Family Matters
She has to explain directions for each of her relatives
By Ka'ohua Lucas
How many of us have been confused by directions we have been given? I know I have.
On one occasion, I called a clothing store to find out what town it was in.
Instead of asking me where I was coming from, a female voice began to explain in great detail the area in which the store was located.
"We are just two doors down from the restaurant, which is adjacent to the shoe store on the corner of 12th."
I had no idea what she was talking about.
"Could you, please, just give me your address?" I asked. "I'll find it on the map."
"Native Hawaiians did not make maps," writes Gary Fitzpatrick in "The Early Mapping of Hawai'i." "The concept of drawing an image of the land was foreign to them even though they carried very detailed knowledge of the land and adjacent waters in their heads.
"In fact, until the arrival of missionaries in the 1820s, Europeans made maps of Hawai'i for their own use, not for the Hawaiians."
Fortunately, I have adapted to both the Western and Hawaiian way of mapping.
Whenever I am in a situation to offer directions to someone, I first think of whom I am addressing, their age and their interests.
For example, if I were to explain to a family member where Aloha Tower is and how to get there from Kalihi, each person would receive a different set of directions.
If I were to address my two sons, I would try to highlight their favorite places to eat and their favorite place of entertainment.
"You know the street where your favorite musubi place is? Go down there, then, turn left at McDonald's. Go past the theaters and keep going until you see the harbor where TÄtÄ took you to see the big ship. That's where Aloha Tower is located."
My daughter's directions would vary somewhat.
"Take Likelike, veer off onto Kalihi St., cross over Dillingham — remember where Dee Lite Bakery is? Keep going until you reach Watanabe Floral, then make a left onto Nimitz. Keep going. You'll see Sam Choy's on your left, and remember the park where the sovereignty rally was held? That's where Aloha Tower is."
In the directions for my husband I would try to highlight significant surf spots.
"Head down Likelike, make a left on Nimitz. Remember, you don't want to go right because you'll end up at Ke Kai O Mala at Sand Island. Go down Nimitz headed in the direction of Tongg's, Kaiser's, Old Man's, you know those places. Just before Point Panic, there's Honolulu Harbor where the canoe races used to be held back in the '70s. That's where Aloha Tower is!"
With my mom, I like to identify places that were significant to my dad.
"All right, mom, if you head down Likelike, you'll see Libby's Manapua on your right. Remember Dad used to take us there for a treat? If you make a left onto Nimitz and head in the Diamond Head direction you'll see Kou Harbor. Isn't that where Dad as a kid used to dive for coins when the passenger liner would come into port? Well, just after that, you'll see Aloha Tower."
I think for everyone living in the Islands trying to make his or her way from point A to point B, can be a lot clearer if the "direction giver" recognizes who his audience is.
Hawaiians may have not had a written form of cartography, but they certainly did have their own system of identifying places.
"Hawaiians named taro patches, rocks and trees that represented deities and ancestors, sites of houses and heiau (places of worship), canoe landings, fishing stations in the sea, resting places in the forests, and the tiniest spots where miraculous or interesting events are believed to have taken place," according to Samuel H. Elbert, author of "Place Names of Hawai'i."
Something to remember when your mo'opuna (grandchild) or keiki wants to find the nearest place for manapua.
Ka'ohua Lucas has a 17-year-old daughter and two sons, 10 and 7. She hold a master's degree in education curriculum and instruction, works as a counselor for Native Hawaiians at Windward Community College and writes curriculum with a Hawaiian culture focus.
Lucas and fellow Hawai'i parent Lynne Wikoff take turns writing the Family Matters column. If you have comments, questions or suggestions for future topics, write: Family Matters, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 535-8170.
