Pacific Islander’s effect on media production

The indigenous people and culture of Hawaiʻi have been sabotaged by misrepresentation, sexualisation, and exoticisation stemming from foreign tourism and large-scale media. The increase of foreigners to Hawaiʻi in the late 1700s and early 1800s destroyed sociopolitical systems, unnecessarily reallocated millions of acres of (rightful Hawaiian) land, and lead to the illegal annexation of Hawaiʻi in 1898 (Levy, 1975; Lâm, 1989; Wilkinson, 1989). The popularization of Hawaiian culture (hula, lūʻau, surfing, etc.) has also caused an increase of “Hawaiians at heart,” non-Natives who use interest in culture to identify themselves as legitimate Natives (Hall, 2005). Media has also aided in the popularization of the paradisiacal Hawaiian image: live-action and animated movies alike have sexualized the hula, exoticized the culture, and portrayed a largely Native-free Hawaiʻi. Nevertheless, grassroots movements can be seen to this day: the current protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea, a sacred mountain, show that Native Hawaiians continue to fight for their indigenous rights.

The media has played a major role in the misrepresentation of Native Hawaiians and many other indigenous cultures. Previous research shows that media is shaped by and shapes social rules, expectations, and ideals (Griffin, Piper, & Learmonth, 2018); is aiding in socialization (Arnett, 1995); and is ultimately a powerful tool to shape ideas about cultures and customs other than the dominant culture’s norm. While there are live-action and animated films that have included Native Hawaiians, two are of note: Lilo & Stitch (2002) and Moana (2016). Both animated Disney films are about young Pacific Islanders who deal with adventure, friendship, and family. The films also similarly present Native Hawaiians in ways measurable through ethnic identity terminology, particularly the community identity and external identity aspects (Weaver, 2001). Community identity incorporates the Native connection to the community through place (the connection to surroundings and genealogical ties with the land), language (the distinct languages or dialects spoken by the group), and traditional knowledge (ways of life passed down through generations) (Weaver, 2001; Kanaʻiaupuni & Malone, 2006; Corntassel, 2003; Ragavan, 2001). External identity is the identification with one’s ethnicity in relation to those outside of the ethnic group, for example, rejection of certain aspects due to negative stereotyping (Weaver, 2001). While these aspects are important to compare the portrayal of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in film, I felt there was a lack of research on the inclusion of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the production stages of the films. Because media representation begins in the production stages, creation and incorporation (Sternberg, 2017), it was also necessary to research and compare these aspects for both of the films.

The ways Lilo & Stitch and Moana portrayed community identity aspects were different and can be linked to the level of inclusion of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the production stages. Lilo & Stitch’s connection to place was mainly seen through “He Mele No Lilo,” a restructured genealogical chant for Kalākaua written by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu; Lilo, Nani, and David’s connection with the ocean; and the interactive relationship Native Hawaiians have with place--a belief that certain actions or rituals can affect weather or natural events (Kanaʻiaupuni & Malone, 2006)--being represented in Lilo’s ritual to feed Pudge the weather-controlling fish a peanut butter sandwich every Thursday. The traditional knowledge aspect was mainly represented through Lilo’s connection to hula. The final aspect, language, was most successful for including Native Hawaiian, local actors as voice actors in the film: Tia Carrere (Nani) and Jason Scott Lee (David). Carrere and Lee not only made the script more authentic by changing it, but they also inserted Hawaiian language (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) words and pidgin, a local Creole mix of plantation languages (Brislin, 2003). One scene of truck drivers speaking in pidgin illuminates the difference including local voice actors made for the film, at least for the Hawaiian audience. 

Unfortunately, these aspects also have negative consequences. While songs in Hawaiian and English were written and performed by Native Hawaiians, comments made by the directors offer that they were unaware of the true power and meaning of song in Native Hawaiian culture. Furthermore, the connection to the ocean, the connection to hula, and Lilo’s ritual could be superficial inclusions by the directors in an attempt to play on previous stereotypes (surfing, hula) and to hone in on Lilo’s troubled behavior (believing a fish could control the weather, which even the other Native characters seem troubled by.

In addition, one of the main themes of the film is the “Hawaiian” family, one that does not differentiate blood relatives from distant family or friends; however, the fact that societal support was absent for the Pelekais shows that a deeper knowledge of the Hawaiian family was lacking by directors (Hoʻomanawanui, 2008). These aspects reflect a lack of deeper socio-cultural understanding by the directors in the creation and incorporation stages, aspects that could have been remedied by including Native Hawaiians in the production stages. Ultimately, while Lilo & Stitch may not have been openly aware in its stereotyping, the exclusion of Native Hawaiians in production lead to misrepresentation of culture.

Moana’s approach to creating a Pan-Pacific cultural film was completely different than that of Lilo & Stitch. The directors started by traveling to various islands in the Pacific, then created the Oceanic Story Trust (OST), a group of skilled Pacific Islanders to check the film’s many cultural components (Sternberg, 2017). This inclusion lead to the enhancement of the community identity aspects throughout the film. Moana’s connection to place was exampled through songs like “Where You Are” that show the Pacific Island bond to the environment and the self-sustainable lifestyle (Foaʻi, Mancina, & Miranda, 2016, track 3).

The centrality of the ocean is also a key factor in the film, representing the deep respect Pacific cultures have for nature. Traditional knowledge is abundantly represented in Moana, with examples that link to cultures around the Pacific: wayfinding, hula, traditional tattoo, traditional ways of living such as weaving and fishing techniques, storytelling, and even animated costumes. 

Traditional tattoos are of specific importance because they represent mana, or life force, and often tell stories (PBS, n.d.-a; PBS, n.d.-b; PBS, n.d.-c). Maui’s tattoos were designed to showcase the legends surrounding the demigod, and are explained in the song “You’re Welcome.”

Many pan-Pacific languages were included in the songs, as well, such as Tokelauan and Samoan. Nevertheless, the film did face criticism in the animation of Maui and the Kakamora. Many accused the film of perpetuating the stereotype of the obese Pacific Islander image through Maui. The Kakamora are group of coconut pirates originally meant to represent a group of people from the Solomon Islands, but then were animated as coconuts. Not only does this misrepresent the people, but coconut itself is a real racial slur used against Pacific Islanders.

Through analysis of the films’ production stages and their representation of culture, Moana was comparatively more successful for the accurate traditional knowledge, language, and place-centered themes. While Lilo & Stitch did include aspects of Hawaiian culture like song, dance, and rituals, the lack of Native Hawaiians in the creation and incorporation stages makes these possibly stereotypical aspects even more suspicious. Moana ultimately proved that the inclusion of Pacific Islanders in the production of media can yield a box-office hit that still accurately represents and protects indigenous cultures.

References
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[Kaylee Thompson is a Native Hawaiian student from Maui. This essay is extracted from her graduation thesis at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. She wrote her thesis on Native Hawaiians for the love of her people and the betterment of the community. She has since accepted a job in Tokyo, and hopes to complete graduate school in the future.]