I am proud to say I am Hawaiian, I take pride in my culture and see it in a unique way. Traditional Hawaiian jewelry is a way of showing you belong to this culture. Being gifted a bracelet or necklace is granted one of the most precious gifts you could receive especially from elders because they are commonly pure Hawaiian. Their knowledge of our culture is of high value. It is of such honor to receive such a valuable personalized gift that will last a lifetime. This is known for being passed down for generations. Typically the person who is wearing the jewelry has their name engraved into it. I received my Hawaiian necklace from my great grandma. On the back of my necklace she incorporated a little phrase that says “Me ke aloha grama ulu” and that simply means I love you in Hawaiian. This has a high significance to me because my grandma passed away back in 2014 and her Hawaiian jewelry was something everyone knew she owned. Her necklace and bracelets were passed to my aunty which is her oldest child. Living with my grandma I would always hear the sound of her bracelets clink together and that gave me reassurance that she was around. She had two bracelets that she would never take off because they were vastly important to her. Hearing the clink when she danced Hula is something that I won’t forget. This will be something I will keep close to me and eventually have my children experience having the traditional Hawaiian jewelry. 

– K'ohulaniM-A

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant