Pacific Perspective Vol. 11

By Alesi Meyers-Tuimavave

As we embark on our journey through a new semester, Ke Kalahea would like to reiterate some resources available to UH Hilo (UHH) students and reiterate the purpose behind this running column, Pacific Perspective. Pacific Perspective aims to dive into the vast amounts of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and students who travel across Oceania and the Oceanic diaspora, to come to UHH. According to the US News and World Report, UHH is one of the most diverse campuses in the US, Ke Kalahea finds it important to take the time to highlight said diversity.

Description of photo Regardless of differences in culture, language, and societal norms, NHPI communities have always been grouped together throughout history. Realistically, there are hundreds of different ethnic groups and cultures that fall under the umbrella term: groups that I, as a Samoan, Hawaiian, and Black student myself, feel should be highlighted for their respective uniqueness.

With that being said, Ke Kalahea recognizes the importance of changing this stigma and hopes to use this column in order to do so. Additionally, I hope this column serves other NHPI students in being seen, heard, and knowing there’s others at UHH just like them.

Pacific Island Student Center logoPISC logo Whether you are Melanesian, Micronesian, or Polynesian, we are all children of Oceania who deserve representation that's rarely ever shared with those outside of the Oceanic sphere.

These are also ideals expressed in the Pacific Islander Student Center (PISC) which serves as a safe space and resource for Pacific Islander students here at UHH. PISC is located on the third floor of Campus Center, room 307.

Shayne Victor (he/him)

Shayne Victor is a Native Hawaiian student from Kailua-Kona. He is currently working on earning his bachelor’s degree in history. Shayne will graduate from UHH in spring 2025.

Shayne shared that because Kailua-Kona is “such a close-knit community”, he carries himself very “open and welcoming”. He also said, “a part of my character is very naturally happy; not puppy-like, but just cheerful.” “Always being able to see [my] family, being so close to them, I’m never sad [because] of missing [them] or [being] homesick. I’d say being close-knit with both my community and family is always a great thing to be able to talk about and have pride in,” Shayne continued.

Shayne chose UHH because it’s cheaper than UH Mānoa, and because “even though I love them, I needed some space” from his family and community, but he didn’t want to be too far.

“I didn’t want to go to Oʻahu knowing that I wouldn’t match, wouldn’t fit, and I couldn’t see myself going off island, or honestly out-of-state, to go to college. I have my placing [here]. Having my feet on the ground in a cultural perspective, I know I might’ve had cultural depression or cultural withdrawals, or even environmental withdrawals if I went out of state, or even out of the country,” Shayne said.

“UHH was a match because it’s close enough but far away that if I needed to ask my family for help, I could just take a car, drive two hours over Saddle Road and be there in the snap of my fingers. But it’s also a place that, even though I grew up on this island, I never adventured until I first started college. It held a plethora of new opportunities and is a place that I could make a name for myself, of just being Shayne.”

Now that he’s a senior, Shayne has done exactly that. He is a very involved member of the UHH community and has multiple roles on campus: Shayne is the Student Activity Council’s (SAC) chairperson, a peer mentor for the Ka Pouhana peer mentor program, and an executive member of two registered independent student organization’s (RISO), the History Club and the Crit Club.

SAC logoSAC logo

Ka Pouhana logoKa Pouhana logo

Besides his roles within the UHH community, family, friends, and cultural practices are also important to Shayne. He shared that his favorite cultural practice is the art of oli, Hawaiian chanting.

“Growing up, me and my sister, we danced hula before we were even born. My mom danced with us in her stomach, so we always had a sense of tradition of hula in ourselves. But I never matched with dancing just because of that stereotypical ‘it’s for females’, ‘it’s so feminine and fluid and [full of] serenity.’ Which is true to a point, but that was more recent. In before times, hula was a non-bias of gender dance: it was a form of culture, worship, and seen as Makana [gift, reward] sometimes,” Shayne said.

“I fell in love with chanting and oli. Learning olis, being able to use them, being able to differentiate the importance of one oli for entering or asking for entrance versus one for asking to take resources like flowers and different plants from the forest. There’s a plethora of different olis for different reasons because there’s always intention. A big thing with Hawaiian culture is there’s always intention with what we do, why we do it, and how we do it,” he went on.

Ke Kalahea asked Shayne how he felt about his Hawaiian ethnicity’s representation across campus, where he said:
“I do believe that the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture is very strong and adamant here at UHH. It’s a mix of being able to see normal practices that are shared for special occasions out in Kona being done out and proud, but also just being done frequently. And I do see that the understanding, and the rise of Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian knowledge, being passed on and learned has been increasing, especially in the state of Hawai‘i, so I am excited to see that grow and become better and bigger.”

“Some moments I don’t see myself represented in UHH because I am a practitioner of Hawaiian arts, but I don’t speak ʻŌlelo. And there’s a big stigmatism of, ‘if you can’t speak Hawaiian, are you Hawaiian?’” Shayne said. ʻŌlelo Hawai‘i is the Hawaiian terminology for the Hawaiian language.

“But I do see myself in a culture that was once lost and banned being able to be celebrated freely and openly and being accepted by not only other Hawaiian individuals but all types of students from different countries and different parts of the world to enjoy, learn, and honor,” Shayne went on to say.

Shayne shared that for students coming from “a Pacific Islander community or even an in-state community, [UHH] will feel like home but new faces.” He explained that roles, understanding, and the ability to see older people and refer to them as aunty or uncle “if you don’t know their names” will suffice a response from them, are all similarities that NHPI students can look forward to when joining the UHH community.

“It’s always fun for out-of-state, or even out of country, students to come and visit the community because undoubtedly, it’s very welcoming and it’s keen on mutual respect. People always give respect, you know, give aloha. And if you give it back, it will be reciprocated many times over,” Shayne said. Shayne shared that a tip he gives new students at UHH is to “never be afraid to ask a clarifying question.” He said that some students might be shy, have the same questions, and “it’s better to be informed instead of ignorant.”

Shayne’s favorite part of being a UHH student is, “learning different people’s stories, seeing their perspectives and why, how they understand things- how they perceive the world.” “We always assume and think we know what we’re doing, we know how to do it correctly, but then when you really look at it from another perspective there’s way more understandings and connections that can be made with those perspectives. I also just love hearing other people’s stories, like why did you come to UHH?” Shayne shared his least favorite part of UHH, is the “cliquey” nature within departments and programs that he’s been exposed to. “Majors stick with majors,” he said.

“A lot of times people don’t branch out and connect, whether it’s networking or possible relationships or friendships. They don’t naturally do that, and I feel like it’s because of Covid. We lost that natural ability to just strike up a conversation and make possible friends and connections,” Shayne went on to say. Shayne concluded the interview with the following sentiments:

“UHH is a great example of here’s a stage, let us see what you want to represent. A lot of the special events that the International Student Association, ISA, hosts - whether it’s the United Nations Day parade or, of course, International Night, they give that great stage of here’s a space for you to show off… who you are, who your culture [is], and how you want it to be represented.”

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“A lot of our cultures show off and show out. I feel like a good thing that UHH does is always stays unbiased. They give everyone an opportunity; you have to take the opportunity. That’s what I love seeing, our groups and countries have an opportunity to join and show out. Or even start their own RISOs.”