Chris McKinney's True Hawai'i: Mililani Mauka and The Tattoo

Chris McKinney is known to many as a man who reveals the “dark underbelly” of Hawai‘i in his novels. He does not play into the tourist image of a perfect sunshine state full of simple locals and endless beaches. McKinney focuses his work on Hawai‘i as someone who lives here might see it, the good and the bad. There are beaches covered in homeless, there are beautiful hotels kept clean and running by those who could never afford to stay in them, not all locals are happy to meet the whims of tourists, and most of all, Hawai‘i is not paradise. It is a beautiful place that suffers from the same ills as any other melting pot of peoples, cultures, and beliefs: racism, poverty, drugs, and violence. In both his books Mililani Mauka and The Tattoo, McKinney allows his readers to experience the double-sided nature of Hawai‘i by breaking the writing mold for this state and by sharing his experiences and perhaps those of many others who call this state home.

Mililani Mauka is Chris McKinney’s fourth novel, which is centered on the duality between the steady growth of suburbia on O‘ahu with that of the homeless population. In this novel, McKinney chooses to focus on the personal attitudes of his protagonist, Banyan, a married man whose life begins to unravel once he, his wife, and daughter move into the neighborhood of Mililani Mauka. He personally dislikes the neighborhood—it is artificial and two-faced. The main jab made at the place is done in the prologue in which John Krill bulldozes a path through Mililani Mauka in his makeshift tank, an act which is viewed with a sense of wonder and confusion throughout the text.

Chris McKinney’s first novel, The Tattoo follows the life story of Ken, a man of Japanese descent who carried the weight of his father’s rage and expectations with him to the breaking point. Ken lives on the Windward side of O‘ahu, and faces many of the real issues that tourists would never dream exist in Hawai‘i. His narrative starts in Halawa prison, as he reiterates his life story to his cellmate, Cal. Ken’s story reveals his immersion into gang life, drugs, violence, racism, and hatred.

Both of these novels touch on many issues of life in Hawai‘i for those who live here. Chris McKinney was raised on O‘ahu, and his upbringing shows through in his work. After his parents separated, he was relocated to the mainland for the school year and was only allowed to return to Hawai‘i to stay with his mother during the summer. At some point in his childhood, he decided not to go back to the mainland, and has lived in Hawai‘i since. He eventually started going to college and discovered his love for writing. He tells his own story and that of many others through his work in an unfiltered and sometimes startling way (Oi “Skin and Ink: The Tattoo”). McKinney doesn’t just tell stories in his books, but also raises awareness about issues in his home state. His works include many common themes, such as displacement of Hawaiians, the expansion of industrialization, drugs, poverty, and racism, yet all of his works seem to have a life of their own.

Though Chris McKinney is of Japanese descent, such as both the protagonists from The Tattoo and Mililani Mauka, he does tend to allude to the status of Hawaiians in Hawai‘i in his novels. In The Tattoo, Ken’s best friend is a Hawaiian man named Koa. He is a construction worker, one of the many men who helps build the beautiful homes that mainlanders and other people who come to buy a piece of paradise reside in. For a multitude of reasons, he finds it impossible to move up, and instead he toils away at the bottom, slowly losing sight of what he was reaching for. This is compounded when Ken visits Koa’s house. “It was more like a shack than a house. Half of the house was built with unpainted wooden planks, the other half was a skeleton. The unfinished half looked like it should have been three more rooms, instead it was a series of wooden beams, roofed with shingles, but without walls. The hollow space was occupied by a picnic table. The house was surrounded by a field of wild California grass. The long, thick stalks of grass stood at least three to four feet high” (McKinney The Tattoo 186).

What Ken sees is only a fraction of the problem: the dirty children in the yard, the dilapidated and unfinished house, perpetually under construction because Koa never has time to finish his own house, but must work at building houses for others. The houses he builds are feeding the very thing he hates, the influx of tourists and mainlanders whose money is technically keeping his family and himself afloat, even if it is barely so.

It is in Koa’s character that McKinney introduces the reader to two real problems in Hawai‘i that many may not realize are a problem: poverty and racism, the latter of which defines Koa’s character and stems from the former. The Tattoo—far more than Mililani Mauka—is riddled with racism, both in a harmful as well as a “playful” way. At one point in The Tattoo, Koa playfully says to Ken “Yeah, but you not dat kine Jap. You local. Hey, you tol’ me about da samurai befo’. What da fuck happened to Japan? Only get skinny pussies now, ah?” (McKinney The Tattoo 58). Ken and Koa have this conversation while watching a horde of tourists file out of a tour bus, trying to make out if they are Japanese or white, the latter of which are termed haoles. They soon discover that they are haoles and the duo proceeds to steal all of their shoes as a petty act of comeuppance (McKinney The Tattoo 60-61).

There are many instances of racism in this novel, most of which focus around Koa’s anger at being a displaced and undervalued Hawaiian. Even Ken, Koa’s best friend, wonders about his severe dislike for haoles, and it is not a hard answer to find. “When it came to haoles, he became a blood-thirsty animal. He hated all of them. I never asked him why. It always seemed obvious. They’d taken his land. They killed his culture and therefore they’d taken his humanity” (McKinney The Tattoo 76). For someone not from Hawai‘i, Koa’s behavior may be difficult to comprehend. For many living in the islands, there is an understanding of his feelings, a fact which McKinney uses to deepen Koa’s character. It is the reasoning behind Koa’s anger that McKinney also focuses on in his novel Mililani Mauka.

Koa and his family face an issue that many in Hawai‘i, and unfortunately, many local Hawaiians specifically face, which is poverty. The poverty rate in Hawai‘i is about 10.9%, and unemployment is at 4.8% (Center for American Progress). Supposedly, about 28,783 adults and children are receiving welfare in Hawai‘i, an issue which has sparked much controversy due to the fact that some people can make a better living off of welfare than they can by working (Spotlight on Poverty). Whether this is so or not, unemployment and other forms of displacement have resulted in a booming homeless population, which McKinney also delves into in Mililani Mauka.

Hawai‘i is infamous for having one of the highest homeless populations in the United States. The median monthly rate for a two bedroom apartment in Honolulu is $1,800, one of the highest in the country. It is not a surprise then that three-fourths of Hawai‘i’s homeless population resides on O‘ahu. “The leeward coast, the west, downwind side of the island, where several years ago rent used to be a few hundred bucks a month. Now it’s up to a thousand. It’s where the homeless, mostly Native Hawaiians, sit like hardened oil in a pot of water” (McKinney Mililani Mauka 4). It is in this small way that McKinney brings to light the suffering and the irony of the native people of Hawai‘i being removed from their status as the majority of people of this land in Mililani Mauka.

Despite the clear need for change, the Honolulu mayor, Kirk Caldwell has plunged ahead in aggravating the homeless situation on O‘ahu by signing a bill that prevents people from lying or sitting on busy public pavements between 5 am and 11 pm. Anyone--though of course this bill targets the homeless--committing this “crime” can face a $1,000 fine or up to 30 days in jail (“Homelessness in Hawai‘i”).

Homelessness is a central theme in Mililani Mauka, and is brought into focus through the characters Kai and her son Josh, the family of John Krill, who attempted to bulldoze Mililani Mauka, and which resulted in him being shot by a police officer. As a result, Kai and her son lose the house and become a part of a homeless camp, which changes them. It undermines Kai’s status as a parent, and it leads Josh to to partake in things that he may not have been tempted to if he had a roof over his head and more guidance in his life. It is through this relocation that these two characters bridge the massive spectrum between the two living situations that McKinney makes an effort to compare and contrast in this novel.

Poverty is the source of many dangerous issues faced by those living in Hawai‘i. It is poverty and the displacement of his family line that makes Koa such a dangerous and destructive character, a problem that affects many people in the islands. It feeds the racism of both Koa and Ken. It also adds to one of the biggest epidemics in the islands, drugs. Both novels touch on the issue of drugs, as it would be impossible not to when revealing the real Hawai‘i.

Hawai‘i has been the capital of methamphetamine use in the United States since the 1980s, a startling fact and a far throw from the typical image of paradise. It was first brought to the islands by Chinese drug trafficking groups and has since then taken over the islands, making Hawai‘i a “High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area,” as labelled by the National Drug Intelligence Center. There are currently about 120,000 meth addicts in the state, which only has a population of about 1.2 million people (Endo).

Ken, Koa, and Josh all partake in drugs, though Ken and Koa gravitate towards marijuana and cocaine, whereas Josh tries ice. Josh smokes ice in a dirty bathroom stall with another boy from the homeless camp and the boy’s father. He describes feeling no peer pressure, but smokes anyway, simply for the sake of doing so (McKinney Mililani Mauka 73). This fall into the drug world without worry or much coercion is also present in The Tattoo. Ken and Koa are welcomed to the world of drugs by their friend, Freddie, but Ken soon regrets the decision. “I used to blame the coke for the beginning and end of my separation from Koa. He stayed hooked, and I didn’t” (McKinney The Tattoo 75). McKinney shows the destruction that poverty and the resulting vices can have on people and their relationships.

The many negative elements of life in McKinney’s Hawai‘i often culminate in moments of great violence. In The Tattoo, Ken shows his dominance and fights for his life using violence. When he is abducted by some lackeys of his girlfriend’s rather intimidating and dangerous mother, he must kill them to make his escape (McKinney The Tattoo 157). Ken’s life story comes to a close with another assertion of dominance, his over his father, which results in Ken stabbing his dad to finally be free of his hatred (McKinney The Tattoo 234). Koa is also a character that performs acts of violence fueled by hatred when he kills his girlfriend Kahala after she decides to leave him and take their children with her (McKinney The Tattoo 229).

Mililani Mauka also incorporates violence into the reality of Hawai’i. The book starts with John Krill bulldozing the Walmart in Mililani Mauka, and when he pulls a gun on the police, he is shot to death (McKinney Mililani Mauka xix). Violence as a means of dominance appears in this book as well, such as when Dan and Banyan fight—in full-body armor—over Kai and Josh (McKinney Mililani Mauka 202-203). Chris McKinney takes a dive into the minds of his characters, and his “masculine” men are most often driven by hatred and the “macho” ideal, which may be a reflection of McKinney himself or the way he views the male culture in Hawai‘i. Either way, it showcases the destructiveness of many of the people and pressures in the Aloha state.

These dark and “unpleasant” themes which make up a good deal of McKinney’s view of Hawai‘i are brought into true focus for readers in Mililani Mauka. It is in this novel that he shows readers a view of the somewhat stereotypical, “ideal” Hawai‘i in the form of the Mililani planned communities. Mililani Mauka is a part of the Mililani area which is located about 15 miles away from Honolulu, at the center of the island (“Mililani”). There is Mililani Town, which was originally developed in the late 1960s, and there is Mililani Mauka, which was also a planned community, was formed about twenty years later and caters to the upper middle class demographic of Hawai‘i (“Mililani and Mililani Mauka”). This is obvious when one realizes that Mililani is the third wealthiest zipcode in the state (“Mililani”).

Mililani Mauka is hailed as an ideal place to live and resembles a “typical American suburban town” (“Mililani”). It has parks, shops, restaurants, walking and jogging paths, and everything a suburban family might need to live comfortably. Of the 7,193 homes in Mililani Mauka, 5,631 of them are inhabited by families (“Current Mililani Mauka, Hawai‘i Population”). This is in fact the case for the novel’s main protagonist, Banyan, who moves to Mililani Mauka with his wife and child.

Mililani Mauka is held in such high regard for one primary reason: it reminds people—primarily mainlanders themselves—of the United States mainland (“Mililani and Mililani Mauka”). Many people surely think that Mililani Mauka provides the best of both worlds: the safety and comfort of the American Dream’s household with the exotic beauty of a tropical paradise. Not everyone sees it that way. As Banyan drives around his new neighborhood, seeing the endless shops, parks, streets, and construction sites, “he finds himself wanting to breathe heavily into a brown paper bag” (McKinney Mililani Mauka 2).

There are about 21,039 people living in Mililani Mauka. About 50% of those people-- 10,587-- are of Asian descent. Only about 2% of the population--471 people--are Native Hawaiian (“Current Mililani Mauka, Hawai‘i Population”). The displacement of native peoples has been an issue in Hawai‘i since the very first missionaries set foot on these shores, and despite programs that attempt to resituate local Hawaiians, most of the best land and communities are still out of their reach.

Mililani Mauka is what so many strive for and yet it seems to fall short of the needs that the characters have. Banyan is unhappy and is haunted by the spirit of John Krill in his Mililani Mauka home. He is slowly made aware of the hypocrisy and ugliness of his neighborhood and the people within it. After John Krill’s death, Kai and Josh have to live at the beach in a homeless camp, which is eventually broken up by police (McKinney Mililani Mauka). Both the populations of suburbia and homeless camps are facing controversy from several sides, as there are always multiple points of view on any subject.

There are many who do not want Hawai‘i being overrun with cookie-cutter houses or people. Planned communities like Mililani Mauka threaten the beauty of Hawai‘i, and might very possibly continue to grow until there is no paradise left. This is the concern of many locals and other lovers of the land who do not wish to see it all become skyscrapers and pavement. Josh Krill becomes sucked into this way of thinking after his father bulldozes the Walmart in Mililani Mauka, and this is how he “earns” the respect of several of his peers. Even Banyan himself, new member of the Mililani community, couldn’t help but to respect John Krill’s “sacrifice.” “Like other viewers, he cheered that bulldozer on without knowing why” (McKinney Mililai Mauka 2). Of course, there are those that see the demand for housing in paradise as one that must be met at all costs and declare that change is growth, and that must be the ultimate goal.

There is a similar duality concerning homelessness in Hawai‘i, primarily on O‘ahu. There are those that see the homeless as a group of people who should be aided, and then there are those that feel they should be evacuated. “We want to make sure that homeless people understand we’re not going to let them take over Waikiki’s public spaces,” said Rich Egged, who is the president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, one of the many that agree with mayor Kirk Caldwell’s bill signing. Instead of improving the situation for the many homeless people of the state, some are pushing to have them evacuated to Sand Island. This location was once used as an internment camp for the Japanese during WWII, and has since then been used as a sewage treatment plant and solid waste disposal site. This is made especially ironic when one learns that a group of Native Hawaiians attempted to turn Sand Island into a village in which they could live, and they were accused of trespassing and hence removed from the area (Letman).

Both the controversies of Mililani Mauka and homelessness on O‘ahu can be traced to one simple issue: money. Tourism is Hawai‘i’s largest single contributor, and makes up 21% of the state’s economy. On average, visitors spend about $14 billion in Hawai‘i per year, about half of which--$7.7 billion--is spent on O‘ahu (Wilson). This drives the “need” for more welcoming suburban houses and “clean” sidewalks free of those showing that the state is indeed in need, and those tourism dollars are not going where they should.

The comparisons made in Mililani Mauka between the Mililani community and that of the homeless camps and other varying levels of poverty bring to light many issues that are explored in greater detail in The Tattoo, and it is in this way that the two novels are truly linked. Mililani Mauka gives us a surface look at the dirty and troubled Hawai‘i which The Tattoo makes the readers feel. McKinney sacrificed the image of a tropical paradise to reality. There is pain, drugs, racism, homelessness, and overall suffering in Hawai‘i, just as there is everywhere else. Chris McKinney uses his work to open people’s eyes to the true Hawai‘i.

Bibliography

“Current Mililani Mauka, Hawaii Population.” Suburbanstats.org. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

Endo, Tetsuhiko. “Drugs, Meth, and Hawaiian Surf Culture.” The Inertia. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

“Hawaii”. Center for American Progress. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.

“Hawaii”. Spotlight on Poverty an Opportunity. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.

“Homelessness in Hawaii: Paradise Lost.” The Economist Newspaper. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

Letman, Jon. “Hawaii: Blue skies, sandy beaches, and a rising tide of Homelessness.” Aljazeera America LLC. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

McKinney, Chris. The Tattoo. New York: Soho Press, Inc, 1999. Print.

McKinney, Chris. Mililani Mauka. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing LLC, 2009. Print.

“Mililani and Mililani Mauka.” My Hawaii Condo. Global Executive Realty LLC. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

“Mililani.” To-Hawaii.com: Hawaii Travel Guide. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

Oi, Cynthia. “Skin and Ink: The Tattoo.” Honolulu Star Bulletin. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

Wilson, Reid. “Hawaii’s $14 billion tourism industry back to pre-recession levels.” The Washington Post. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.