Native Hawaiians are pushing back against businesses, especially those not owned by them, who profit from their culture by trademarking words and symbols. Recent controversies include Hawaiian Bros Island Grill's trademarking of "aloha spirit" and Aloha Poke Co.âs claims over the terms "aloha" and "poke." These actions by non-Native companies have sparked backlash, with community leaders emphasizing the need for better protection of Native Hawaiian cultural rights. Vicky Holt Takamine leads efforts to combat cultural appropriation and was pivotal in forming a new working group focused on preserving traditional Hawaiian knowledge.
That's part of appropriating cultural language or anybody's language, saying, 'I own this and you cannot use it,'" Vicky Holt Takamine told SFGATE.
Aloha is not for sale," Hawaiians also protested against a Chicago-based restaurant chain, Aloha Poke Co. that trademarked the words "aloha" and "poke."
The working group was created through a 2023 Hawaii House resolution to help draft policies and legislation to better protect Native Hawaiian culture and traditional knowledge from abuse and exploitation.
Takamine has been at the helm of the fight against cultural appropriation since the early 2000s, when Disney copyrighted the song 'He Mele No Lilo' from the 2002 film 'Lilo & Stitch.'
#cultural-appropriation #native-hawaiian-rights #trademark-issues #cultural-preservation #community-activism
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