Talk:Hapa/Archive 1

Hapa the band

Hi all,

Who would like to add a page for Hapa the band, and a disambiguation link (like the one at the top of this page) to the page? Godfrey Daniel 22:25, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

I second that.. Dont know much about them jholdaway 23:22, 06 November 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.161.182.187 (talk)

How does someone correct a false definition and inaccurate article content/

(Moved from Reference Desk)

Dear Wikipedia Administrators and Editors,

It is with great dismay and sadness that when I looked up the definition of the Hawaiian word Hapa, I found that it was not defined truthfully. Please advise. I would like to know how one can be sure that the true meaning and definition of a word will be present on an article site that has redefined a word as a usage. I tried a few times to edit the article "Hapa" to present all the facts and the true meaning of this Hawaiian word, but someone kept puting the incorrect definiton back before I could finish. (PikiPik and Pez?)

Hapa is a Hawaiian (kanaka maoli) word of Hawaiian (ethnicity, blood ancestry) origin. Hapa began as a word by Hawaiians (like my great grandmother) for Hawaiians of part Hawaiian ancestry. Hawaiian dictionaries define "hapa" as "part, fragment., portion" or "an indefinite part of a thing, a few, a small part". Later it was further defined to include "of mixed blood, person of mixed blood". Hapa does not mean "part or partial Asian".

To take a word which is a part of an indigenous language and then redefine it as a word used for part-Japanese people who came from Hawai'i and then further redefine it as "people of part Asian and European ancestry" is ethnocultural theft. At the very least, the article site on wikipedia that defines and explains the word "hapa" should give credit where credit is due-to the Hawaiian (kanaka maoli) people of Hawai'i. The word hapa was in use long before any of the foreign Asian and Portuguese immigrants came to Hawai'i. Hawaiians and (the first foreigners) Europeans (like my grandfather) created the first hapa people of Hawai'i. An example is Princess Victoria Ka'iulani Cleghorn. Later, Hawaiians intermarried with the Chinese (like my great grandfather) who were the first non-European immigrants to Hawai'i. This then created many people of Hawaiian, European and Chinese ancestry. Hapa is a Hawaiian word, it is not a "Hawai'i Creole" or Hawai'i Pidgin English" word.

How can anyone just take a word that has original meaning, definition and usage of a native peoples and just redefine it to suit someone and something else? Why has no one looked up the word in the dictionaries that would be the authority as to the definiton of a Hawaiian word? People of Hawaiian language authority. Please look in the dictionaries of Hawaiian language. It is a terrible thing to present something wrong and false as being the "truth".

By the way, I am Hawai'i born and raised, and am hapa because I am part Hawaiian- I am of mixed ethnic/racial ancestry-Hawaiian, Chinese, French, Welsh, Dutch, Irish, Scottish, Mohawk, Prussian, Austrian, English and Seneca. Two of my nephews are all of this and part Japanese and Okinawan too; they are hapa. Please make sure the truth is presented. Please do not allow someone to put forth a false definition. It is hurtful to those of us who are hapa and grew up with this word as a part of our heritage. People of Hawaiian ancestry have always been known to share and give in a most generous way, easily mixing and intermarrying with all ethnicities and races, and the word hapa can evolve to include anyone of mixed ethnic and racial ancestry, but please do not state that the definition of hapa is part Asian mixed ancestry. It is defined as "part, partial or fragment; one of mixed blood". Kelly Hu is hapa. Kelly Preston is hapa. Keanu Reeeves is hapa, and so forth. I have seen many sites on the web where the defition of hapa has been redefined. Please do not be such a site, be fair and just. (This was posted on the Reference Desk by User:Ilikea)

OK, so, in summary, you dispute:

• The origin of hapa — Hawai‘ian rather than pidgin.
• Usage of hapa — any mixed race, not just Asian.

On the first point, I think you need to discuss your sources for your beliefs on the etymology of the word with your co-contributors. I see that the talk page for the article is blank. It is best to talk to people there before resorting to consulting the entire community.

On the second point, I see that the article does not say hapa means part-Asian. It just says they more often than not are. Isn't this true? Again, it is best to talk about this on the article's talk page.

I also see the article is very badly named. Hapa seems to have been moved to HAPA-Mainland U.S.A. redefinition of Hawaiian word, which is not in line with Wikipedia naming conventions. I am going to move it back to Hapa.

Finally, welcome to Wikipedia — I hope you will become a regular and valuable contributor. Please make sure you sign your comments by putting ~~~~ after them. It would also be handy if you could divide them up into paragraphs for legibility (I had to do that for you.) Thanks. — Chameleon Main/Talk/Images 05:27, 27 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia where redefinition is rampant and a struggle to maintain historical consistency is difficult. My best wishes from a veteran wikipedian.WHEELER 15:02, 28 Jul 2004 (UTC)

---

I am one of the originators of this article.

First, allow me to address some of the concerns User:Ilikea raised. For one thing, although I am a bit chagrined to be accused of "ethnocultural theft" (is there a wiki for that? heh) when my contribution is patently devoid of malicious intent, I understand your principled disagreement with the way I and other contributors have defined the word "hapa" in this article.

For one thing, when a word is borrowed into a first language from a second language, contemporary linguistics regards the word, when used in the first language, as a valid part of the first language. As such, a statement such as "Hapa is a Hawaiian word, it is not a 'Hawai'i Creole' or 'Hawai'i Pidgin English' word," is not appropriate because the word "hapa" has been borrowed into English. When used as a loanword in English, "hapa" may have a different meaning than the meaning associated with the word used in the Hawaiian language.

One argument espoused is that it is either morally or at least technically wrong to use a loanword in a manner varying from the meaning given the loanword in the language from which it is borrowed. I respectfully disagree. Many loanwords to English have acquired significant difference in meaning from the original--this process of semantic shift is not of itself either bad or good, but simply a reality of linguistics.

Moreover, regional variation of meaning also varies widely--such appears to be the case with the word "hapa," for example. I readily admit ignorance of the usage of the term "hapa" used in English or Pidgin in Hawaii; however, I am certain that in the eastern United States at least, the term "hapa" is used to broadly denote persons of mixed Asian ancestry. This fact (like all facts) is neither bad nor good--it simply is, and as a fact, this definition of "hapa" is valid in an encyclopedic entry.

Rather than despair at the reality of semantic shift, I invite you, Ilikea, to add your understanding of the term "hapa" to this entry; however, I feel the other definition(s) should not be deleted, as they are equally valid in the regions in which they are used.

Finally, although I should not indulge in this type of discussion here, I would be wary of presenting any definition or understanding of fact as the sole legitimate "truth" (as intimated in the statement "Please make sure the truth is presented. Please do not allow someone to put forth a false definition"), with any other understanding a "false definition." Reality tends to be an amalgamation of "truths," with few universal, absolute definitions or understandings. --Ryanaxp 21:35, Aug 3, 2004 (UTC)

Edited some of the more inaccurate parts of the article.FreddyPickle (talk) 21:30, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Aloha Ryanaxp

Much appreciation for you response. Anything and everything Hawaiian (ethnically and culturally) can be a touchy subject. Here in Hawaii it is understood that hapa has to do with those of mixed Hawaiian blood. However, we also use this word to describe people of mixed or part Asian ancestry. We also use the term "chop suey" for those who are mixed, but usually more than two different racial or ethnic backgrounds. I put links on the site that would give other perspectives on the usage and meaning of the word. One in particular is the website called "The Real Hapas". I thought it would give the perspective of those people of Hawaiian ancestry who view the word "hapa" as a cultural word. I use the word for all mixes of people who are either part Asian or part Pacific Islander or both and any other racial/ethnic ancestry. I apologize for the anger and strength of my words above. As someone of part Hawaiian ancestry, I have seen the decline of the Hawaiian people and the passage of many of my full-blooded ancestors. What I hope to achieve by contributing to the "Hapa" article is showing the origins, usage and development of a Hawaiian word that has come to encompass more that what it originally meant. Most people of Hawaiian ancestry are part Asian and part Caucasian. I was upset (not with the originators of this article)with the misunderstanding outside of Hawaii about things Hawaiian or local culture Hawaii.

Sincerely, Ilikea 22:48, 3 Aug 2004 (UTC)Ilikea

Unwarranted (IMO) Deletions Reversed

Recently user:Zora deleted several large sections from this article, describing them as "inaccurate." Because this reason was not clearly elucidated, and because no discussion was made on this talk page prior to the deletion, I reinstated some of the deleted material and performed some editing of my own.

The focus of my editing was to increase brevity and move toward NPOV (per my interpretation of NPOV). I agree with Zora that the list of Hapas is extraneous, and perhaps more than a little tacky--thus I left it out.

Otherwise, I see no good reason to delete the material relating to the origins of the word Hapa, nor to delete the material discussing alternate usage in comparison to Hawaiian usage, etc. Also, there seems no good reason to remove the list of external links (which I have found useful).

To user:Zora, if you disagree with the article as written, please discuss the changes you propose to make here in the talk page. Certainly, deleting entire sections of the article would be something to discuss with co-contributors prior to carrying out the deletion. Thank you for your contributions. --Ryanaxp 16:12, Aug 5, 2004 (UTC)

---

OK, I was tired and angry last night, after spending hours to drop all references to Huna as 'the Hawaiian religion', and to kanaka maoli as an accepted term for ethnic Hawaiian.

Adding the para about the use of hapa on the mainland seems warranted, if that's indeed the way hapa is used. I'm ONLY familiar with the usage in Hawai'i; I've never heard or seen anyone who isn't a Hawaiian resident use the word. But if it's actually current in some circles ...

But all references to kanaka maoli are needlessly inflammatory. It is NOT an accepted term. It means 'true human' and is used by UH Manoa/Haunani Trask/Ka Lahui/Hawaiian separatists/dem. The UH Hilo Hawaiian program uses kanaka 'oiwi or po'e 'oiwi, which simply means native people, and is much less offensive to non-ethnic-Hawaiians.

The restored para re the history of hapa is confusing and an unnecessary rehash of Hawai'i immigration history.

References to Princess Kaiulani as one of the first hapa are simply risible. There have been hapas since 1778 and the first wave of Hawaiian women over the gunwales of Cook's ships -- if not earlier, since there are Hawaiian traditions of earlier visits. There have been CHIEFLY hapas since Kamehameha's time, when his haole advisors married into the Big Island nobility, and hapas of extreme visibility since Queen Emma. You didn't restore that in the text, but you did restore Kaiulani in the links, and I think that's unnecessary.

I'm tempted to cut out everything but the para re mainland usage again, but given that I'm probably still cranky, I'll leave it sit for a day.

Zora 19:46, 5 Aug 2004 (UTC)

---

Zora, Thanks for providing your insight regarding those issues. To be candid, I am utterly ignorant of the Hawaiian language, and nearly as ignorant of Hawaiian cultural and political history.

Accordingly, thank you for bringing these issues to light, and your editing in that regard is certainly welcome on my part. I brought back the paragraph regarding the history of Hapas mostly out of concern that this information (presumed valid by me, being ignorant of evidence to the contrary) would be lost to wikipedia. Perhaps only a portion relevent to the history of the *word* "hapa" would be appropriate?

As for my not bringing back text mentioning chiefly hapas, etc., I again plead ignorance--this was not done with an intention of bias. Please edit as appropriate, with your knowledge in this area.

Another contributor added certain impassioned portions of text which I feel skirt the edge of NPOV; I have edited those with an eye to not offend the contributor, while maintaining NPOV as much as I can.

--Ryanaxp 20:12, Aug 5, 2004 (UTC)

---

Ryan,

As regards the history of the term hapa -- it seems clear that it diffused from Hawaiian into Hawaiian pidgin and thence onto the U.S. mainland, but HOW AND WHEN is not clear. I'm not aware that there are any real linguistic studies of its history, with dated citations. In the absence of such a study, it seems to me that it would be best to be fairly vague about the history, skirting the abysses. If we want Wikipedia to be an authority, we have to be cautious.

But I'm open to conviction otherwise, especially if there have been real linguistic studies. I'm not up on pidgin scholarship, so I could be very wrong.

Zora 00:29, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Edit wars

It seems that Ilikea is determined to restore most of the verbiage that I trimmed. I deleted it again. I really hate playing edit war. Ilikea, since I believe we're both Honolulu, or at least O'ahu residents, perhaps we could handle some of this privately? Email lofstrom@lava.net.

Zora 03:57, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Reverting article

Someone with a strong POV (only part-Hawaiians can be hapa) edited the article to reflect that POV.

That claim was already represented in the article as it stood, so there was no good reason to edit out all other POVs.

I also have strong feelings about certain words, and certain Hawaiian words. Frex, I say mu'umu'u rather than muumuu -- using the 'okina -- and I never use the word 'okole as it's used in pidgin, since I'm sensitive to the original Hawaiian meaning. But I'm not going to use Wikipedia as a platform to denounce people who speak differently than I do. All I can do is hope that my example catches on.

I think the cleanup notice was posted in response to the rather incoherent replacement article posted by the anonymous contributor. Since I'm not sure, I'll leave it up for a day. Any comment from anyone else on the need for cleanup? Zora 21:59, 19 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Another anon IP, another reversion

An anon editor cut the article down drastically and introduced some grammatical errors as well. I've reverted, but ... if the anon editor wants to take a username and come here to the talk page to discuss things, I'm sure we can work something out. Zora 04:10, 25 Dec 2004 (UTC)

hapa + "ethnicity"

Zora,

I took out some things I felt was unnecessary, including the "chop suey" part since it seems to be slang, which means I don't see/hear the younger generation using this term at all. Only used by those of my generation and older. And I also see it used differently compared to "hapa", in the sense that "chop suey" is referred to a person when mentioning their mixed ethnicities usually more than 2, versus taking a term like "Hapa" almost as if it's an ethnicity. What I mean is that people are willing to say that they are "Hapa" versus saying that they are "Chop Suey" which is NOT how we used it back in my time growing up.

You can be the police grammar all you want, I have no problems with that. Because I took out a lot of that old info. I only made it worse by trying to substitute it with other things.

However I'd feel much more comfortable knowing that the compounds were taken out. Only last night after having a friend point it out to me that these following pages took it from this Wikipedia page.

http://www.informationblast.com/Hapa.html www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Hapa http://www.grokpedia.com/en/h/ha/Hapa.htm http://www.masterliness.com/a/Hapas.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/hapa

Wikipedia (I couldn't figure out who started it) got these compounds from http://hapas.com website of whom the webmaster/owner Alvin asked me what were the uses of "Hapa" in relation to the ethnicities of the islands since I'd bring it up all the time. Because I was so lazy in capitalizing the ethnicities, I left them in lower case, all of which has been copied over & over from one page to another. They have been copied as I gave it to Alvin in that same exact order. What I gave him was for his use only and for his page, NOT for everyone to copy and paste and then to carry it over here to WIKIPEDIA. On top of that, I gave Alvin 2 options for the term Samoan, both Kamoa and the archaic Hamoa. I know that they (Kula Kaiapuni students) tend to prefer Kamoa, but somehow in the copy & paste only Hamoa got transferred over, which makes me uncomfortable.

I don't understand why you had to revert the "Hapa Haole" back limiting it to music only since that is not the only reason why we use "Hapa Haole". It is not restricted to a hybrid music, but rather anything hybrid in general. I would put it back but what's the sense really if you're only going to revert it back? I apologize for taking out a bit too much and wouldn't mind at all if you or anyone else put everything back in, minus the chop-suey comment unless it was explained further as I just did.

Actually, I think that's a very good idea, to expand on hapa-haole and chop-suey, giving the nuances. That would contribute a great deal to the article. Do you want to do it, or shall I try? Zora 00:09, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

But again, my main issue was the other stuff in relation to "Hapa" and it seems that people felt it was necessary to hint that there were differences in opinions as to the meaning of the word. I could care less if people want to undermine my culture but I do mind if my own information of which I gave to one person is transferred here, and that would be the subject of "Compounds". So the least everyone here could do is respect that part and NOT put it back in.

Mamoahina, no one owns information. That's the whole point of wikipedia. I'm willing to go along with leaving it out, because after looking at the article without it, the article seems more balanced. Plus I have to admit that I don't ofter HEAR those terms used. Zora 00:09, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

And on a side note, the 'okina may be an issue for me, but only when it's used incorrectly. The omission of it really doesn't bother me, especially since I've experienced while growing up 3 different orthographical changes. Ka Po'e Ni'ihau don't use them and since I do genealogy I constantly read documents that lack 'okina, so it's not really an issue, only those who don't speak the language and don't know how to pronounce the words or cannot distinguish one with the 'okina from one without it have an issue with the lack of the 'okina. So the example with mu'umu'u really is not an issue because the double vowel would be separately pronounced anyway. Mamoahina 21:50, 25 Dec 2004 (UTC)

It was an issue for me <g> because I grew up on the mainland, and everyone there said "moomoo", like a cow mooing, and completely dropped the 'okina. When I found out the correct pronunciation, I had to work to root the "moomoo" out of my vocabulary. Zora 00:09, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

OWNING info.

Zora, I am fully aware of copyright laws as well as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998. I know that what Alvin put on his site was not copyrighted however I would think that because any information could be used that people would be a bit more creative (as they have been with various pages regarding "Hawaii") and not copy a website such as http://hapas.com. After all, we all are aware that incorrect information is available on the internet. I have seen way too many of that myself.

I do think it's better without those unnecessary compounds. In reality, it seems to fit well without it. Not unless one has a command of the Hawaiian language would I think it's okay to incorporate all of those, but even in the Hawaiian language one wouldn't hear those terms used either.

And you are more than likely to add more details regarding the nuances of hapa-haole and chop suey. That would be better if it were explained more. Sorry but I really don't feel like doing actual "contributions". But now I see how much have come about all in relation to "Hawaii", it seems easier for me to say what is okay or not. After all, I recall when Hawaii was empty and my friend suggested that I fill it up because of my extensive knowledge in Hawaiian history but felt very uncomfortable putting down too much information so readily available via the internet only because of protocols of the culture. Mamoahina 05:16, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Why I removed the picture

I removed the picture of the pretty starlet because she is described as Chinese-Caucasion, without any mention of Hawaiian ancestry. Given that some people feel it's WRONG to use the term hapa for anyone without Hawaiian blood, I think it might be better not to have just that one picture. If we had a bunch of pictures, with a caption indicating that there is a controversy, that would work too. Zora 07:06, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I know this is original research, but I've heard it used to refer to any White mixed with any Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry, and in some cases the term includes Blasians, Latino-Asians, and Arab-Asians. To avoid being biased, we should keep that picture there, but include information saying there is a controversy. We want to have a neutral point of view.--69.234.214.46 (talk) 21:33, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Kristin K.

I saw that picture of her, and now it's gone. The thing is, the term "hapa" has changed, which is why I thought it was unnecessary really to add it in here to begin with. That was only because of the difference in meaning of how people in Hawaii may interpret it depending on which island and age that they are, and different from those of the west coast continental U.S. Mamoahina 14:24, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Hapa and chop suey as slurs

The sentence "Both words are used descriptively and would not be felt as slurs." referring to "hapa" and "chop suey" seems like too strong an assertion to me. I prefer "Both phrases are used descriptively and few Hawaiians consider them as slurs." I do not have any problem if someone wishes to revert this, however. --Theo (Talk) 02:21, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I've always heard the terms used descriptively. They might have been considered slurs many years ago. But the phrasing you introduced is OK, since there might indeed be people who still think that the words are offensive slang. (Years ago, I met an old haole lady who still refered to Japanese as "Japs" and said that they were sneaky, always trying to go where they weren't wanted. Since she was only intermittently compos mentis, there was no point in arguing with her. So sad ...) Zora 13:02, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Another anon contributor

Someone who has just discovered Wikipedia has worked the article over thoroughly. This new editor has no doubts that "hapa" is correctly used to describe part-Asians and part-Pacific Islanders, and added a list of famous hapas that mixed part-Hawaiians with everyone else. The list is composed exclusively of "hapas" who are currently celebrities in the mainland US.

I split the list into two parts, in deference to the equally certain editors who believe that only part-Hawaiians can be hapas, and left it as it was, but I have strong doubts that it's appropriate. It leaves out any part-Hawaiian hapas who are well-known in Hawai'i, but not outside the islands, and it seems to assume that the world outside the US just doesn't exist. Comments from other editors solicited. Zora 21:06, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

Someone has been busy copying other websites and throwing it into Wikipedia in order to make it seem "valid". -Mamoahina 13:40, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Born and raised in Hawaii, I had never, ever heard anyone demand that hapa refer to people with kanaka maoli ancestry. Although Lana Robbins of realhapas.com has a particular opinion on the matter, she in no way reflects the opinion of anything but an extremist minority. Without any references whatsoever, she has taken it upon herself to demand a redefinition of a colloquial term that has always meant "part", with no implied connotation other than perhaps a shorthand version of "hapa haole". I have edited out this tin-foil hat POV, and especially removed the unrelated pacific islander/asian section. --JereKrischel 18:59, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

And born and raised in the islands too, I had never, ever heard anyone demand that hapa refer to people with Haole and Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Filipino ancestry Jere. You and others in no way reflect the opinions of anything but an extremist minority. What makes you think that you and others whose use of "hapa" has only begun to become popular via the internet are in the MAJORITY, without ay references whatsoever? Just as you claim Lana has taken it upon herself to demand a redefinition of a colloquial term that has always meant "part", with no implied connotation other than perhaps a shorthand version of "hapa haole", you and the others who demand to redefine it to mean something else now, can't you just see the hypocrisy in your claims in order to make your point? You people are so freckin' lazy! I always grew up with using the term HAPA HAOLE. But then again, I wasn't raised on an island lacking 'oiwi and dominated by outsiders where outside influence is inevitable. I can accept you not having another person's definition but don't make yourself look like a hypocrite Jere. Try another approach rather than go off on a tangent to my comment that had nothing to do with the redefining of the word, but rather going to all that trouble to validate their claim. Respond with pertinent responses where appropriate Jere (like to Zora, not to me). Don't use any opportunity you can to spread your agenda! Just as kaanai affects you, it drains me as well. Frankly I don't think you're ready for another. --Mamoahina 14:49, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

Mamoahina, I think you're arguing my point. The term we both grew up with was "hapa haole", with the implication that you were part haole, and part something else. Lana has been trying to demand that the something else must always be kanaka maoli. This flies in the face of both of our experiences. Certainly, "hapa" has always meant "part", and you can find this referenced in every hawaiian dictionary available (wehewehe.org). This is not at all an "agenda" on my part Mamoahina, although I suppose I understand how you can perceive it that way. I am not in any way trying to insist that "hapa" means anything but "part", and you've clearly illustrated how in both of our experiences, it is often used as shorthand for "hapa haole", not "hapa kanaka". --JereKrischel 19:05, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

As part of an extended hapa haole family from O'ahu, I think that the usual generous Hawaiian doesn't care at all that my kids, Chinese and more or less haole, are called hapa. Or that my nephews who are part Hawaiian, Portugese, Japanese and haole are also called hapa. When the kids were little "local" women would approach the shopping cart and say, "What are they?" They knew that they were hapa haole, but they wanted to know the interesting part, the non haole part. from patfromlogan (and lanikai and pearl city, and kailua, and...

External Links

I've moved the majority of External Links here until they can be sorted out; I'm sure some contain good information, but others appear to be personal sites or commerical links. Anyhow, feel free to move these back into the article space as appropriate. --Alan Au 07:34, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Part Asian, 100% Hapa, Hapa portraits from Kip Fulbeck and Chronicle Books Two Cultures, One Princess Swirl - A Mixed Community Hapa Issues Forum MixedFolks.com - Representing Multiracial People Cornell Hapa Student Association Half-Korean Online Community

Eurasian Association of Singapore Eurasian Nation Everything Eurasian Halvsie - Half Japanese Online Community for Multicultural Women AsianWeek Article Regarding HIF conference "You Don't Look Japanese!" Blasian forums Amerasian Schools Okinawa

FYI the * Two Cultures, One Princess link didn't work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.234.207.48 (talk) 16:33, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Changes

"In the Hawaiian language and in Hawaiian Pidgin, a hapa is an individual of mixed racial or ethnic heritage."

The above line is wrong as no hawaiian dictionary says this, plus this is a repeat of the last paragraph. I am going to update this text to reflect the meaning found in the most widely used hawaiian dictionary from hawaii.edu

"Portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less"

--Wikvin 03:50, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Rewrite

The opening had become completely jumbled, and someone had removed all mention of the controversy regarding the definition of the word. I need a reference for the "only part-Hawaiian" theory and guess that I can find it in past versions of the article. I don't agree with that theory, but it shouldn't just be thrown out. Zora 19:56, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, Zora, I think that it should be thrown out - it's a fringe position, hardly common among any group. The person most vocal about that online is someone named Lana Robbins, who created a website "realhapas" after getting into fights on other discussion boards. I'm pulling it out, since it's completely the invention of a single person for the most part. --JereKrischel 23:21, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm OK with that, at least for now. I'll ask my Hawaiian teacher what he thinks. He's a kumu hula and lives in Nanakuli, so has some idea what's happening in the Hawaiian community. Zora 23:52, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

I removed Lana's semi-anonymous additions, both for POV pushing, and factual error (see Haole for a refutation of that "without breath" translation myth). I'm sure asked random people around Hawaii if someone who was part japanese and part white was "hapa", you'd get 99% affirmative answers. --JereKrischel 23:31, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Hapa

Why is the article so short? It should have more pictures and captions about the debate of the definition.

This link might be helpful too. http://www.haolehubbyclub.com/Hapakidsclub.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.234.228.114 (talk) 02:57, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Hapa everything else

I've noticed how so many sites on the web have quoted Alan's former "hapas.com" site with the specific ethnic description utilizing "hapa", like Hapa Kamoa, Hapa Sepania, etc. I should know this for a fact because not only did Alan ask me about the different terms in Hawaiian, I wrote it out in lower case to where all these other sites have copied the same exact thing, in lower case. I remembered I almost wrote "paniolo" versus sepania, which sepania is a term used by the younger generation. Mamoahina (talk) 06:11, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Where can I find nude photos of hapa women? I want to see if I really don't look strange compared to them.

Where can I find nude photos of hapa women? I want to see if I really don't look strange compared to them. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.227.168.162 (talk) 00:15, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

This is supposed to be a discussion on the article not what you look like...well there was a picture of CLOTHED hapa girls up there, but they removed it. If your curious to see how you compare to them, here's a group of pictures of clothed hapa kids: http://www.haolehubbyclub.com/Hapakidsclub.htm What race and gender are you? 69.234.190.14 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 18:36, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Wei Ming Dariotis external links

Hi All,

I've been reading the shifting definitions and external links for this article for several years, as I teach a class on Asian Americans of Mixed Heritage and I assign some research on the word "Hapa" every semester. Being very new to the world underneath the surface of wikipedia, however, I just started reading the discussion around this article and I've been fascinated by the communal editing process in which you are all so actively and passionately engaged.

My question is this, who decided to include both my article "Hapa: The Word of Power" and my website? The article has a counter and it has received quite a few hits since going up in December-I'm wondering if most of them have been coming through this article? I also just wanted to know what criteria were used to judge the "worthiness" of my work as external links, as I note that quite a few of the other links that were posted previously have been removed.

Thank you for any response. Please email me at dariotis@sfsu.edu

Wei Ming Dariotis 130.212.151.49 (talk) 16:39, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Hapa Happy Hour

Hello All!

I sincerely apologize as I am new to the wiki and didn't know how to check my talk page until just now. I have added to the external links, Hapa Happy Hour, which is currently the only biweekly podcast hosted by three "Hapa" women. One of the hosts was a featured panelist at this year's Filipino American National Historical Society's biennial conference in June. They discuss the many layers of the multiracial experience as well as interview other multi-ethnic individuals and experts in the field. Please let me know if you feel this link is appropriate. Thanks for your consideration. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hapa Wahine (talk • contribs) 02:34, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Hapas are simply multiracial

It is possible for a person of Hapa (Asian/Polynesian/Caucasian) ancestry to resemble more than three races. Some Hapas are mistaken for being Hispanic or Mexican, although Hawaiian Puerto Ricans have long resided in the islands for over a century. Hapas can have African and American Indian ancestry in addition to Caucasian/European depending on ones' family history. Each individual of the Hapa ethnocultural phenomena can appear more Asian, white or Polynesian, or resemble something more unique in appearance than the "average" Hawaiian. + 71.102.7.77 (talk) 01:20, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

hapa pride!

i would love to add more to this page in the future but for now i'd like to suggest that anyone who identifies as hapa, adopt this userbox i made:

Hapa	This user is hapa & happy about it!. +

by adding: {{User hapa}} to your userpage.
i'm working on a category called Hapa Wikipedians, since the last one, hapas, was deleted. hopefully this category can help us keep in touch and allow us to have a more unified discussion of upcoming edits!
Designsbyd (talk • global contribs • email) 03:11, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

image

Can someon help me out with the image table? Also does anybody know the terms for Tahitian-Hawaiian, Indian-Hawaiian, and etc show in the 1909 galleries of Hawaiians?--KAVEBEAR (talk) 00:50, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

Clarity needed

It's clear that the definition is half.

The first sentence of the article suggests that if you do not specify what half modifies, then you assume asian. However, later in the article it suggests that half modifies white.

To clear things up, I would say that it's best to use the sentence, "In the Hawaiian language, hapa is defined as: portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less." maybe add, "with regards to mixed race."

Then explain that some common assumed connotations include half-white and half-asian. (I was personally taught it meant half white...)

I think these changes will clarify the phrase a bit better than it is currently written.

22:06, 25 September 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.8.84.123 (talk)