Week 2 - Eli Bottom

While reading this week’s pdf materials, I was intrigued to learn about the conflict between the whites and the native Hawaiians during the early 1900s. What surprised me were the differing methods of defiance taken by natives to show their solidarity as a people. Most notably Prince Kuhio fighting in congress, the Waikiki Beachboys marrying white women, and also women surfing at a time when such an act was looked down upon. 

One large question in my mind, after reading about Ford’s outrigger canoe club, is whether he founded the club for financial reasons or because of some interest in promoting native Hawaiian culture. There is no doubt that he enjoyed surfing, but from the article it seems as though he personally did little to discourage the so called, “cultural jousting” that was promoted as a result of his club. It seems as though he was embracing the sport but throwing the people of the island under the bus. Many times it was recorded that he taunted the Hui Nalu club members in an effort to assert some sort of white supremacy of the surf. My best guess is that his efforts were to promote himself in the elite white community by further distancing himself from the natives, while benefitting financially from additional membership that such exposure brought him.