Hapa
is a Hawaiian term used to describe a person of mixed Asian or Pacific Islander racial/ethnic heritage. [1] [2] [3]
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HAPA TICKETS
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Etymology
In the
Hawaiian language,
hapa
is defined as: portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less. It is a loan from the
English word
half
. However, in
Hawaiian Pidgin (the
creole spoken by many Hawai'i residents),
hapa
has an extended meaning of "half-caste" or "of mixed descent". Mary Pukui & Samuel Ebert's Hawaiian Dictionary define
hapa
as: "of mixed blood, person of mixed blood as in hapa hawai'i, part Hawaiian." [See: Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Samuel H. Ebert,
Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised and enlarged edition
, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu HI, 1986] The word
hapa
has moved into
mainland English.
Used without qualification,
hapa
is often taken to mean "part
White", and is short hand for
hapa haole
. The term can be used in conjunction with other Hawaiian racial and ethnic descriptors to specify a particular racial or ethnic mixture. Examples of this include:
- hapa haole
(part Caucasian/white)
- hapa kanaka
(part Hawaiian)
- hapa popolo
(part African/black)
- hapa kepani
(part Japanese); the term hapanese
is also encountered
- hapa pilipino
(part Filipino)
- hapa pake
(part Chinese)
- hapa kolea
(part Korean)
- hapa kamoa
(part Samoan)
- hapa pukiki
(part Portuguese/white)
Mary Pukui states that the original meaning of the word
haole
is "foreigner." Therefore, all non-Hawaiians are technically
haole
. In practical terms, however, the term is used as described here as a racial description with the specific exclusion of Portuguese. Portuguese are traditionally considered to be a separate "race" in Hawaii. [See: Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Samuel H. Ebert,
Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised and enlarged edition
University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu HI, 1986]
Hapa-haole
also is the name of a type of
Hawaiian music in which the tune and styling are typically Hawaiian, but the lyrics are in English or mostly in English. [See: Kanahele, George S., ed.,
Hawaiian Music and Musicians
, University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu HI, 1979].
See also
- Amerasian
- Multiracial
- Afro-Asians
References
- [1]
- [1]
- [1]