I dropped her off this morning and saw girls (and boys) wearing grass skirts, some of them with coconut bras too. I’m not sure what else is going on, but it doesn’t seem very respectful of a native culture that we have seriously fucked over. Would they have a “Native American Day” and let kids come in wearing feathered headdresses?
Or am I reading too much into it?
‘Associated with [by outsiders]’ is a wholly different animal than ‘part of [according to members]’. That’s literally the point of the conversation we’re having.
The logical follow-up question is, “who made you the arbiter of Hawaiian culture?” I propose that coconuts and grass skirts are very much associated with Hawaiian culture today. Just like tikka masala is associated with Indian culture, even though it was invented by a Brit, and tempura is associated with Japanese culture, even though it was invented by the Portuguese.
There isn’t an authority on what is and is not associated with one’s culture. That’s highly subjective, and changes much over time. Eventually cultures adopt and relinquish all kinds of values, practises, and customs. It can happen intentionally, but usually it’s quite by accident.
There’s a very simple answer to your question that it seems like you’re almost deliberately avoiding: native Hawaiians.
They’re not a homogenous group, and there isn’t a cultural leader. I know a Hawaiian girl who thinks coconuts and grass skirts are associated with Hawaiian culture. So I guess they are, then, by your standard.