ON THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, THE MORES OF CONDUCT ARE MANY AND VARIED. DO NOT WEAR SHOES IN A HOUSE. Do not bring sand in a house. Do not stare unnecessarily at locals. Do not paddle for the same wave a local is paddling for because no, he will not miss it. Punishment for transgression is swift and harsh. It is three times as swift and four times as harsh if the transgressor happens to be a haole.
The exact origin of the word “haole” [pronounced HOW-lee] is lost in the mists of time. Some say its literal translation is “no breath,” referring to people who were unfamiliar with the Polynesian greeting of touching noses and inhaling each other’s breath. Others insist it means “robber” or “lazy.” Whether “no breath,” “robber” or “lazy,” any surfer who has been to the Hawaiian Islands assumes that, today, it simply means … More