What’s important about cultural awareness?  What does knowing your culture have to do with knowing yourself?

Culture has an awesome effect on the way we feel, think and act.  It helps us decide what we value and believe, how we communicate, and also what we think of the people and world around us.  Culture is the lens through which we view, judge, and move ourselves in the world.

Living in Hawaii, you have already learned about many cultures through your different groups of friends and family, the celebrations that you have been part of, and the variety of ono foods that we share!  Growing up in Hawaii is like a “mixed plate” where we have sampled tastes of many different cultures.  We even have our own unique “local” teen culture that includes speaking Pidgin English, wearing t-shirt/shorts/slippers, listening to Jawaiian music, hanging out at the beach, and eating “local-kine grinds”.  Beyond this, we have our own family backgrounds and cultural histories that have left imprints on who we are today.

Hawaii’s unique multicultural environment can be traced very far back in history.  To quickly summarize, early Polynesians arrived on canoes, King Kamehameha united most of the islands, and huge populations of immigrants came to work on the sugar plantations.  Now, generations later, we are a truly multi-ethnic and multi-cultural community made up of a diverse group of ethnicities from all over the world.  It’s cool to be “hapa” in Hawaii (though it may not be that way in other places of the world), and many people are likely to be a mix of a lot of different ethnicities!

What does all of this cultural awareness mean in your life?  The answers lie within your own culture and family, and the people you grew up around.  Your answers will be decided by the choices you make to develop your own cultural identity, values, and lifestyle.  The choices you make about cultural knowledge are what you will pass on to future generations.  Being influenced by a country as diverse as the United States and living in a state as multi-ethnic as Hawaii, cultural identity development is complex.  Race and ethnicity, as well as religion, nationality, immigration status, gender, and sexual orientation all play important roles in the development of identity.

Cultural knowledge begins with self-awareness.  You can begin by finding out more about your own “roots”.  Watching videos and movies, reading books, visiting important places, completing a family tree, and talking story with relatives and those who know about your culture are great ways to start.  Attending cultural events, such as festivals, celebrations, and activities are more great ways to explore culture.  You may even want to explore other cultures.  As more awareness of yourself and others who are culturally different grows, you may want to help in reducing the prejudices that exist in today’s world.  Remember, getting to know your culture and yourself will be a lifelong journey.