For as long as I’ve been responsible for teaching your children I’ve tried to prepare them for life on the island while teaching them the importance of knowing how we got here. Up until now that task has been a difficult one because of our tendency to remain locked down as a community. Children aren’t even allowed outside the walls with an adult without showing proficiency with a gun. While I can appreciate why these rules were put in place things are changing beyond the gate.
Every day more and more people are appearing on the island bringing with them new hopes and ideas. We have to be careful not to stagnate or become too comfortable with our ways up here on the hill. It is our job to prepare our children to successfully navigate this new world. To that end, the council has agreed with me that we accept a Kānaka boy as a new student.
This has led to some disappointing reactions. I’ve heard the well-reasoned concerns at the meetings and the reprehensible attacks behind my back. The truth of the matter is that this is an issue with the adults. I have spoken with the children at length about our incoming student and the response has been a positive one charged with wonder and curiosity. They understand that we are building a school for tomorrow and the old ways need to change.
To help the parents feel more comfortable and dismiss any rumors or misconceptions I agreed to field any questions you had about the new student and school policies. I was happily surprised by the number of questions and only disappointed in a few. Many seemed to touch on the same or similar concerns so I’ve grouped them together. I hope this will enlighten those who didn’t know much about the Kānaka people and ease any fears.
The world beyond our walls is dangerous so I don’t blame the little thing, but I’ve heard that they will sometimes turn to cannibalism. Is that true? What are a Kānaka’s dietary needs and will watching them eat upset my child?
The world beyond the walls is a dangerous one, but being stuck behind them is not without peril. This question is a perfect example of that. First, “the little thing” is a 10-year-old boy named Kava. His people are not cannibals. You’re thinking of Night Marchers, Menehune, Green Ladies and other aberrations. The Kānaka are expert hunters and fishermen. Chances are you have some Kānaka harvested meat in your house right now. We have traded with them almost since our settlement was founded. They even saved many from certain starvation by introducing the giant Taro and sharing their agricultural knowledge after the fracture. Kava eats the same things as your children, in the same manner as they do, because he is just like your children.
I understand that the Kānaka don’t understand time the same way we do. Will he be subject to the same tardiness policies as others?
You understand wrong. Kava knows how to tell time. He’s actually quite a brilliant young man with strong math skills. I assure you that he will be subject to all the same rules as your children and he will follow them.
Is it possible that my child can get sick from him? Has the council thought about the dangers of bringing a plague through the gates?
Kava is no more contagious than any other visitor, probably less so because he is from a nearby village that we have been trading with for years. Like you I have a child who attends our school. I would never do anything that I thought would endanger my daughter, or any or your children. You don’t need to worry about a new plague running through our community because we decided to teach literature to a young man whose home is at the bottom of the hill.
Is he amazingly strong or agile? Will he be allowed to join the lava sled or swim team? It would be great if we could bring home the Pohaku Cup this year!
While it’s true that the Kānaka tend to be physically impressive because of their lifestyle, Kava can’t lift boulders or leap over houses. He has all the physical abilities of an active 10-year-old. He will be allowed to participate in any extracurricular activities that any other student can. Having said that, if he shows an aptitude for either I will push him to join the team. Like you, I think the Cup has been absent from the Pu`u trophy case for way too long.
Will he show the proper respect for the school colors and does he understand the implications of the Alma Mater song?
I’m not sure *I* understand the implications of the Alma Mater song. Something tells me that you are taking the song a little too seriously. I’d say the same goes for the school colors. I take pride in our school just as you do. I think it is amazing what we’ve built here through hard work and determination. I think you diminish that accomplishment by trying to turn something as trite as colors and a shared song into a tool of division. My advice is to take a deep breath and understand the implications of your question.
Is this the beginning of an exchange program? My great-grandfather was an exchange student and told the most amazing stories about it. When can I sign my child up?
We don’t have any plans currently to start an exchange program, but I applaud your enthusiasm! This is the kind of attitude that will serve our children well. Learning to adapt to new situations, and examine old ways of doing things is the only way we secure a bright future for them. Kava isn’t coming here to hurt our students or take anything away from them. He’s coming here to learn from us and teach them firsthand about his people. I’m hopeful that those lessons will be good ones from both sides.
I hope that this has reassured some of you and answered some of your concerns. I understand that change can be difficult but it is needed if we are to grow. Let’s try and make Kava’s time with us an enjoyable and educational one. Who knows, he might just teach us something.
