The Aloha Spirit Law: Criticize It, Don't Legalize It

• In Event: 30.056 - Achieving the Promise for Indigenous Peoples: Research on the Politics of Storytelling

Abstract

Legal story telling that examines the Hawaiian cultural practice of aloha and its appropriation by the government and tourist industry as a gateway for culturcide. Specifically, the Hawaiʻi Statutory provision that codifies "Aloha" as a superficial tool for maintenance of dominant, assimilative tropes will be observed as it first upholds those tropes and later undermines them in various Hawaiian rights court battles. Can the law and culture really protect aboriginal interests and promote a pluralistic society? Maybe not.

Author

• Kekailoa Perry, University of Hawaii - Manoa