Whose Paradise?: A Journey through the ʻĀina of Waikīkī

Abstract

Caught between being a tourist epicenter and symbol of Hawaiian cultural history, Waikīkī, located on the island of Oʻahu, is a contested space for Native Hawaiians. This thesis uses ethnographic and archival research to understand how Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians) navigate the landscape of Waikīkī, how they interact with representations of Hawaiian culture, and the ways in which they make themselves legible in an environment with a deep history of settler colonialism. This navigation is tied to Native Hawaiians who currently work within the tourism industry and to the generations of Native Hawaiians who have navigated Waikīkī in the past. Such an exploration attempts to further understand what Waikīkī has meant to both Kānaka and non-Kānaka alike. In disentangling the structure of the tourism industry in Waikīkī, I ultimately argue that Kānaka in the industry are creating social infrastructures that encourage reflection about our connections to land, power, and community.