What Is The Population Of Hawaii

Vanuatu artists explore change

Several thousand miles of ocean separate Hawaii and the Republic of Vanuatu, an independent Melanesian nation northeast of Australia, but "Port Vila mi lavem yu (Port Vila I Love You)," an exhibition at the East-West Center Gallery, shows there are some similarities.

Although indigenous people make up 98.5 percent of Vanuatu's population, indigenous Ni-Vanuatu are being displaced by economic development while lifestyle diseases such as diabetes are becoming more prevalent and tourism is redefining traditional cultural values.

Port Vila, the capital, is ground zero for a new urban culture that mashes up traditional values and the new cash economy. The works of seven Ni-Vanuatu artists reflect that experience.

Exhibit co-curator Haidy Geismar, assistant professor in anthropology and museum studies at New York University, notes that many of the works "deal with the ways in which urban experience is changing traditional lifestyles."

"For instance, Joseph John's watercolor (‘Port Vila') presents the central marketplace and highlights how imported foodstuffs, DVDs (and) music are replacing local food and culture. David Ambong's painting (‘Land Disputing in Port Vila') looks at the negative effects of land alienation on social cohesion by depicting two brothers arguing over money whilst the property developer walks away with the rights to their family land."

A third painting, "The Port Vila Market," by Juliet Pita, shows the impact of what Pita calls the "custom economy" — the making and selling of mats, baskets and artifacts for cash rather than their traditional uses. A woman who sells souvenirs to tourists can make more money than her husband's job pays him. This is a challenge to traditional male-female roles.

Alongside the artwork, Port Vila is brought to life in "Man Vila," an 18-minute video showing a day in the life of Roy Iasul, a chief in the traditional Ni-Vanuatu system who works in the urban cash economy driving tourists around the city.

The exhibit also includes installations representing a store stocked with inexpensive but minimally nutritious canned food, a home in one of the "informal settlements" that have grown up around the city, and a kava bar where urban Ni-Vanuatu gather for relaxation. There is also a display of souvenirs for tourists, some identical to those sold as souvenirs of Hawaii.

Killer Whales Join Burgeoning Humpback Population in Hawaii

.

The highly social carnivores are hunters and were seen Sunday trying to kill a dolphin. Their diet varies widely, and Orcas have no known predators. When they were in the islands last they were spotted off the Big Island. Orcas are found worldwide, but in U.S. waters are more typically associated with the colder Pacific Northwest to Alaska. This year, they’ll be joining a population of 18,000 humpback whales soon to commence their 3,000 mile annual journey to Hawaii.

.

Nearly extinct in the mid 1960’s, the Humpback population has grown with global whaling bans but are still endangered. You can learn more about them and NOAA’s  Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary . The sanctuary serves to protect humpback whales and their habitat within Hawaii.

Last year Brian Paul, head golf pro at Kukuiula on Kauai’s South Shore, witnessed a Humpback whale giving birth from the 15th tee. Let us know if you’ve had any memorable whale sightings on your Hawaii vacation.

Photo Credit: NOAA. Each year when I see Humpbacks, I hope to get this type of picture. So far it hasn’t happened. Have you had better luck?

In February a mother Humpback whale brought her small calf into the shallow water south of Brenneckeʻs Beach, just beyond the tide pools. She played with it for several hours, gently guiding it repeatedly through an extensive repertoire of behaviors. Tail and pectoral fin slaps, rolls, small breaches and even a tiny nose up – beginnings of spyhopping. I later read that a calf had been born in Whalerʻs Cove that morning. My daughter and I likely witnessed the first day of life for this magnificent creature. Chicken skin!