To George Kanahele, the spheres of corporate and cultural, Western and Pacific, native and visitor, did not have to be mutually exclusive.
Kanahele, the driving force in a movement to restore a sense of "Hawaiianness" to Waikiki, founded the Native Hawaiian Tourism and Hospitality Association, and helped numerous corporate clients integrate Hawaiian values into their management and customer relations practices.
Born in 1930 and educated at Kamehameha Schools, Brigham Young University and Cornell University, Kanahele developed his sense of balance and inclusion as he reconciled his Mormon faith with Hawaiian spirituality.
The intellectual Kanahele became something of a controversial figure as he argued that Hawaiians are natural hosts who must embrace the reality of tourism and take an active role in shaping it to the advantage of their community.
Waikiki was a natural laboratory through which Kanahele could apply his beliefs. In a 1994 report, "Restoring Hawaiianness to Waikiki," Kanahele outlined more than 140 proposals for improving the area in ways that both locals and tourists could embrace. Included in this proposal was the creation of the Waikiki Historic Trail.
In his last months, Kanahele had begun to expand his work to Guam, educating hospitality professionals on native Chamorro culture and beliefs. He died during a seminar on Guam on Sept. 15, 2000.
