Legend has it that when Hawaiians encountered their first
European visitors to the islands, they were astonished by the
greeting custom of their white visitors. Hawaiians were used to
exchanging the
”
ha,
”
or breath with each other when they met. They would press noses
and inhale at the same time; it was considered very honorific,
since it represented the exchange of
”
ha,
”
the breath of life, and mana, or spiritual power between two
people. Their white visitors faced each other and shook hands while
keeping a certain distance. The Hawaiians said,
”
These people have no
”
ha!
”
Thus, the word was created for
”
haole,
”
or non-Hawaiian person, someone with no breath or spirit in
their greeting.
Legend has it that when Hawaiians encountered their first European visitors to the islands, they were astonished by the greeting custom of their white visitors. Hawaiians were used to exchanging the “ha,” or breath with each other when they met. They would press noses and inhale at the same time; it was considered very honorific, since it represented the exchange of “ha,” the breath of life, and mana, or spiritual power between two people. Their white visitors faced each other and shook hands while keeping a certain distance. The Hawaiians said, “These people have no “ha!” Thus, the word was created for “haole,” or non-Hawaiian person, someone with no breath or spirit in their greeting.
“Ha” is also part of the Hawaiian word for greeting visitors to the islands, as in “aloha.” According to my guide in Hawaii this week, “alo” means “front,” “face,” or “share.” As I travel in Oahu this week, I definitely feel the aloha spirit everywhere I go.
It seems very fitting that the more than 500 women being welcomed to the islands this week are here on a spiritual journey. We came here from as far away as Saipan and Guam and as nearby as Honolulu to vote on new directors for the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministry. But we are not just gathered here to choose four new directors from a slate of sixteen very talented women. We are here to connect with each other, share ideas, and support each other across our local church, county, and state lines, reaching out across national lines as well as we work together to accomplish much more than we could do alone.
The 139-year-old non-profit charitable organization of United Methodist Women is working on many of the same social action issues faced by our grandmothers and great grandmothers at the turn of the century: new waves of immigration, homelessness, racial divisions, threats to the environment, substance abuse and addiction, lack of affordable health care, concerns for the well-being of children and the elderly, public education, questions about women’s roles in society, and world peace.
I came here as part of the group of 8 delegates representing northern California and Nevada. We had a very close election – it was a real cliff-hanger – it took 10 ballots to elect four women plus two alternates to be directors of Women’s Division. We started with 16 candidates and had to keep voting until each candidate who won had received at least 33 votes. The nominee we were most rooting for at my table, Katherine Kim from Morgan Hill, made history. When Kim and another Korean woman named Kumja Lim (from Colorado) were elected, it made it the first time 2 Korean women had been elected to the western jurisdiction of Women’s Division at the same time.
It was very exciting when the results finally came back with enough votes to elect Kim – it was a close race between her and one of the highly regarded incumbents – they were tied, so when Kim finally won, everyone just erupted in big applause, and they began breaking into song as they began going over to give her hugs – and many were in tears.
Kim immigrated to the U.S. as a pharmacist student from Korea with no friends, broken English, and only $50 in her pocket. Kim worked as a pharmacist for 36 years before retiring early to do charitable work in Africa, China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Singapore, and Thailand. Kim said, “As a Women’s Division Director, I’ll do my best to serve women, children, youth, and minorities with love, care, and compassion.”
