Pacific Language in Public Spaces

LBC Project #2: Rear Windows

(The following pictures of window decals and bumper-stickers were taken at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on March 9th.)

Picture 1. These decals came from a motorcycle parked by Kuykendall Hall. The most noticeable decal to me at first was the Hanapa'a octopus sticker. Looking for more information on the Internet, I found that it came from Hanapa'a Fishing Co. and also that the Hawaiian word hanapa'a is often used by fishermen to mean a fish is hooked, or secured on a fishing line.

The round, white sticker to the right also uses the Hawaiian language, reading "Pono Fishermen Leave Fish for Tomorrow" (in smaller letters, "Pacific Fisheries Coalition, Hawaiian Audobon Society"). The Hawaiian word pono is often defined as being a state of harmony, or balance, although it is also (as in the state motto) defined as righteousness or justice.

The target for these decals seems to be specifically local fishermen.


Picture 2. This picture, taken from the same motorcycle's other pannier, shows another use of Hawaiian language in the bottom right sticker, along with the image of an 'ohi'a lehua flower. According the website Kapu.com, the sticker is a symbol to "Make the commitment to live in a manner which expresses aloha to all around you and as part of building our community of aloha, undertake a set of visible actions that begin to demonstrate the spirit of aloha".

Picture 3. This decal reads "Pāpāhānaumokuākea Marine National Monument", showing blue sea creatures on a white background in a style that looks a little like tapa designs. In Hawaiian mythology, the goddess Pāpā is the ancestress of all people and the Hawaiian islands (the Marine National Monument is named after her).







Picture 4. In the top left-corner, the decal says "kū i ke kaila", which according to Ulukau's online dictionary can be translated to English as stylish, or fashionable. Below this is a green taro plant. To the right is a rectangular decal labeled "The Big Five" (typically referring to the five companies that were powerful in Hawaii's plantation days, but here purposefully paired with images of the Hawaiian monarchs instead).

The audience looking at these decals would have to have some knowledge of Hawaii's language and history to get the full meaning from them. However, I think even someone who didn't know the full context would be able to tell that the car's driver, if not neccessarily Hawaiian, felt a lot of pride in Hawaii and its culture.

(The following picture was taken on 9th Avenue in Kaimuki, on March 10th.)


Picture 5. This sticker stuck out to me first because of its combination of French and Tahitian, the two major languages of French Polynesia.

The decal shows a cartoon girl sitting, gazing at an island in the ocean. The French text in the red circle reads: (not sure about the first part) "Brassee Par Brasserie De Tahiti, Papeete Tahiti", or, Brewed For the Brewery of Tahiti. According to this Wikipedia article, Hinano is the most popular brand of beer in Tahiti. The Tahitian word hinano translates to English as "pandanus flower".


(The following picture was taken at the Foodland grocery store on King Street, on March 10th.)

Picture 6. This truck's decal reads "Manini Quijano". The Hawaiian word manini can mean stingy, small, petty. Quijano, on the other hand, is not Hawaiian but (I think) a Spanish or Portuguese last name.

One possible interpretation of this decal is that it's targeted at local Portuguese people who also speak Pidgin, as a means of showing their pride in their heritage.





The following five pictures were taken at Walmart's parking structure on March 10th.


Picture 7. This decal is a variation on the "drive carefully! baby on board" type of car-stickers, meant to stop people from tailgating. It uses the fairly well-known Hawaiian "keiki" instead of the English "baby".

Since this sign includes a cartoon of a baby, its audience wouldn't have to know any Hawaiian at all to get the intended message. There is an feeling of localness, or maybe cuteness, but the decal is not any particularly authentic means of showing "ethnic or island pride".




Picture 8. This decal shows the words "MA'OHI NUI", with "Established 2002" in smaller text, and the stylized image of what might be a face to the left. In Tahititian, according to the online tahitiguide, ma'ohi may refer to either the people or the ancestors of the people of French Polynesia, with ma'ohi nui meaning the land/French Polynesia itself.

The use of this decal targets people from French Polynesia, and is a means of showing pride and support.



Picture 9. This picture shows a round decal, quartered by a red X and with a white wheel at its center. Above and below it, the Hawaiian words in yellow read "KOA PUNA". The word "koa" could possibly be translated as brave, and "puna" as spring of water, but it can also have different meanings.

In this case, the decal is actually a sign of membership in the Koa Puna Motorcycle Club, and serves the purpose of identifying fellow motorcyclists in the club (its audience) to each other.



Picture 10. This decal shows a person climbing to the top of a coconut tree to get jakaro ("coconut sap used as a sweet toddy" according to the Marshall Islands Journal website). By combining the use of Marshallese language with its image, the decal shows a sense of ethnic pride- its intended audience is most likely other Marshall Islanders.






The following picture was taken at Ala Moana Beach Park on March 10th.



Picture 11. Although somewhat hard to see, the top of the decal contains the written-in words "Imua One Blade" (the name of the canoe team?) in black marker, with the bottom text of the decal saying "Va'a, Wai Tui" (a type of outrigger canoe, an outrigger paddling competition).

By using the Tahitian word "va'a", and specifically referring to the Wai Tui competition, held yearly in Fiji, this decal symbolizes a kind of ethnic and athletic pride to its viewers. With the added name of the paddling team put in, however, it can also make a statement of personal athletic pride, perhaps at having participated in such a difficult and prestigious competition.


The following picture was taken on Kapahulu Avenue on March 10th.

Picture 12. Interestingly, this faint decal was either originally transparent or was actually removed by the car's owner. It's hard to read from the photo, but the design says, "Full Blooded Tongan, Built to Last".

The words make a blunt statement of pride in ethnic identity, with the modifying adjective "Full Blooded" having connotations of purity, authenticness, undilutedness, etc. "Built to Last" may possibly be referencing the Chevy slogan, but in this case also simply indicates that the driver is Tongan, and tough and strong.

In choosing all English words to make this statement, unlike most of the other designs above, the designers of this decal may have just wished their message to target a wide audience. Alternatively, it could also be interpreted as a certain definition of Tongan pride: knowledge of the Tongan language is not something to be especially emphasized or bragged about, but being a "Full Blooded" Tongan is.