Haole

Origin of the Term

There is some debate regarding the original meaning of the word haole. One popular belief is that the term was first applied to U.S. missionaries who did not exchange breath in the customary fashion when greeting others. Native Hawaiians practice the honi, a light pressing of the nose while inhaling each other's hā (breath). Hā is a symbol of life in Hawaiian culture, and 'ole means to be without something. The inability of the missionaries to act appropriately caused Hawaiians to say that they were without breath (hā'ole). However, linguists criticize this interpretation, arguing that the pronunciations of hā'ole and haole are markedly different and would not be easily confused. Still, many people, Native Hawaiians and others, continue to embrace this localized etymology.

On the other hand, ancient mo'olelo (native histories) demonstrate that the concept of haole most likely originated prior to the arrival of Westerners to Hawai'i. S. M. Kamakau, an 18th-century Native Hawaiian historian, recorded the oral history of distinguished ku puna (elders of his time). One account, told for generations before the coming of Westerners, mentions the travels of the young chief Paumakuaalonoho'onewa to Kahiki, the land beyond the horizon. When returning from these distant lands, the chief brought back with him foreigners described as haole—white-skinned persons with reddish eyes that stare like the dhole fish. The fact that the term is linked not only to strange newcomers but also to white-skinned persons in this example may or may not be coincidental.

Haole is routinely used in the Hawaiian kingdom and early censuses to distinguish Native Hawaiians from non-Native Hawaiians. Remarkably, this practice applied to other Pacific Islanders as well, where the categories of “male foreign Polynesians” and “women foreign Polynesians” are listed as Na haole kdne Polynesia and Na haole wdhine Polynesia, respectively. Despite subsequent importation of U.S. ideology and culture, which emphasizes color and race, Native Hawaiians remain interested in connections to ancestors, land, and place.

From an indigenous Hawaiian perspective, people are closely identified with the places and ancestors they come from. The 'dina (land) is a key component of one's identity and background. When foreigners initially arrived in Hawai'i, whether they were Europeans or other Pacific Islanders, they were most likely treated as malihini (newcomers). In contrast, to be kama'dina means to be intimately familiar with a place, that is, knowledgeable in both the big and little currents.

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