Hawaiian style graffiti and the questions of sovereignty, law, property, and ecology

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2018

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SAGE Publishers

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Abstract

Based on the ethnographic insight gained from the fieldwork conducted between 2006 and 2012 on the island of O‘ahu, this article attempts to capture the aesthetic and symbolic expressions of decolonization in aerosol writing pieces by a crew primarily composed of Kanaka Maoli (“true human being,” indigenous people of Hawai‘i) writers. By focusing on the indigenous aesthetic practice of kaona (“hidden meaning”), the article analyzes the ways in which Hawaiian style graffiti unveils the contested issues of jurisdiction, sovereignty, property claims, and ecological integrity under the prolonged colonial and military occupation. It simultaneously illuminates the decolonial vision brought forth by Kānaka Maoli writers that seeks to transcend and transform the realities imposed by the colonial and occupational power. Through socio-historical contextualization, the article draws parallels between the time of Hawaiian Kingdom and the present, to unravel the integration of ancestral knowledge and contemporary expressions in Hawaiian style graffiti.

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Modified from original accepted manuscript version to conform to ADA standards.

Keywords

Graffiti, indigenous aesthetics, ki‘i pōhaku, Sovereignty, Ecology

Citation

Kato, M. T. (2018). Hawaiian style graffiti and the questions of sovereignty, law, property, and ecology. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 1177180118786242. https://doi.org/10.1177/1177180118786242

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13 pages

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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.

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