Once again, I’m dismayed when I read about the behavior of our highest government representatives that is in such stark contrast — so completely antithetical — to Hawaiian cultural values I’ve learned to treasure. I see reports of state visits during which our American hosts denigrate and humiliate their guests and American official visitors abroad bully and intimidate their hosts. Then I think about the Hawaiian value of ho‘okipa — hospitality — so rooted in the world view that is aloha.
My understanding of ho‘okipa was deepened recently when my kumu hula (hula teacher) shared the program of the last Kamehameha Schools Song Contest, whose theme was “Songs of Hawaiian Hospitality” — more than a few of which were composed by my kumu hula’s grandmother.
As the program states, “these compositions were written to commemorate a visit with good friends and honor the hosts who so graciously invite you in … They shower praises upon people who welcome others with generous, open hearts. These mele also expose the relationship between guest and host … and the responsibility that each carries … The role of malihini (visitor) is to respect the people and place you are visiting … and to kindly receive all that they offer you with gratitude … The role of kama‘aina (native/host) is to welcome and take people in. To give them the best your place has to offer … To make them feel special and cared for.”
I’m drawn to the Hawaiian concept of kuleana — both responsibility and privilege — in the context of ho‘okipa. When I think back to some of my most joyful experiences as a novice a teacher in Hauula 50 years ago, I realize they were times when we welcomed others to our classroom. My students had the honor of fulfilling their kuleana as hosts while their visitors responded with bountiful kindness and affection, to the delight of all.
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I’m remembering:
>> Quarterly mini-award ceremonies. Proud students prepared small performances of song and speech to entertain our guests; proud families brought treats to share at the after-parties (including the happy families of students whose religion forbade them from joining holiday parties).
>> Writers workshop “book publication” celebrations when family and friends were invited to witness a student author read from a newly “published” book. The whole class hosted — setting up chairs, participating in protocols, sharing their “best” (behavior, attention, listening skills). Guests always responded in kind — bringing gifts of food to share along with their admiration and applause.
>> Parent-teacher conferences that were hosted by students who greeted their parents, gave them a tour of a “best work portfolio” and shared an analysis of the report card, while the parents listened attentively with new respect for the student/host.
>> The many visitors who came to observe us and the many invited guests who came to share knowledge with us. We rose to those occasions, eager to share the best we had. We felt enriched in giving graciously and receiving, in turn, the respect and affirmation gifted to us by our guests.
I’m heartened to see even more openness in the classrooms I enter these days, in contrast to the old days when I was starting out. Back then, it could seem like each classroom was a guarded fort, with resources jealously hoarded, and barriers erected to defend against hostile invaders like administrators and parents.
We do well when we create classrooms that are our homes — places we cherish — that we graciously share. Our learners gain pride and self-respect when they’re given opportunities to be good hosts. We all gain when we approach our interactions with others from the perspective of ho‘okipa.
Elly Tepper is a consultant educator and Ulu A‘e Transitions Grant Team member.
