"Yes, I Speak The Mother Tongue. What About You?"

“Never give up the fight – but pick your strategies well.” —Stephen Morse

Native Hawaiians share the plight of Native Americans. Both reside in a governed land that is not the one of their ancestors. And just about every year new laws are initiated for indigenous accommodations. Each group of people has grown accustomed to present states in society, but there is always seemingly the prospect of a separatist nation.

Alani Apio’s play, Kamau, sheds light on the plight of the Native Hawaiian people. The lead character, Alika must prostitute his culture as a means of living. The tour group that he leads always ends up at the Iolani Palace grounds, the very same grounds in which the Nation of Hawaii was illegally seized by the United States of America.

Alika’s closer-then-brothers cousin Michael refuses to accept his government’s jurisdiction. Even though Michael does not speak the language of his ancestors, he grasps what meager cultural influences he has retained and forgets the one that embodies his people.

The concept of “aloha” is a big one in Kamau. The character of Mrs. Clements, a stereotypical Caucasian visitor of the islands reminds Alika, “when it all boils down it’s about loving and being loved—and I believe—about aloha and sharing aloha.”

Alika and Michael are tragic figures in Apio’s play. Whereas they may have been heroes…maybe even martyrs in an alternative play they never are allowed the opportunity. What Alika and Michael both share is a bad sense of mature decisions.

There was a Maui News story about the “Kaho’olawe Nine” that was blogged recently. In the late 70s, a group of men made a gallant charge to claim an island that was being used for military destruction. Their non-violent, almost swimming to shore form of protest is still remembered today.

If Michael were to be remembered thirty years later, it would be “the crazy Hawaiian who tried to stab hotel workers on Oahu.” And it would not contain the misty eyed tribute that the “Kaho’olawe Nine” have inspired.

I do suspect that the best protests are the non-violent radical movements. Like the student take-over at University of Hawaii’s Bachman Hall during the UARC debacle. Or Chinese students in Tiananmen Square—before the government decided to use military force.

Apio’s Kamau should serve as cautionary tale to the Alikas and Michaels of Hawaii.