ho’i hā
It is the Sun after all!

The chant itself is a Mele Inoa to Kauikeaouli…there is no question about that…the chant has 7 stanzas…this particular stanza is number 5…although Wakea is mentioned in the canto, along with “his,” mate Papa…there is actually nothing that alludes him to Maunakea or that the mountain mentioned is Maunakea…I believe the poet intended the term Mauna, to be just that…”Mountain,” a collective, rather than a singular. The Kea mentioned at the opening of this canto and sprinkled throughout I also believe references Haumea, for she is also recognized as Kea…it was from the womb of Haumea that the Mauna {collective} is born. This entire epic has a classic signature in that you are taken through elemental signatures…the earth…the night…the island…the clouds…the mountain…the sun…and the ocean…the metaphor being that Kauikeaouli is recognized as part of the whole of nature…part of the birthing, sprouting, growing, flourishing.

Natalie Mahina and Lucia Tarallo are historians and artists specializing in pre-European-contact Hawaiian culture.

Western Science vs Hawaiian Science

In a FaceBook thread, a question was posed: “What is the difference between Western science and Hawaiian science?”

For me, it is this:

In my classes, programs, and lectures, I teach that science is not the tools and technology, but an organized method of questioning, testing, and examining the results.

Our ancestors have employed the scientific method for thousands of years. It is how we got to these islands. Hawaiian science “publishes” the results in poetic form, and incorporates a wholistic world view. Hawaiian science does not separate humanity from the rest of the world, but sees humanity as an integral part of it. We do not have the problem of Schrodinger’s cat, because we do not see ourselves as external to the question.

The great battle of Pele and Poliʻahu is seen in the glaciation and differentiated basaltic layers of Mauna Kea.

In our news today, reports are talking about water pooling in Kilauea. The Pele cycle of chants talks about the battle between Pele of the magma and Namakaokahaʻi of the sea causing cataclysmic eruptions before Pele headed north to Hawaiʻi. Then, after Pele reached Hawaiʻi and settled in, the battle between Pele and Hiʻiaka is described, including a description of the explosive nature of steam eruptions caused by magma interacting with the aquifer, and warnings of what would happen in the event of collapse below the fresh water lens, which would allow the sea to infiltrate the magma chamber.

Chants accurately teach meteorology, oceanography, botany, zoology, sociology, and record the migrations of various family lines.

But these thousands of years old records have been consistently dismissed out of hand in favor of theories like Heyerdahl’s lost fisherman drift voyages, now proven false. As a child, I was taught about Heyerdahl, and told that the ancient legends and migration records of my own ancestors were simply the imaginings of a primitive people.

In the 90s, as a professional journalist, I was told by certain astronomers (who shall remain nameless) that the astronomical sites built by my ancestors were mere superstition and should be bulldozed to put up telescopes.

Only now is Western Science starting to understand that Hawaiian practice, methodology, and recording have equal validity, and are a functional and useful method of exploring our world, and the universe.

Personally, I love the knowledge we gain through the use of the telescopes. It utterly breaks my heart that the telescopes were brought to our islands in the hubristic, dismissive, elitist, impositional manner which set the stage for the situation we have now.

Not only prophets not honored at home.

I follow Kumu Amy Stillman on FaceBook. She shares a lot of really interesting and informative stuff, and she is an awesome teacher and writer. Recently, she shared this article. That was followed by some discussion, so I decided to post my thoughts here.

I’ve never been to a gathering where people’s standards were so “low” they hired “Uncle.”

In my experience, the ʻAnakala playing music often had taught some of the musicians in the named band, and the band members were enjoying not having to work, but would jump in and jam sometimes.

But, yes, my ʻohana is VERY thankful that we have dear Japanese friends who help to support our work.

What I have noticed here, and it is mentioned somewhat obliquely in the article, is that the respect for education just does not seem to exist here in Hawaiʻi. Japan has a very high level of respect for education and educators.

My Japanese students are horrified if they see me schlepping gear or driving. They leap to help me so that I can focus on my role – teacher. During class breaks, they practice and check each other. They show up for class early, practice at home, and are prepared for class.
My local students show up late, have been known to stroll along behind me as I carry all the gear in, seem to think that class time is so we all can practice together rather than learn new material, and during breaks they are on their cell phones. I shut down my local classes for a few years.

We in Hawaiʻi have adopted the service economy mentality of industrialized/consumerist cultures. “I paid you, so it is your job to feed me knowledge.” In Japan, the attitude I get from students is, “Please accept this financial gift as our thanks for sharing with us.”
I think this may also address the issue of musician pay – the service economy “best bang for the buck,” plus least amount of work. If ʻAnakala is willing to do the job and set everything up, then no need worry. If ʻAnakala will give you a professional show for a plate of kalua pig and some beer, all the better.

Again, I’ve not personally seen this result in low quality music, but I DO see it result in low respect. Because some people forget that ʻAnakala did NOT perform for poke and beer or whatever. ʻAnakala and ʻAnakē performed for love of their ʻohana, and of their culture, and of their music. And THAT is what breaks my heart. That their aloha is disrespected.

It is truly heartwrenching to see them get more aloha and respect from an utter stranger than they do from their own ʻohana and neighbors.

Of course, this does not happen all the time, and there are people here who do honor our local entertainers and practitioners.

But, I see our culture changing from the aloha-based sharing, and honoring the sharing with gifts of food, drink, kōkua around the house, and kālā, to that service economy “best bang for the buck” attitude.

Hālaʻi and Haili

Lei are often associated with wahi pana, and so it is important to understand the place as well as the lei. At one time, the cinder cone of Hālaʻi, and the forests of Haili and Mokaulele were renowned for the beauty of their deep scarlet ʻōhiʻa-lehua, which were extolled in stories, chants, songs, and hula.

It is important that we understand the distinctions between these places. Today, many people call Hālaʻi, the puʻu, or cinder cone near Hilo Intermediate School, Haili Hill. It is not named Haili Hill. Haili was the forest at the base of the hill, which extended down toward where the Hilo Boys and Girls Club now stands. The hill is named Hālaʻi. “Hālaʻi” translates to English as “calm.” “Haili” is a sudden rememberance, or a ghost or spirit.

The lei lehua is the most famous lei of Punahoa and of Hilo. Many oli and mele honor this lei, and the environment in which it thrives.

The lei hala also is beloved in Hilo, especially in Panaʻewa. But it is usually associated with Puna and with Hiʻiakaikapoliopele.

Hālaʻi, Haili, and Mokaulele are part of the Punahoa ahupuaʻa, and their rains and waterways are critical to the plants and animals of this area. The upper portion of Punahoa shares the Pi`ihonua weather system, resulting in the “rain line” you may have noticed, which ends just above Lyman House, more or less at the Boys and Girls Club.

Rains of this area include:

Hukiheʻenehu, a fine rain which comes in from the ocean at early morning.

Lanipōlua, a fine rain with heavy dark clouds that settles in for the day.

Hālaulani, associates with the budding of the hala trees.

Palahīnano, associated with the blossoming of the hala trees.

Lehua, a chill, fragrant rain.

Kanilehua, a loud, drenching rain, and the most famous of Hilo’s rains.

You can learn more about the rains of Hawaiʻi in this excellent book:

Hāla`i [hah-LAH-ee] is the ancient name for the pu`u (hill/cindercone) across the street from Hilo Intermediate School. It is the home of Hinaikeahi [Hina-of-the-fire], a goddess of fire, and sister to Hinakuluua [Rain-drop-Hina], and Hina of the waterfall at Waiānuenue.

Hālaʻi was renowned for the beautiful deep red `ōhi`a-lehua which bloomed , and for the strength of its `ohe, bamboo, which was exceptionally long and strong. Unfortunately, when the hill was cleared for development, all of the beautiful `ōhi`a-lehua and the  unique type of native bamboo was destroyed. The bamboo we see covering the mauka side of  Hāla`i today is an invasive temperate region species which was planted on  here in the late 80s.

Haili was an ancient `ōhi`a forest which no longer exists. Haili church was built from `ōhi`a timbers logged from this forest. The church was then named for the forest, a common naming practice at the time. The forest was pretty much logged out, and then what was left was made into sugar fields. What is now Haili Street was known as Church Street at first, and then when this area was developed, my understanding is that the Haili Church membership either paid for paving and extension of the street, or took a lead in accomplishing that, so the street was named for the church. Or, it may have been named for the forest, as the street terminates near where the forest edge once was.

Mokaulele forest still has remnants near ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, and extending ma uka of Komohana, but with continuing development, even this may soon be gone as well.

Ka Wai Ola – The Water of Life

Back in the 90s, when I was a cultural demonstrator at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, we sometimes used to enjoy mildly teasing visitors who asked us if there was a place they could find traditional Hawaiian beverages. “Oh, yes,” we’d tell them. “It’s even free! The water fountain is right over there!” Indeed, water, wai, is the most widespread traditional Hawaiian beverage, and  is so important that it is extolled in chants and offered to the gods.

E ulu, e ulu kini o ke Akua

Ulu Kāne me Kanaloa

Ulu ʻōhiʻalaukoa me ka ʻieʻie

Aʻe mai a noho i kou kuahu

Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola

E ola nō e!

O, grow, O grow multitude of Gods

Grow Kāne and Kanaloa
Grow forest forms of of the gods

Dwell here in your altar

Here is the water, the water of life

Life, indeed!

Our bodies are 60% water, and we use it in many ways. We use it to regulate our body temperature; lubricate joints, tendons, and muscles; dissolve minerals and other nutrients so they may be transported throughout the body, along with oxygen, to our cells; carry waste products, toxins, and gasses from our cells to our lungs, kidneys, liver, and skin for removal from the body; moisten tissues of our eyes, lips, mouth, and digestive system; and remove waste products from our digestive tract. We drink water, we clean ourselves and our environment with it, and we even breathe small amounts of it as vapor in the air. Dehydration, the lack of water, can lead to fatigue, impared thinking, and other problems. Human life is dependant on water.

In ancient Hawaiʻi, this dependance on water was recognized in a number of sayings. The folk etymology that waiwai, “wealth,” is a reduplication of the word for water is probably inaccurate, with the word being more closely related to wai meaning “retain,” as retaining goods or property. But it is a good memonic to remember the importance of water to our kino, our bodies.

Mary Kawena Pukui recorded a number of sayings about water in her book, Olelo Noeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings:

Ola i ka wai a ka ʻōpua – There is life in the water from the clouds.

Uē ka lani, ola ka honua – When heaven cries, the land lives.

Huʻea na kai i pihaʻā moe wai o uka – Washed to the sea is debris of upland streams.

Ka lepo ke kumu wai, e huaʻi ana ka lepo kai – When the source of water is dirty, the dirt is carried to the sea.

What lessons do these things have for us today? Just as the earth must have adequite clean water to maintain the health of the land, rivers, and sea, we must drink adequite clean water to maintain the health of our bodies.

On the macro scale, we must all work for the health of the land by supporting the health of the water. On the micro scale, we can support our own health by drinking clean, pure water.

Just as we can tell the health of a stream by how much silt and contaminents are spilling into the ocean from it, we can look at our own mimi (urine) to get some gauge of our health. It should be clear or pale yellow. If it is dark or cloudy, we need to adjust our intake of water, and if that does not clear it up, to see a doctor.

Just how much water does a person need to drink? That varies a great deal. In general six to eight eight ounce glasses of water per day are recommended for adults. But if a person is doing activities that cause heavy perspiration, more water will be needed. Pregnant and nursing women need more water. People who are ill need more water.

While vitamin water is popular, doctors are starting to express concers that we are overdosing on vitamins, which can lead to a variety of symptoms, depending on the overabundant vitamin. For example, overdosing on B1 (thiamine) can cause weakness, headache, irregular heartbeat, and low blood pressure. Overdosing on vitamin E can cause symptoms ranging from nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fatigue, weakness, headache, blurred vision, rash, to bruising and bleeding. A bottle of vitamin water every so often probably won’t cause problems, but frequent consumption, especially when taking vitamin supplements, can add up. Many of these drinks also have a lot of sugar, or have artificial sweeteners.

As long as we eat a variety of foods, unless we are working our muscles to fatigue on a regular basis, tasty as they are, we probably don’t need supplemented beverages.

Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola. E ola nō e!

Bibliography

Mayo Clinic: mayoclinic.org

Riverside Online: http://www.riversideonline.com/health_reference/Questions-Answers/AN01734.cfm

Hawaiʻi Dept. Of Health: http://health.hawaii.gov/cwb/site-map/clean-water-branch-home-page/polluted-runoff-control-program/prc-hawaiis-implementation-plan/agriculture/

Pukui: ʻŌlelo Noʻeau

Ige Signs Act 32: Licenses Midwives in Hawaii

MEDIA RELEASE – May 5

In celebration of International Day of the Midwife, Hawaiʻi becomes 35th state to regulate midwives

HONOLULU, HI – International Day of the Midwife “Midwives: Defenders of women’s rights” is being celebrated today all around the world, and Hawaiʻiis joining in by honoring midwives with a licensure law! Governor David Ige signed the bipartisan legislation to license midwives into law on April 30, 2019 as Act 32.

The law was introduced as part of the Women’s Legislative Caucus Package to regulate midwifery practice in Hawaiʻi, providing public health protections through adoption and implementation of global and national standardsfor midwives. Act 32 provides exemptions for traditional Native Hawaiian healing practices, as they are protected under the State Constitution; and birth attendants until July 1, 2023 if disclose they are practicing without a license. A task force is included in the law, which legislators have suggested be used by birth attendants to define themselves, their scope of practice and educational pathway for regulation by 2023. 

Dani Dougherty, a certified professional midwife (CPM) on Hawaiʻi island who specializes in community based care, states “This bill has been a long time coming! Hawaiʻi families who choose community birth will have access to providers who are willing to prove their competency by meeting the appropriate educational, training and credentialing standards.” Dani Dougherty intends to apply for licensure in 2020.

Midwives were regulated in Hawaiʻi from 1931 through 1998 through the Department of Health. The midwifery law was repealed when nurse-midwives were placed under the board of nursing, resulting in a lapse of midwifery regulation. Certified nurse-midwives have continued to be licensed as advanced practice registered nurses. Act 32 recognizes and provides a pathway to licensure for certified professional midwives and certified midwives in Hawaiʻi after 21 years of legislative efforts.

“Recognizing midwives is critical,” says Leʻa Minton, Board President of Midwives Alliance of Hawaiʻi , “as they are part of the solution to our healthcare provider shortage, and they generally live and work in rural and neighbor island communities. There is a misperception that midwives only take care of pregnant women and deliver babies. This is definitely one aspect of their beloved care services, and midwives are also trained to provide well woman exams; pap smears; breast exams; counsel on reproductive life plans and some prescribe contraceptive methods; screen for sexually transmitted infections and some prescribe treatment; screen for depression, tobacco and substance use disorder, provide brief interventions and/or refer out as needed for treatment; and care for newborns in the first 4-6 weeks of life. Licensing midwives recognizes them as part of the healthcare team, and provides the opportunity for them to work to their fullest scope of practice, which is when Hawaiʻi gains the maximum benefitof midwifery care. We are so grateful to everyone who helped with this effort, to Governor Ige for signing Act 32 into law, and we are absolutely thrilled with the opportunities that lie ahead!”

Resources

Midwives Alliance of Hawaiʻi

Hawai’i Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives

People may now choose any middle or last name upon marriage

Effective April 17, 2019, Hawaii law is changed to allow parties to a marriage or civil union to choose any middle or last name to use upon the marriage or civil union.

Chapter 574-1 Married persons; civil union partners. Upon marriage or civil union, each of the parties to a marriage or partners in a civil union shall declare the middle and last names each will use as a married person or civil union partner. 

No person shall be required to change that person’s middle or last name upon entering into a marriage or civil union. Parties to a marriage and partners in a civil union shall not be required to have the same middle or last name. Every person may adopt any middle or last name upon entering into a marriage or civil union.

“Stories of Hawaiian Stars” set for 23 March at Maunakea VIS

Award-winning storyteller Leilehua Yuen and her husband, musician Manu Josiah shares Stories of the Stars at this month’s Ma lalo o ka Pō Lani. This presentation is presented as part of the week-long global story-telling celebration which begins each year on the Spring Equinox with World Storytelling Day.

This year, the theme of World Storytelling Day is “Myths, Legends, and Epics.”

As in many cultures, the stars are Hawaii’s calendar, clock, map, and library. From ancient times, our navigators used the stars as a guide across the ocean. Farmers and fishers used them to as an almanac. By their movements, people told the seasons and the times. And the constellations illustrated the great myths, legends, and epics of the Polynesians who traversed the ocean for millennia.

Join Manu and Leilehua at 3 pm in the Presentation Room of the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy at the 9,000 ft elevation on Mauna Kea for an hour of sharing a brief glimpse into some of Hawaiʻi’s storytelling traditions, as illustrated by the stars.

For details, visit the Maunakea Visitor Information Station page for Ma Lalo o ka Pō Lani. Or phone: 1-808-961-2180

You can also visit the program FaceBook page, “Ma Lalo o ka Po Lani

Sign up for the Ma Lalo o ka Pō Lani mailing list for information on future programs and activities.