Hawaiian Music Research Paper

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It is very common to see people having their headphones on and we know that they are listening to music. It is also very common for coffee shops and restaurants to have music playing because it can create relaxation and connect people. Music has been very important in people’s lives. It is not just an entertainment but also a powerful way to deliver messages to the public. Music carries power that can define a society- like it reminds people how things were in the past and how things are in the present. It is a reflection of a culture. Throughout history, music has been used in many different ways that greatly contributed with the expression of people’s ideologies. Cultures, having their own histories, may have different views on music. But…show more content…
It was the songs, called “phony” songs, which contain nonsense lyrics mistakenly representing the real culture of Hawaii. Creating a “fake” Hawaiian culture, those songs were composed by non-Hawaiians. This then created negative impacts on Hawaiian heritage, thus provoking the start of a social movement for Hawaiian music renaissance. It was to oppose the ideology mainly created by the dominant non-Hawaiians. An example of a “phony” song is “Princess Poo-Poo-ly Has Plenty Papaya” by Harry Owens. The sample lyrics; “Princess Poo-poo-ly has plenty papayas, and she loves to give it away, now all of the neighbors they say, Oh mea oh mya” (Our Hawaii by Bob Krauss, 2005). This song was meant to be funny, but according to Rosemary Patterson, “Words like Princess Poo-poo-ly are ridiculing native Hawaiian culture and demeaning Hawaiian women” (Patterson, 2002). The third theme in the article was “the new Hawaiian music”. It talked about the emergence of new songs celebrating native Hawaiian traditions but still opposing the…show more content…
It was about how tourism changes music in Hawaii. Even though new Hawaiian songs emerged, there were still performed songs that create false culture of Hawaii, and that is because of the tourism industry. Many perform those songs in tourist places because they pay well. Yes, the industry has created many jobs for the locals, inspired the creation of new songs and is a giant factor of the state’s economy. But at the same time, it has oppressed many musicians to express themselves and not what they are expected to by tourists because that is what pays well. For example, tourists in Waikiki expect to hear and see those kind of music and performances during shows. Most of the time Hawaiians themselves were the performers, the same people who created songs and movements to oppose the dominant

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