The Tatoo

THE TATOO

Culture is created through passion which cultivates tradition which is then defined throughout history. Each element is needed in order to obtain and perpetuate autonomy. In “The Tatoo,” inmate Kenji illustrates his ‘hard-knocks’ life story through immense waves of anticipation, rage, vulnerability and growth that dictate his childhood in Hawai’i. His grandfather said it all when he told Ken “history is who we are” (McKinney 31). And quite the history Ken has had thus far.

Ken had his braddah Koa by his side through all the growing pains of local upbringing. He was a savior to Ken. Koa took in a damaged, isolated little boy and made him “a knight in his kingdom” (McKinney 70). The Windward Side was their Kingdom; and rule it they did. They were warriors together side by side; a true brotherhood. Koa was the forefront, and spoke candidly about his hatred for the haoles. “They’d taken his land. They killed his culture and therefore they’d taken his humanity” (McKinney 70). The identity of Hawaiians were stripped; left nothing more than a few tiki’s and coconuts to represent their heritage. Coping by alcoholic binges, cocaine and marijuana highs, Ken and Koa were destined to fight their way to freedom. “These fucking haoles, pick and choose what they like from other cultures and flush the rest down the toilet. One-stop shopping. We don’t get to shop; the medicine is forced down our throats” (McKinney 9). This forceful response of feeding a culture is the last resort for any future. The Hawaiian identity is drowning with each generation. Some are fighting for air while others find refuge by floating in compliance with the way things are.

            There are many lessons to be learned throughout our lives. For the male youth in Hawaii, hatred, violence and substance abuse are what is learned to be acceptable outlets for the frustration they all feel. Ken said “I learned at an early age to keep my questions to myself” (McKinney 16). By accepting a ‘taboo-like’ mentality in a society, it allows bigger issues to be left unsaid. Perpetuating silence among an already suffocated people has tolerated extreme opposites in hopes to resolve. With a lack of educational opportunity and exposure to other ways of life, it seems that the warriors that once were, have lost the battle. Ken captured this feeling of defeat when he stated “More than anything in the world, I’d come to hate the feeling of helplessness the worst” (McKinney 51). Without any valuable tools or resources, the locals have come to terms with what has been dealt to them by accepting their reality and embracing it with humor and rage. Each generation has past on a deeper resentment.

            The ideas and stories shared in this powerful novel surprised me with how relevant it actually was. Living on the windward side, I had my fair share of experiences paralleled to Ken’s past. Albeit I wasn’t exactly the local, I was allowed to see a side of Hawaii I had never imagined. Bartending at a dive bar in Kailua, I saw first hand the collision of two worlds under the sheltering umbrella of alcohol and drugs. Fights were an expected occurrence. I’ll never forget mopping up the blood on a reggae night when the marines and the local boyz duked it out once again. The knucklehead marines never learned. These boys were warriors, protecting their land and fighting for their honor. I could see it in their eyes. Heineken after heineken, the nights wore on with the ritual “smoke break” in between. I was so naïve. I remember picking up a bag of coke and trying to find the rightful owner. Who was I kidding? They all had a right to get lost in the high of the night. That’s exactly what they all were. Lost – within their own home.

“Once your roots dig deep within the hard soil and wrap themselves around underground rocks, they are difficult to unearth” (McKinney 78). The Hawaiian roots are so deep in this land that the issues facing the culture today will not be easily resolved. Just like Ken’s family heirloom, the katana, perched in that glass case; so is the current situation in Hawai’i. Fragile. With any moment the entire existence of a people is soon to be shattered and all that’s left is the display case of what once was.