Her Hawaiian driver’s license has never had her full name, so Janice “Lokelani” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele has relied on her state ID.
Her Hawaiian driver’s license has never had her full name, so Janice “Lokelani” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele has relied on her state ID.
Recently however, it expired and when she got the replacement it was missing her first and middle names as well as the final and 36th letter of her last – just like her license.
When contacted, the agency advised she either legally change it to a shorter one or revert to her maiden name.
Neither option is acceptable to her.
She says that the name is all she has left of her husband who passed away.
Janice also feels that even being asked to do so is disrespectful to the native Hawaiian people, as for many one’s name is one’s history.
She explained, “You see, to some people in the world, your name is everything. If I say my name to an elder Hawaiian, they know everything about my husband's family going back many generations ... just from the name.”
After Janice contacted the press, the Department of Transportation said they are looking into ways to fit up to 40 characters in the identification’s name fields.
