Annexation and Surf Culture

annexation  
noun

1. the act of annexing, esp territory, or the condition of being annexed

2. something annexed
Synonyms:  incorporation, takeover, conquest, invasion

Since the turn of the twentieth century the American government has repeatedly explored new regions and planted their flag. In 1969 the island territory of Hawaii was added as the fiftieth state to join the Union, yet many Hawaiians felt uneasy about such addition. The synonyms for annexation, the political method in which a country claims another territory as it's own, are all words used in war. From conquest to invasion to takeover, an annexation does not bring up images of two groups of people coming together with a handshake; instead the people of the native territory are instead taken over with the weapons of capitalism.

The Hawaiian surfers of Waikiki faced down a loaded gun when the rich elite stepped off their planes and onto the sands of Hawaiian beaches. To combat this threat many native Hawaiians turned to their cultural practice of he'e nalu (what Americans would later coin as surfing) as their form of rebellion.

Rebellion, as Steve-O of SLC Punk! would say, "comes hard in a city of oppression" and that is exactly what happened in the early years of Hawaii's statehood. Instead of rebellious teens taking to leather jackets and switchblades, Hawaiian rebels turned to their culture and the waves of Hawaii's beaches. To step back for a second and look at the bigger picture, Hawaiian's were almost enslaved at this time in their lives. American white elites had taken their homeland and proceeded to build hotels and resorts on the very beaches they had played upon. Much like Puerto Rico the decade prior, capitalism had found a new cow to bleed dry. And that is exactly what it did.

Two groups arose from this Hawaiian rebellion, the Outrigger Canoe Club and Native surfers. The Outrigger Canoe Club, a subsection of Hawaii's newly found elite class were generally a long arm of the rich white culture in Hawaii. These surfers, some if not most of Hawaiian descent, were pro-annexation and even taught surfing to the white country club members. As these groups clashed, Hawaii faced a complete renovation. On the main island of Honolulu, streets were paved and hotels were appearing on every nice patch of beach available.  Hawaiian culture faced extinction. Yet, the rebellious surfers were able to keep the peace in Hawaii. Against the backstabbing Outrigger and rich elite, these native "beach  boys" kept the heart of Hawaii in place.