Using Hawaiian Names Outside Of Hawaiʻi Isn't Always Easy

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This struggle is nothing new to Civil Beat columnist Makanamaikalani Eyre, whose full name is 76 characters in all, with three ʻokina and three kahakō.“About a decade ago, at an immigration office in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, a functionary perused my birth certificate during a visa appointment. When she got to my Hawaiian middle name, a look of disbelief spread across her face,” he wrote.

“Admittedly, my middle name is longer and more complex than the average inoa. Immigration processes are strict and require rigor.

“Yet this spectacle, whether aimed at verification or entertainment, felt discomfiting. And it echoed the often taxing experiences of those who bear a Hawaiian name outside Hawaiʻi — particularly one with diacritics.

“Ask anyone with a Hawaiian name who spent time during childhood on the continent, and they’ll tell you about teasing. Even in Hawaiʻi, kids can be surprisingly uncharitable.

“As adults, the jeering evolves into the relentless friction of pronunciation and the occasional affront. I’ve learned to expect looks of confusion and inquisitiveness when I introduce myself at cocktail parties outside of Hawaiʻi.”