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What's the Big Kahuna? Traditionally, Kahuna was the name of the Hawaiian tribal elder, literally the "Keeper of the Secret" and the link with the spirtual and cultural heritage of the tribe. Since Hawaii became the 50th State of the USA in 1959, kahuna and other words of the indigenous peoples of the Hawaiian Islands have become part of the vernacular and the culture of America. Usage has not always respected the heritage of the native peoples or their modern culture; the current definition of kahuna in Merriam-Webster is politically incorrect - a Hawaiian witchdoctor.

The word kahuna has pretty much been a victim of the clash of cultures and crass commercialism -- from the Hawaiian shirt shops of Big Kahuna and Kool Kahuna to the Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park in Florida to The Big Kahuna, an unmemorable movie starring Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito. In the teen movies of the '60s, such as Beach Blanket Bingo, with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, the Big Kahuna was the best surfer on beach.

Now, a sport utility concept car modeled on the "woody wagons" of the 1960's surfers, the Dodge Kahuna, is making the rounds at car shows. The Honolulu Advertiser reports that this use of the name Kahuna sparked a bit of controversy. Some protesters signed an online petition objecting to the commercial use of the name by DaimlerChrysler.
The Advertiser received an assortment of responses to a story about the petition, most of it supporting the protest. But there were some who found the uproar a little excessive.

"Give me a break!" wrote one reader. "The Hawaiian people have too much going on in their lives, that is serious, to get too wrapped up in such nonsense."
It remains to be seen whether this Internet petition affects in any way the automaker's ultimate choice of name for this vehicle, whenever, if ever the concept goes into production.
Posted by abnu on Thursday, February 05, 2004 @ 9:48 PM [ + ]

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