Iced in Paradise Page 18

Pidgin (Hawaiian Creole) and Location Names

  I’m not from Hawai‘i, but I have been influenced by and exposed to the culture through my life here in California, as well as occasional visits to the Islands. From my college days to working at The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, I could not help but be touched by the people and food of Hawai‘i.

  While I’ve read many books written in pidgin, I certainly am no expert on this dialect. I’ve used it sparingly to give the story some authentic flavor. Cynthia Hughes of Honolulu has been a godsend and careful reader and corrector of the pidgin in this mystery. Any errors are mine.

  In terms of location names like Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i, I’ve chosen to use the okina, which is often mistaken for an apostrophe. The okina indicates a glottal stop in Polynesian languages such as Hawaiian. The University of Hawai‘i explains that the okina is “similar to the sound between the syllables of ‘oh-oh.’” To respect the origins of the Islands, I’ve chosen to adopt the use of the okina in names of places and people. The same goes with the kahako, or macron, which indicates the elongation of a vowel sound. I’ve eliminated both when not included in the use of a proper name, such as Lihue Airport or Kauai Community Correctional Facility.

  I’ve eliminated any italicization of pidgin or Asian-language words commonly used in Hawai‘i. However, more unusual words not used in common speech have been italicized.

  Select Pidgin, Hawaiian, and Japanese Words in Iced in Paradise

  (not an inclusive list)

  ‘āina (Hawaiian): land

  aisus: shucks, darn it (spoken by Filipinos)

  baka (Japanese): stupid

  benjo (Japanese): bathroom

  bocha: bath, bathe

  boro-boro (Japanese): worn-out

  broke da mouth: delicious

  buggah: guy

  bulai: lies, bullshit

  chawan (Japanese): rice bowl

  chicken skin: goosebumps

  dem: them, and others

  furikake (Japanese): dry Japanese seasoning, usually with bits of nori

  grindz: food

  hālau (Hawaiian): hula school

  hammajang: mess

  hanabaddah: snot

  hashi (Japanese): chopsticks

  haupia (Hawaiian): coconut-based flavor

  high makamaka: stuck-up

  huhu (Hawaiian): angry, mad

  humbug: hassle

  imu (Hawaiian): hole or underground oven to roast kalua pig

  itadakimasu (Japanese): an expression of thanks said before a meal

  kine: kind

  kuleana (Hawaiian): right or privilege (in the context of kuleana land, native Hawaiian land rights)

  lolo (Hawaiian): crazy

  mahalo (Hawaiian): thank you

  menehune (Hawaiian): mythical creature that is small in stature

  mento: mental, crazy, silly

  niele (Hawaiian): nosy, curious

  no ack: no act, quit playing around

  obake (Japanese): ghost

  ogo (Japanese): type of seaweed often used in poke

  ‘ohana (Hawaiian): family

  okole (Hawaiian): butt

  one: a, the

  one oddah: another

  ono kau kau: delicious eats

  pupule (Hawaiian): crazy

  rubbah slippahs: flip-flops

  shaka: hang loose hand sign

  shibai: drama, lies

  shi-shi (Japanese): pee

  stick: surfboard

  stink eye: dirty looks

  talk stink: talk bad about someone

  tutu (Hawaiian): grandmother

  uji: gross

  wen: past tense

  yogore (Japanese): dirty

  zabuton (Japanese): flat cushion

  Recommended Resources and Reading

  Lois-Ann Yamanaka’s Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers

  Deb Aoki’s Bento Box comic strip

  Local Kine Words @localkineapps (Twitter)

  Andy Bumatai’s “The Daily Pidgin” (YouTube)

  Douglas Simonson and Pat Sasaki’s Pidgin to da Max

  Mary Kawena Pukuii and Samuel H. Elbert’s Hawaiian Dictionary

  Acknowledgments

  First of all, a big mahalo to Prospect Park Books (PPB) publisher Colleen Dunn Bates, who shares my love for Kaua‘i and was actually on the island when she first read the beginnings of Leilani’s story. Thank you for recognizing that great stories reside in the Hawaiian Islands.

  California has many excellent surf museums, and I was able to visit three of them: Surfing Heritage & Culture Center in San Clemente, International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach; and California Surf Museum in Oceanside. Hal Forsen, one of the preparators at the San Clemente museum, was especially helpful in explaining the development and evolution of surfboards.

  Insightful was Gerry Lopez’s autobiography, Surf Is Where You Find It, especially the sections regarding his personal mixed heritage as well as his relationship with Kaua‘i’s waves.

  For a wider context, I read a number of surf books, including Matt Warshaw’s A Brief History of Surfing and Ben Finney and James D. Houston’s Surfing: A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport.

  In terms of the history of Hawai‘i, land rights, and immigration, I can recommend Noenoe K. Silva’s Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism; Jo-Anna Poblete’s Islanders in the Empire: Filipino and Puerto Rican Laborers in Hawai‘i; and Gary Y. Okihiro’s Cane Fires: The Anti-Japanese Movement in Hawai‘i 1865-1945. Tadashi Nakamura’s documentary film, Mele Murals, is especially moving and illuminating.

  I read numerous articles about quiet title conflicts in Hawai‘i in various publications and on websites.

  Richard Trank’s documentary on Simon Wiesenthal, I Have Never Forgotten You, shed light on the commitment of the world-renowned Nazi hunter.

  I thank Karlen Kunitomo of Brian’s Shave Ice in the Sawtelle District of West Los Angeles for giving me an impromptu tour of her business. Much mahalo.

  Librarian Cynthia Chow, who has been a champion of my work in the past, gave me encouragement to tread on her home turf of Hawai‘i. And I’ve mentioned this in the pidgin section, but it’s worth it to say again: I’m indebted to a reader, Cynthia Hughes of Honolulu, who reviewed my dialogue and cultural references. The novel is so much better because of Cynthia’s input. Also, kudos to Sandra Komo Gauvreau, who is also originally from Hawai‘i.

  Edwin Ushiro, who did the illustration of Santiago Shave Ice shack on the cover, has inspired me with his artwork related to his home of Hawai‘i. In fact, Leilani and the rest of her family and crew really came alive when I perused his paintings. I instantly knew who she was and the tone of her stories.

  Many thanks, too, to every person who has left their fingerprints on this work: my agent, Susan Cohen; Dorie Bailey, editorial manager at PPB; Caitlin Ek, marketing associate; Katelyn Keating, production manager; copy editors Margery Schwartz and Leilah Bernstein; book designers Susan Olinsky and Amy Inouye; and interns Julia Cooke and Julianne Johnson. Also appreciation goes to Dru Ann Love, Coleen Nakamura, Maria Kwong, and Debbie Mitsch for their input regarding book design. And I’m forever indebted to the Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles County Library, and Pasadena Public Library systems.

  In hindsight, it’s amazing that so many people and elements came into play to bring this Leilani Santiago mystery to you, the reader. I feel so humbled to have had this opportunity and have not taken it for granted. And, of course, thank you to our dog, Tulo, for keeping me company on those long days at the keyboard and my husband, Wes, for his patience as I carried stories of Hawai‘i in my head.

  About the Author

  Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar Award–winning author of the Mas Arai mystery series. Also nominated for the Macavity and Anthony awards, the series includes the Edgarnominated Hiroshima Boy, Sayonara Slam, Strawberry Yellow, Blood Hina, Snakeskin Shamisen, Gasa-Gasa Girl, and Summer of the Big Bachi. She is also the author of the Ellie Rush mystery series
, as well as 1001 Cranes, a novel for children. A graduate of Stanford University, Naomi has written many award-winning nonfiction books as well, about gardening and Japanese American history and culture, including Life After Manzanar and Terminal Island: Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor. She lives in Pasadena, California, with her husband. Learn more at naomihirahara.com.