“ We Know the Way ”: Culture – Nature Relationship and Kuleana in Disney ’ s Moana
society , and culture is the subject of much debate within state organizations , local media , and civic groups . However , much of this escapes the attention of the major national industries , which continue the long tradition of making local concerns invisible , thereby foreclosing global awareness and policy initiatives around these issues , in order to continue to profit from subjugating subaltern groups ( Gonzales 57 ).
In response , some scholars have argued for a more ethical representation of Oceanic people . Trask , for example , makes a forceful argument to show that the tourism industry has oppressed kanaka maoli ( Native Hawaiian ) identity , culture , and land ( 156 ). Desmond traces the exploitative dynamics of tourism ’ s representation of “ native ” bodies ( 92 ). Ferguson and Turnbull have studied the signs and symbols of the U . S . military in the Pacific and show how these images dominate the historical meaning and everyday use of the islands ’ landscape ( 53 ). Wood explored “ how journalism , novels , diaries , advertisements , visual arts , museums , films , television shows , and various other types of cultural productions assist the more naked coercion associated with armies , revolutions , and the criminal justice system in the usurpation of Hawaiian lands and the displacement of indigenous Hawaiian culture ” ( 9 ). These studies suggest the importance of adopting a critical perspective on how the political economy of the media represents the people of the Pacific .
Though Oceanic populations have seen a sharp decline since Western contact , there is some optimism . For example , since allowing participants to identify as more than one race in the 2000 Census , numbers of identified Hawaiians have increased . According to 2013 census estimates , the Native Hawaiian population in Hawai ’ i stands at 298,000 . Also , there are more than 560,000 Americans , nationwide , who identify as being at least part Hawaiian ( Goo 13 ). Research by Kame-
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