My research for this last week took me beyond simple accounts and websites on Eddie Aikau. I decided to look further into the background of my future story's protagonist, which will Eddie himself, instead of my initial idea of Nainoa Thompson.
By researching him, I found a youtube video that lasted 10 minutes from ESPN News. I found that this video had collectively interviewed all of the people who were close to Eddie, including his sister and brother, his father, and Nainoa Thompson. There was also a rare amount of footage shot after Eddie won a famous surfing contest in 1976, during which he dedicated his victory to Hawaii and to his dead brother.
But my greatest piece of research that is still taking place is the biography of Eddie Aikau. Within it, I have grasped much more of what made Eddie...Eddie. For one thing, he held the history of his ancestors in much regard, having once mentioned that amongst his ancestors was a famous Kahuna. A Kahuna is a wise man, a shaman, and also the advisor of the ancient Hawaiian kings and queens. The fact that he bothers to know of his ancestors shows a great love for his people and his culture.
I also found that as a surfing legend, and a famous lifeguard with over 500 successful rescue endeavours, he acted as a leader and calming factor in a time of Hawaiian unrest towards the foreign population and surfers from other countries. To be more specific, when some Australian surfers insulted the Hawaiian surfers at the surfing contests by being boastful and aggressive, the hawaiians beat them up and threatened to kill them. To solve the problems, Aikau helped break the ice between the two opposing parties, and was partially responsible for solving the issues on hand.
I find that it is important to realise that Eddie Aikau was more than just a hero, or a leader, or even a surfer. He was first, and foremost a Hawaiian by name, family and by culture.
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