Big skies in Lanai
You’d never think, knowing how big Lanai is, and know what’s there, rather whats, not there, that you could fill your time being on such a small island, an even smaller town, and enjoy a somewhat siren-less, traffic jammed, noiseless place.
With no stoplights, two, maybe three restaurants, one gas station (Oct 18 price: $5.39/gal) Lanai might drive some insane…at least I figured I go that route. I didn’t…strange to say…but might quickly lapse into a state of vegetation due to the lack of stimulation.
I don’t think I could easily live in a small town as such as I’d piss off too many locals with a bad New York attitude or just plain loose my mind for whatever reason…(What? NO McDONALDS???) Well, to set the record, McDonalds isn’t the best of food but its nice to have options.
As far as nature, its hard not to miss it…with spiders, quails, deer, and other critters and creatures of God running around the island. I didn’t see deer but heard they are abundant as Islanders hunt them for food and fun. (what the hell else you gonna do on an island if you are male, got a gun, and a 4×4 pick up?)
Found lots of interesting folks, good stories, and fun times among the locals. I guess you can equate the friendly quality with the fact that you can’t beef with anyone in a small town. Surely you just can’t close your door and hope not to see that guy/girl ever again…I mean, the town is only 3000 or so…thats how many people live on my block, if not more! But to me, you seem to just take people for what they are, try not to judge and live as you can with everyone in a good old fashion way. Make sense? You just live, and something more important, share yourself.
Kevin and his wife Beth, along with the extended family of friends, co-workers, and neighbors make up a great cast of characters. Kevin, along with many others, are a group of people I met on Lanai on a job I shot in April. In many ways, they all took me to be part of their oddly working extended family and I quickly fit in, quirky as I can be. All normal sense of making friendship went out the window as I immediately became part of the pack. I found anyone in the group would have done about anything for me, regardless if they knew me well or cared anymore than just a “Aloha, how are you?” handshake.
So maybe life on the little rock isn’t all that bad. Life can get back to what it used to be. No Real World, not E TV, no Presidental debates, or other foolishness. Just life…as it maybe should have remained.
I did find a bit of oddness from both Hawaiian natives and mahilinis, or newcomers to Hawaii. Some natives still hold an odd reverse racism towards white peoples, or haoles. Haoles, in many minds, came and stole the land. Sure, if you look at the situation in Hawaiian eyes, whitely came and stole it all.
One Hawaiian guy told me the white man came with laws and rules unfamiliar to them. They make and made sense but in a way didn’t quite make sense to natives. He told me that in the old days, Hawaiians buried their dead with their “legal” documents or as he said, papers, so once they were buried, those rules became oral history. The white man had proof, not just words. So when land was sold, it was a done deal.
I mean, much of the land was sold legitimately in the old days, but no different than the Dutch purchase of New York from the natives. Hey, both parties got what they wanted, even if you can look back and say one got cheated. That’s history. Sorry, no do overs or give me backs. I think we’d all like to do over what our ancestors did because hindsight is 20/20.
It isn’t any better on whitey’s side either. The regret and bitterness, in many ways, creates a tough situation, or relation among the white people who own and run the island as well as those who move here and do nothing but self absorb themselves into Lanai society.
Whitey, regardless of what many say, did bring organization, laws, and structure to an unorganized society. I mean, things worked well in Hawaiian society, and I could be making uneducated statements, but lots of Hawaiians want the land back and want to reinstall the king. Well, a King means all belongs to him and nothing belongs to the peoples. Its well known surfing was for the Kings and royalty…not the peoples. And besides, what Hawaiian native is gonna admit he is just a pure landless peasant who owns nothing and follows the King. I think anyone with a smidgen of brains would run around and state he is the King’s cousin…etc…
Sure I sound ignorant, maybe a bit racist (Can Mexicans be racist…?) but a bit realistic. I don’t know…do i care?
To get back to the mahilinis, the odd problem on Lanai just might be those new arrivals who set up shop to sell their jewelry junk, paintings, photos, etc…to rich tourist stopping buy, yes buy, for the day from Maui or stay over at the exclusive ($$$) Four Seasons. Surely you know I don’t bad mouth the artists who make crafts and such for life, but so much of this can be seen as a self absorbent selfishness to proclaim “HERE I AM! BUY MY ART!” behavior that’s so quickly found in so many resort type societies. Don’t get me wrong, lots of people really do make art for art’s sake but trinkets and junk sell so well on islands.
Ironic, here I am criticizing my brothers and I am nothing but a Xerox machine stealing what runs around me. How, my dear readers, do I make a difference? Maybe its not criticism but more of a reflection of myself.
The affluent visitors who come to places like Kauai, Lanai, and other “artists” havens create galleries and whatnot to sell their wares but sometimes it seems these types could do so much more for society as a whole of they did more than just scribble their false sense of art and humanitarianism onto a canvas. Let the ferral cats sort themselves out…they surely don’t need your colonialist sense of being or wellness. Locals are demanding more restaurants and services but the mahilinis only bring themselves, jewelry and trinkets. Locals…step up! “We sailed anywhere around the globe just using the stars!” one Hawaiian proclaimed, sadly, his brothers couldn’t put down the ice pipe. All natives were given their vice, sad to say.
Anyway, onto the better things in life other than my rambles…
Garden of the Gods, sunset, windy, and cold.
The above captures me with a 14mm, fast gushing winds, and red dirt. Red dirt stains like no tomorrow. Havoc on the shoes, clothes and anything else that it touches. As I reflect on Lanai, I do see myself in a different light. I feel older, as my picture portrays. I am facing heavy winds and a dust cloud but this mortal picture makes me feel my age…all of 37 next year February. The way I lived in the past, I never thought I’d make it to this age…well thats not exactly true but we all tend to forget how quick time flies. I don’t actually feel or look this bad. But its funny to peer into the future.