Report 1

(Photo by Mathilde)

Throughout our first week studying away at Honolulu, Hawai‘i, we spent a lot of time learning about the Hawaiian traditional culture and how its evolved overtime while relating it to religious practices that originated from the countries in East Asia. Some historic sites that we visited were the Bishop Museum, ‘Iolani Palace, the Shinto Shrine, Japanese cemetery, the Manoa Chinese Cemetery, the Chinese Temple, and the Buddhist Temple. All the places that we visited had different aspects regarding their architecture and iconography, religious dress, and included various sensory experiences. 

One of the first sites that we visited was the Bishop Museum. To start off, the Hawaiian Hall in the Bishop Museum was set up in such a way that visitors could follow it and learn the history of traditional Hawaiian culture in chronological order. The way the museum is set up is similar to the Hawaiian culture in general, whereas it is rooted in storytelling. As for the iconography, it was present through heavy visual representations of the Hawaiian culture. For example, there were many historically physical artifacts that were present in the museum and there were interactive areas as well as areas that allowed the visitor to become more educated on the topic by watching a video. Furthermore, there were numerous Indigenous plants that were surrounding the entire Bishop Museum and were intentionally planted there so visitors could better comprehend the relationship between the Native Hawaiians and their land.

‘Iolani Palace was the second site we visited that was heavily focused on Hawaiian history, specifically the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the overthrow that happened in 1893. We were greeted at the back door where we proceeded into the entrance hall of the palace. One of the first significant things we saw was the photos on the wall that represented the previous kings of Hawai‘i. As most of these photos are of kings who ruled before the palace was even built, they emphasize the importance of the Hawaiian traditions of genealogy and keeping track of one’s history. As Kame‘eleihiwa states in her article, “The genealogies are the Hawaiian concept of time, and they order the space around us. Hawaiian genealogies are the histories of our people” (19). This then emphasizes the connection of the royals to their native identity by focusing on their history and ancestry through displaying the previous royals who once ruled the Hawaiian kingdom.

Following this, our guide continued by leading us through the palace, pointing out specific aspects of the architecture, specifically what has been restored and what is still an original part of the palace. After the overthrow, the palace was taken over by the provincial government who used it as their headquarters before the city hall was built. They decided to auction away most of the furniture and items that had previously been located in the palace, so much of its interior is still missing as items are located all across the globe, mostly with private persons who might not even know that their items originally belongs to the kingdom of Hawai‘i. Once the city hall was built and the provincial government moved out of the palace, instead of preserving it, they left it to become condemned. Most of the palace’s interior was falling apart by the time someone was able to begin restoring it, so the price to do so was high, but with many generous donors they managed to restore it to its previous splendor. Most of the palace is still very fragile so we were asked not to touch anything in order to avoid destroying it in any way, but we were allowed to hold the railing of the stairs, which is one of the few things that survived the demolition and is still remaining from the original building.

In addition, although much of the original furniture is still missing, a lot has also found its way back to the palace, furnishing the rooms as they once used to be. There were also several places where different royal dresses were displayed, most of which were very extravagant, matching the popular western style at that time. The entire palace in itself was quite extravagant with items from many places across the world, signifying that they wanted the absolute best for the palace, for instance their dining utensils and plates from Bohemia.

As for the people who used to live in the palace, he specifically focused on discussing the latest royals before the overthrow, and what lead up to the end of Hawaii’s monarchy. As King Kalãkaua passed away during one of his voyages, his sister, Queen Lili‘uokalani was named as his successor and was implemented as the new, but also now known as the last sovereign monarch of the kingdom of Hawai‘i. He emphasised the story of what happened to Queen Lili‘uokalani after the overthrow, showing us the “prison room” where she spent her days after their attempt to take back power following the overthrow. There Lili‘uokalani embroided the quilt that represented her history, and also much of Hawaii’s history to ensure that the story would be told regardless of what happened to her. This was a visual tool for storytelling, something that is very important in relaying history for Indigenous peoples.

One thing that surprised us as we learned more about the backstory of the overthrow was how sneaky the US was in their involvement. As we learned from our talk with Troy, documents have just recently been found that verify US involvement in the overthrow, even though this is something that most people have known or suspected since it happened (Andrade). This was also mentioned in Van Dykes article where he states that “in 1993, the U.S. Congress acknowledged success of the overthrow and that this role had been “illegal” and in violation of international law and issued a formal apology for the activities of the United States” (153). Although the US apologized, it has not made a big difference on the native Hawaiian people, much of their efforts to restore their own culture and traditions has been with protests from the new government, and they still work hard to keep their connection to the land and their cultural traditions alive.

When we visited the Shinto Shrine we were welcomed by Irene, who walked us through what happens during a visit to the temple while the priest performed a welcoming ritual. As soon as we entered the temple we cleansed our hands and mouth with water as part of a purification process. After we walked up the stairs we took off our shoes as part of the feng shui as well as to respect the building that we were entering. When we walked in we observed that the building was structured in a way that connects the main area of worship and offerings to the place of prayer and then the gift shop. The temple was built by a group of volunteers over the span of three years. Prior to the highway being built the shrine had a few non traditional aspects to it, such as a dojo and a movie theater. While this might be seen as strange or too commercial for visitors, it is not uncommon that Shrine’s adjust to the visitors that they are receiving which in this case would be tourists or people who want to learn more about the shrine & Shinto practices.

In addition to the accessible structure of the building, there were multiple symbols that signified Shinto culture and representing the earth that we come from. The symbols that were on the wall represented the five elements: Earth (also chi), water, fire, wind, and the sky. There is also the presence of a drum that is beat twenty-one times in order to summon the gods, the drum is also beat an odd number of times because even numbers are believed to be bad luck. Behind the drum is offerings from people who want blessings from the gods, the offerings that were present were sake, rice, and rice products. There were also tools that allow for the priest to ward off evil spirits that attempt to enter the temple. 

The only person that was wearing religious dress was the Shinto priest himself which had special meaning from head to toe. The Shinto priest we saw had a special headdress that more commonly seen during the Edō period, we were also told that priest always had something on their head in order to signify their status (depicted above). The traditional garments of a Japanese Shinto priests are called karigunu which means “purified robes” and consists of a light robe called a hō and colored pants that signify the status of the priest (Manabu 4). In addition to these robes, priests also carry a wooden baton in their hands and wear wooden sandals.

During our visit to the shrine we were connected to Irene, who has been a member of the shrine for over a decade. During this visit Irene walked through all the events of the ceremony and afterwards answered our questions regarding the history of the shrine. During this time Irene answered a question in regards to what happened to the Shrine during World War II and the shrine stopping activities due to the government taking Japanese people to internment camps. During this time there were people in Japan who were building a cement gate and carved their names into the gate and when it was delivered to America they etched their names out so they would not get caught. Even though this may seem tragic or sad, Irene recalled it as a happy memory and a story of perseverance through a hard time.  

During our site visit we found many connections to the reading specifically in relationship to the architecture and the presentation at the shrine. This stuck out to us specifically because of our presence as visitors to the temple but also as a tourist. While it is not uncommon for the shrines to structure themselves around the types of visitors they had, we personally found it interesting as to how Irene guided us through the events of the ceremony as well as different aspects of the temple. In the book, Reader discusses how temples adapt to the shifting economy which would include tourist (Reader 75). While this may be deemed as straying from tradition or negative, it is okay for a shrine to adjust to the economy and accept tourists it also does not affect the relationship with the Kami, allowing for the practice to be okay. Which shocked us and allowed for us to realize that that the relationship between the shrine and the Kami is more important than the structure. 

The Byodo-In Temple is located in the beautiful valley next to a Japanese cemetery. What makes the Byodo-In temple special lies not only in its name but also in the structure of the temple itself. The name of the temple, Byodo-In, means “the acceptance of everyone” meaning that anyone, no matter their religious following can enter the temple and make offerings to the Buddha. In addition to the name of the temple, there are representations of different religious denominations in order to show physical representation of different religious denominations. In addition to the physical structure of the building, we were told that if you look at the building from a satellite image you can see that the ponds around the building creates the kanji for 心 or kokoro meaning heart or love which adds to the inclusivity of the temple. When looking into the temple from a distance there is a hole cut out that frames Buddha’s face perfectly. On the inside, you can see the Buddha made out of wood and sitting on a lotus flower with other Buddha’s surrounding him. We were told that the position that we see the Buddha in is the one that he was rumored to be in when he reached enlightenment. 

While there was no one in the temple that was in religious dress that was attending the temple, there were other visitors who were paying their respects to Buddha through the offering of incense. In addition to the offering of incense some visitors also chanted in front of the Buddha in order to pay their respects. 

There were minimal events happening around the temple, there was a personal sense of installing peace within the visitors of the temple. This is done through the ringing of the bell that not only brings good luck to the person that rang it, but also imitates the “om” sound that is made when mediating. There was also the sound of water running as well as birds flying all around. This sense of peacefulness was a shock to us as visitors because even though there were a lot of people visiting the temple. In the reading they discuss the importance of meditation and focusing the mind (Reader 82). While there was no place to sit down and meditate, you were still able to feel a strong sense of mindfulness due to the events that were occurring at the temple. This is also talked about in the book that mindfulness does not have to be reached primarily through the act of meditation but also through different acts such as repeated cleaning or task that requires deep focus (82).

When we visited the site of the Manoa Chinese Cemetery, it was an experience that can’t be compared to any other traditional western cemetery. The architecture of the cemetery for instance has a great amount of symbolism behind it. The cemetery is in the heart of the valley directly between two mountains, which creates a balance of chi within the area. The mountains are similar in size so that chi will not be able to leak out of the area. This location puts the ancestors in the graves of the cemetery in an area of good feng shui which gives them honor and auspiciousness. 

As for the iconography aspect of the Manoa Chinese Cemetery, the color scheme throughout the cemetery is red and green. The color red is heavily associated with good luck in the Chinese culture. The color green symbolizes growth, which is why many of the graves in the cemetery have a lot of green ti leaf trees growing on them. The cemetery sits on a hillside, with the grave of the ancestor at the top of the mountain, or the heart of the cemetery. The graves are all facing south for feng shui, which Overmyer also refers to this form of feng shui when he says, “many of [the people in Hong Kong] still arrange their furniture on feng-shui principles with a sofa facing south along a north wall or a cabinet set to block potential hostile lines of force from across the street” (Overmyer 61). The monument of the grand ancestor also has symbolism behind it in terms of its location in the cemetery, sitting in the center of the four “Fantastic Animals”. The four Fantastic Animals include the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Snake, and the Red Phoenix in the east, west, north, and south of the Grand Ancestor, respectively. For the Grand Ancestor to be in that particular location, it is protected by the four Fantastic Animals and they will collect and protect the chi in thee area. These symbolic things connect to Overmyer’s reading when he says, “Chinese have always understood their world to be full of holy mountains, caves, and landscapes that particularly reveals the power and beauty of the earth” (60).

Cultures vary when it comes to religious dress in the Manoa Chinese Cemetery. Traditionally, people will wear ruffled un-dyed clothing that is somewhat uncomfortable. Nowadays, people will incorporate the un-dyed clothing in their attire; men will wear suits and women will wear dresses, and will wear the un-dyed piece of cloth as a headband, a hat, or wrapped around their arm when attending a funeral service. In addition to that, we learned that different cultures would do funeral services differently, some which we found quite surprising. For instance, the traditional funeral service is generally full of being mournful and grieving. However, some cultures look at funerals as a time of celebration where strippers and pole dancers can be hired and served as entertainment for both the people attending the funeral and the deceased. 

Some things that we saw while walking through the cemetery were the different offerings that families would put on the graves of their loved ones. For instance, we saw a lot of mandarin oranges on graves and learned that these fruits served different purposes as offerings. The mandarin oranges have a longer shelf life than other fruits and are easily accessible. However, the symbolism behind it is that mandarins is that it represents good luck, which makes it a good offering to ancestors and loved ones. According to Overmyer, “Food was offered before these tablets; soup, vegetables, and fruits, together with fish, beef, and pork” (71). With that being said the offering of food was very common, we also saw that the offering of cooked foods and uncooked foods whereas “cooked for gods and ancestors, uncooked for ghosts” (70). That the children’s section of the cemetery, we saw that there was cooked food placed in a container on top of a grave, and according to the reading the offering was meant for ancestors and gods.

The next site that we visited was the Chinese Temple which was followed by participation in the Chinese new year celebration. The Chinese temple differed from the other temples that we went to. The temple was located on the second floor and was filled with numerous incense which filled the entire room that you can instantly smell as soon as you enter the building. The second floor has an area for prayers towards the front of the room with Ku Po (the Great Grand Aunt) accompanied by the Dragon Queen on his left and the Earth Goddess on his right. The Dragon Queen had control of all the natural conditions on earth like weather, the ocean, fire, etc. As for the Earth Goddess, she is in control of all the “earthly things” and one will pray to her when they are concerned about the earthly problems such as giving birth. So together on the altar it is the Goddess of the Sea that is accompanied by the Dragon Queen and the Earth Goddess (Hom 1).

Some sensory observations that the group experienced included the smell of the food that was cooked in the kitchen of the second floor but mostly all the incense that was present throughout the temple. As students from the class participated in asking questions and doing prayers at the front of the temple, there were sounds of the hitting of a drum and a bell. The drum and the bells are significant to the religion whereas they help awaken the gods when someone is doing a prayer or asking a questions. We were told that the gods are always there, but they sometimes need to be woken up. 

After the temple we were able to participate in cultural festivities at the Chinese New Year celebration. At the celebration there were vendors that sold things that were traditional to the Chinese culture. Chinese food was being sold an it was what the air smelled, jade jewelry with religious symbols such as the cross or the Buddha were sold, shirts that had the year of the rat Chinese Zodiac animal were also sold. You could hear that many people were throwing pop-it’s on the ground. After a while we began to hear drumming sounds as well as the sound of the bell, which meant that the dragon and lion dances were happening. 

The very last site that we visited was the Honpa Hongwanji Hawai‘i Betsuin, and this particular temple that primarily focused on the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism. The architecture of this temple was particularly unique since they won the 2019 National sacred places award. The architecture was a combination of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Western cultures. The architecture of this building is a great representation of how Buddhism slowly evolved. For instance the religion essentially followed the Silk Road path of Mahayana Buddhism and it eventually came to Hawai‘i through immigration of the plantation workers. As Buddhism spread throughout the world, it picked up on other cultures, which is why the temple has aspects of different cultures incorporated into it. Furthermore, on the outside of the temple it appears to have a mixture of Japanese and Indian on the outside but on the inside it looks similar to a traditional church. Reader confirmed the religious diversity of the Jodo Shinshu sect when he said, “A quantifiable and diverse degree of religious pluralism in the Jodo Shinshu sect” (8).  

 As for the iconography, the altar of the temple is a representation of the Pure Land, and the color gold is heavily used in it to exhibit how the Pure Land is a heavenly place. The art around the altar also had some significance. On the top right hand corner of the altar there was Phoenix, which represented the future or the next century of the temple. On the top left hand corner of the alar there was a 2 headed bird, which was found in the sutras and it represents how important it is to work together to stay in the pure land because if they don’t then all will suffer the consequences. 

Somethings that the group experienced included attending the service. Before we entered the room we had to bow first. We then took our seats at the pews, before the start of the service students from the class were able to give an offering by lighting an incense and performing a ritual that included a series of bows. We sat through the service that consisted of the ascension, a hymn, the honoring of the founder through the scattering of incense and chanting, another hymn, a children’s dharma sermon and then an adult dharma sermon. After service we all joined together downstairs for some refreshments and snacks and all had the opportunity to talk to elders that are members of the Buddhist Temple. Afterwards we were given somewhat of an informational mini lecture about the history of Buddhism, the Honpa Hongwanji Hawai‘i Betsuin, and were taken to the different altars that were in the temple. During his lecture he included the different types of Buddhism and how they wear slightly different religious attire whereas the colors of their robes differ (i.e. the Monastics wear robes). 

 When we left the temple the biggest things that we felt was confusion due to how Dexter explained how Jodo Shin Buddhism was structured and what we knew about Buddhism. While Dexter was talking he told us that when people pass they go to the Pure Land, he also told us that when people pass they stay on Earth in order to guide their loved ones. This brought confusion because it was not clear if there were two places that people were able to move between or if they picked one over the other. After clarification we learned that it is truly dependent on the individual themselves, some individuals believe that they will go to the Pure Land while other believe that their purpose is to stay on earth and guide their loved ones. Regardless of the belief of where we go after we pass, there is a general understanding that the place is a temporary state and is only a small stop before they are enlightened. 

Overall, the first week here in Honolulu, Hawai‘i was pretty hectic yet very educational. We learned about toured Bishop Museum, ‘Iolani Palace, the Shinto Shrine, Japanese cemetery, the Manoa Chinese Cemetery, the Chinese Temple, and a Buddhist Temple. It was a week filled with cultural, religious, and traditional, diversity and education. All of the sites we visited we were able to participate in somewhat of a traditional and religious rituals while reading about them in our textbooks. Although the religions and traditions were different from one another they all had parallels with one another such as giving an offering, respecting elders, saying prayers, etc. 

Bibliography

Andrade, Troy. ‘Hawaiian History.’ 2020. Lecture.

Baker, Don. Korean Spirituality. University of Hawai'i Press, 2008.

Goo, Sara Kehaulani. “Hokule'a, The Hawaiian Canoe Traveling The World By A Map Of The Stars.” NPR, NPR, 27 May 2016,  www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/27/479468130/hokulea-the-hawaiian-canoe-traveling-the-world-by-a-map-of-the-stars  <%22http://>.

Hom, Douglas. “History.” Lum Sai Ho Tong,  www.lumsaihotonghawaii.com/history-1  <%22http://>.

Kameʻeleihiwa Lilikalā. Native Land and Foreign Desires = Ko Hawaiʻi ʻāina a Me nā Koi Puʻumake a Ka Poʻe Haole: a History of Land Tenure Change in Hawaiʻi from Traditional Times until the 1848 Māhele, Including an Analysis of Hawaiian Aliʻi Nui and American Calvinists. Bishop Museum Press, 1994, pp. 19–48.

Loebel-Fried, Caren. Lono and the Magical Land Beneath the Sea. Bishop Museum Press, 2006.

Overmyer, Daniel L. Religions of China: The World as a Living System. Waveland Press, 1998.

Reader, Ian. Religion in Contemporary Japan. University of Hawai'i Press, 1991.

Van Dyke, John M. Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawaii? University of Hawaii Press, 2008.

Toya, Manabu. ““Shōzoku”: The Shintō Vestments.”

http s://www.nippon.com/en/views/b05212/shozoku-the-shinto-vestments.html . Accessed 18 January 2020.

Baker, Don. Korean Spirituality. University of Hawai'i Press, 2008.

Goo, Sara Kehaulani. “Hokule'a, The Hawaiian Canoe Traveling The World By A Map Of The Stars.” NPR, NPR, 27 May 2016, www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/27/479468130/hokulea-the-hawaiian-canoe-traveling-the-world-by-a-map-of-the-stars.

Hom, Douglas. “History.” Lum Sai Ho Tong, www.lumsaihotonghawaii.com/history-1.