The Legend of Eddie Aikau

The Legend of Eddie Aikau allowed us to see the affect Imperialism had and continues to have on the native people of Hawaii.  Eddie's family felt fortunate compared to the other natives because they were allowed to live in a Chinese cemetery as long as they maintained it.  This shows how the natives had been displaced on their own island.  Eddie struggled with getting in to the surfing competitions held by the white people on the island and the arrogant Australian surfers who had claimed to evolved and taken over the sport created by the natives.  The Hawaiians felt that they had just become hula dancers and other forms of entertainment for the tourists.  Hearing the natives talk about how they felt unwanted on the beaches of their own islands really put the impact of imperialism into perspective and allowed me to learn about how the effects of imperialism lingered even after Hawaii gained its statehood and still exist today.