![]() ![]() ![]() The idea of belonging is key to understanding the experience of being Black in Hawaii. Even though there have been people of African descent in Hawaii for a long time, we’re seen as perpetual foreigners.” Musician and singer Kamakakēhau Fernandez. Or, at least in Hawaii, people who are seen as others and outsiders. Whatever those people are going to be called will become derogatory to some people because it refers to people who are socially marginalized. It’s the association with people who continue to be marginalized. ![]() It’s not so much the word itself - there’s nothing intrinsic to the word. People recognize it as the same plant that they had cultivated elsewhere.” One of the ways we know that is that it showed up with its name that we can see across the Pacific. ![]() It didn’t come with the birds humans brought it here. You have pōpolo plants all over the pacific. “There’s a particular variety that has developed in Hawaii, but it grows all around the world in tropical and temperate zones. “It’s a small little shrub that produces black berries.”Īlthough pōpolo is a Hawaiian word, the plant itself is not endemic to Hawaii. Akiemi Glenn, a linguist and founder of the nonprofit The Pōpolo Project. “Pōpolo is the Hawaiian word for a nightshade plant,” said Dr. Whereas the n-word is rooted in the history of enslavement, lynching and segregation, pōpolo is rooted in the earth itself. That connection is understandable, but it isn’t accurate. Pōpolo is often compared to another word, so unspeakable it’s been sanitized into a hyphenated euphemism. There’s an inherent sensitivity, especially for white people, in using a word that refers to a historically-marginalized group based on the color of their skin. The word “pōpolo” is a source of discomfort for a lot of local people. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |