Title: Greetings

General Information about the item:

• Genre and sub genre: Customary folklore: custom
• Language: Hawaiian/English
• Country: USA

Informant data:

• Zoe Leonard ’19 from Honolulu, O’ahu. Born in Hawaii and grew up there until coming to Dartmouth.

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Contextual data:

• Social context: It is part of local speech to show respect by calling people older than you. It is also customary to give a kiss on the cheek because people are very affectionate. It is also considered dirty and disrespectful to wear shoes in the house.
• Cultural context: The cheek kiss is similar to the traditional greeting (honi) where two people share a breath in through the nose to say hello. Aunty and Uncle in pidgin were taken from English. They were understood to mean elders or other adults, not specifically blood relatives. The practice of not wearing shoes inside is likely derived from Japanese culture.

Item:

• The custom to greet someone in Hawaii today is a cheek to cheek kiss. Most elderly are referred to “aunty” or “uncle” rather than a “Mr…. or Mrs….”. It is customary to remove your shoes before entering a house.

Collector: Aaryndeep Rai