Home CultureDisney Casting Sydney Agudong as Nani Sparks Native Hawaiian and Hawaiian Native Debate

Disney Casting Sydney Agudong as Nani Sparks Native Hawaiian and Hawaiian Native Debate

by Terra Watts
90 comments

After Sydney Agudong got cast as Nani in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” live-action film, a Twitter thread explaining the difference between Native Hawaiian and Hawaiian Native went viral.

A Twitter user who goes by (@LittleMerbeing) expressed her disappointment about Sydney Agudong getting cast as Nani.

“Since news broke a few days ago I feel like I need to speak out on this subject since I am born and raised as a Native Hawaiian in Hawai‘i. This actress is a Hawaiian native and NOT a Native Hawaiian. There is a clear difference & this is that Thread,” Little Merbeing said.

According to HITC, Sydney Agudong was born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The outlet reports that her ethnicity is British-Irish with Hawaiian and Filipino ancestry. Sydney’s mother, Karen Agudong, hails from Kapaa, Hawaii, and studied at the University of Hawaii.

Now, back to the Twitter thread, Little Merbeing said, “Native Hawaiians are the indigenous race that has inhabited the Hawaiian Islands for centuries. We are Polynesian, very brown, & identify simply as ‘Hawaiian.’ Now, the new (incorrect) term of “Hawaiian,” referring to a person from the state of Hawai‘i, is from the same mentality as a person being Californian, Floridian, or Texan. Though their citizenship is valid that is not anyone’s real race. This terminology seems to be the confusion around this casting’s ancestry, in that dumb statehood term yeah she’s “Hawaiian” but she legitimately not a Hawaiian. This stupid terminology needs to end due to the fact it is inherently confusing people into erasing real natives’ identities as Hawaiians.”

The Twitter user continues by speaking about gentrification and the marginalization of Native Hawaiians.

“Our population has been dwindling due to decades of gentrification & marginalization so yes modern many Native Hawaiians are very mixed race and vary in different skin tones. However, the actress casted for Nani is NOT one of us,” Little Merbeing said.

The Twitter thread continues about Sydney being mentioned as a Hawaiian native in the media.

“The live-action Actress has been cited in many sources simply as a Hawaiian native. Meaning she was born & raised here on the islands but does not possess the same indigenous Native Hawaiian ancestry as the character Nani does,” Little Merbeing says.

Little Merbeing continues about the ‘Lilo & Stitch’ character Nani being a Native Hawaiian.

The Twitter user states, “There is many evidence that Nani is without a doubt of Native Hawaiian ancestry. She is depicted as a brown Polynesian, works for a luau, practices the values of ‘ohana, Lilo is a hula dancer, & their last name is Pelekai, a native Hawaiian name.”

“When digging a little deeper, as a Native Hawaiian, I found this casting to be even more offensive. Her true ethnic background is Caucasian (mom) & Filipino (dad). Furthermore I have seen reports on here that claims her mom was a realtor here in the island,” Little Merbeing said.

The thread continues about Sydney’s parents selling Hawaiian land.

“The fact that she has a white parent who has sold land here is an even bigger slap in the face. Many may not understand our frustration with owning land in Hawai‘i but basically she has sold native lands to people who can afford it, majority rich white people.”

According to Sydney’s mother, Karen’s Linkedin profile she’s a full-time realtor with eXp Realty in Kauai, Hawaii. She has been working with the company for over five years now and previously worked with Aloha Island Properties for almost 18 years.

The Twitter thread ends with Little Merbeing saying, “This whole situation has turned out to just be an extremely big mess. Race, terminology, colorism, inappropriate casting, so many issues are piling up here. In the end, I appreciate anyone defending true native Hawaiians. We have gone unseen and unheard in many aspects of society for too long and it’s about time we don’t.”

Many people are expressing their opinions about this Twitter thread. Check out everybody’s reactions down below.

https://twitter.com/mikudecora/status/1647394572220215299?s=46&t=nPFl55WlJ3lv9i6TQwe5sQ

https://twitter.com/miracleeannee/status/1647380146804998144?s=46&t=nPFl55WlJ3lv9i6TQwe5sQ

https://twitter.com/jinkiesjerrica/status/1647363739069616128?s=46&t=nPFl55WlJ3lv9i6TQwe5sQ

What are your thoughts about Sydney Agudong getting cast as Nani in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch?

You may also like

90 comments

Kennethcof May 5, 2025 - 1:27 PM

vavada вход: вавада казино – вавада зеркало

Reply
ZackaryOrase May 5, 2025 - 8:21 AM

http://pinuprus.pro/# пин ап вход

Reply
ZackaryOrase May 5, 2025 - 3:03 AM Reply
ZackaryOrase May 4, 2025 - 2:22 AM Reply
Kennethcof May 4, 2025 - 2:07 AM

pin up casino: pin up azerbaycan – pin-up casino giris

Reply
Richardger May 3, 2025 - 5:15 PM

vavada [url=http://vavadavhod.tech/#]вавада казино[/url] vavada вход

Reply
Richardger May 3, 2025 - 11:46 AM

pin up [url=https://pinupaz.top/#]pin-up[/url] pinup az

Reply
ZackaryOrase May 3, 2025 - 11:31 AM

http://vavadavhod.tech/# vavada casino

Reply
ZackaryOrase May 3, 2025 - 1:38 AM

http://pinuprus.pro/# пинап казино

Reply
ElmerDyday May 3, 2025 - 1:00 AM

vavada вход: vavada casino – vavada

Reply
ZackaryOrase May 2, 2025 - 3:50 PM Reply
ZackaryOrase May 2, 2025 - 10:56 AM Reply
ElmerDyday May 2, 2025 - 5:42 AM

vavada casino: вавада – вавада официальный сайт

Reply
Kennethcof May 1, 2025 - 4:25 AM

pin up: pin-up casino giris – pin up az

Reply
Kennethcof April 30, 2025 - 11:05 PM

вавада зеркало: vavada casino – vavada casino

Reply
Kennethcof April 30, 2025 - 6:29 PM

pin up azerbaycan: pinup az – pin-up casino giris

Reply
Richardger April 30, 2025 - 6:03 PM

вавада [url=https://vavadavhod.tech/#]вавада[/url] вавада

Reply
Richardger April 30, 2025 - 1:15 PM

pin up вход [url=http://pinuprus.pro/#]пин ап вход[/url] пин ап казино

Reply
Richardger April 30, 2025 - 8:25 AM

vavada [url=http://vavadavhod.tech/#]вавада зеркало[/url] vavada вход

Reply
Richardger April 30, 2025 - 3:26 AM

pin up [url=http://pinupaz.top/#]pin up azerbaycan[/url] pin up

Reply
DannyPoise April 29, 2025 - 9:42 PM

best canadian pharmacy to order from: Canadian pharmacy shipping to USA – canadian pharmacy meds reviews

Reply
Walterimmob April 29, 2025 - 8:46 PM

https://expressrxcanada.shop/# rate canadian pharmacies

Reply
Michaelflary April 29, 2025 - 8:30 PM

best canadian pharmacy online: ExpressRxCanada – 77 canadian pharmacy

Reply
Walterimmob April 29, 2025 - 3:49 PM

http://medicinefromindia.com/# indian pharmacy online shopping

Reply
MichaelTig April 29, 2025 - 3:45 PM

mexico pharmacy order online [url=http://rxexpressmexico.com/#]Rx Express Mexico[/url] mexican drugstore online

Reply
Walterimmob April 29, 2025 - 10:34 AM

https://rxexpressmexico.com/# Rx Express Mexico

Reply
StevenTails April 29, 2025 - 3:18 AM

RxExpressMexico: mexico drug stores pharmacies – Rx Express Mexico

Reply
MichaelTig April 28, 2025 - 9:03 PM

canadian pharmacy india [url=https://expressrxcanada.com/#]ExpressRxCanada[/url] best canadian online pharmacy

Reply
Michaelflary April 28, 2025 - 8:42 PM

reputable canadian pharmacy: Buy medicine from Canada – canada cloud pharmacy

Reply
MichaelTig April 28, 2025 - 3:49 PM

medicine courier from India to USA [url=https://medicinefromindia.shop/#]indianpharmacy com[/url] indian pharmacy online shopping

Reply
DannyPoise April 28, 2025 - 3:14 PM

canadian pharmacy king reviews: canadian online pharmacy – canadian online pharmacy reviews

Reply
StevenTails April 28, 2025 - 1:20 PM

canadian pharmacy meds: Buy medicine from Canada – canadian pharmacy world

Reply
Bernardsiz April 28, 2025 - 4:12 AM

pharmacie en ligne pas cher: Pharmacie sans ordonnance – pharmacie en ligne pas cher pharmafst.com

Reply
Billievulge April 28, 2025 - 1:42 AM

Kamagra pharmacie en ligne: Achetez vos kamagra medicaments – kamagra en ligne

Reply
Bradleybus April 28, 2025 - 12:37 AM

pharmacie en ligne avec ordonnance: pharmacie en ligne – pharmacies en ligne certifiГ©es pharmafst.com

Reply
Bernardsiz April 28, 2025 - 12:24 AM

Pharmacie en ligne livraison Europe: vente de mГ©dicament en ligne – Achat mГ©dicament en ligne fiable pharmafst.com

Reply
PeterHIP April 27, 2025 - 10:01 PM

kamagra pas cher [url=http://kamagraprix.com/#]Acheter Kamagra site fiable[/url] Achetez vos kamagra medicaments

Reply
RobertUncer April 27, 2025 - 8:48 PM

https://pharmafst.com/# Achat mГ©dicament en ligne fiable

Reply
Bernardsiz April 27, 2025 - 8:39 PM

Kamagra pharmacie en ligne: kamagra en ligne – kamagra gel

Reply
Bernardsiz April 27, 2025 - 5:27 PM

Acheter Cialis 20 mg pas cher: Acheter Cialis 20 mg pas cher – Tadalafil sans ordonnance en ligne tadalmed.shop

Reply
1 2

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.