We are running Maui Week, a multi-day event designed to raise awareness of this disaster and the suffering inflicted upon Hawaii. A lot of folk have asked me where and how they can help. We will be directing people all week-long to the Hawaii Community Foundation – Maui Strong Fund where you can give to help the people of Hawaii, though I encourage you to explore other charity options if you’d like. Please help us to perpetuate Hawaii, its traditions, its way of life, its history and heritage, and its peoples!
-Red
“This is but one of the legends of which the people speak…”
-Prologue, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
On August 8th, 2023, we bore witness to one of the most destructive wildfires in modern United States history. The historic beach town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui, was reduced to ashes. At the time of writing, search efforts have combed over 38% of the affected areas and have recorded approximately 100 casualties and over 1,000 missing people. Those numbers have been increasing by the hour.
The tragic loss of life is compounded by the devastating loss of history and culture in Lahaina. I would have never known about it until The Well Red Mage highlighted it on the charity stream he hosted on Friday August 11th, 2023 to raise funds for those affected. A 150-year old banyan tree was damaged. It was one of the largest in the United States and was planted at the site of King Kamehameha’s palace by Christian missionaries. Several museums holding valuable and priceless artifacts of Hawaiian culture were burnt to the ground. The fires have even destroyed the Waiola Church and Pioneer Inn, the former being the final resting place for early members of the Hawaiian royal family and the latter being the oldest hotel currently in operation in Hawaii.
When Red put the call out for Hawaii-related content to support the restoration and recovery efforts on Maui, I was at a loss at what to write. The more I read about the history of Lahaina and of Hawaii in general, the more I was reminded of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. One of the many adventures in the Zelda series, Wind Waker eschews the traditional land of Hyrule in favour of a chain of islands in the Great Sea. Though I have never been there (I do wish to visit it sooner rather than later), the thought of the crests and falls of the waves, the sandy beaches and the colourful cast of characters in the cel-shaded iteration of the legendary fantasy series brings to my mind images of Hawaii.
As news spread of Maui’s devastation and of the various recovery efforts, including charities, I couldn’t help but think of one other thing that Hawaii and Wind Waker shared: the fact that their legends, customs, traditions, heritage and culture were preserved from generation to generation by word of mouth.
A Legend Survived on the Wind’s Breath
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker begins with a story, one of many legends the people spoke of long ago. In the tale, it speaks of an ancient kingdom, a Golden Power, a man who coveted that power and a boy clothed in green who travelled in time to oppose him. Wielding the blade of evil’s bane, he sealed the dark one away before returning to his time. Eventually the seal failed and the people called out for the hero, named the Hero of Time, to appear once more. But their calls were left unanswered. Faced with a dire situation, the people appealed to the gods for their aid.
The kingdom was forgotten, but its memory survived through word of mouth. On the wind’s breath itself. Outset Island, the starting point of the game, maintained a tradition where young boys would garb themselves in green clothing, like the hero from long ago. The true significance of this act was lost to time, but the elders only wished for their young to know courage like the ancient hero. Though the majority of it was lost, the people of the Great Sea preserved bits and snippets of their culture – stories, traditions, language and art – by passing it on from generation to generation.
Wind Waker itself ends with Link and Zelda journeying beyond the Great Sea in search of a new kingdom to call home, much like the people who, thousands of years ago, would sail across the Pacific and eventually settle on what would be known as Hawaii.
Similarly, Hawaii’s culture had changed drastically since foreigners arrived on the islands in the late 18th century. At one point, due to heavy influence from missionaries and others with vested interest in the islands, Hawaiian culture and language was actively discouraged. It came to the point where the language itself nearly became extinct, much like Ancient Hylian was in Wind Waker.
However, Hawaiian culture and traditions survived in secret up until the 1970s when a resurgence in cultural practices began a renaissance among the Hawaiian youth. In present time, despite earlier decreases of its practice and influence, the efforts of the last 50 years have brought hope that Hawaii’s culture could once again flourish like the days of old.
Events like the wildfires that consumed Lahaina are a stark reminder of how much farther Native Hawaiians must go to preserve their culture, tradition and way of life. With your support, the people of Maui can focus on recovering and rebuilding what they’ve lost.
Look forward to more Hawaii-related content this week and don’t forget to help the people of Maui!
Ryan Cheddi – our friendly, neighbourhood caffeine addict – is a man of many talents: an engineer, a gaming historian, a fiction writer and a streamer. He is also a self-avowed Sonic the Hedgehog fan. You can check out his cool beans at his site – Games with Coffee – or find him on Twitter as @GameswCoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.
