Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 1986 — Book Review [ARTICLE]

Book Review

By Maleolm Naea Chun Cultural Affairs Officer Ku Kanaka-Stand Tall George Hu'eu Sanford Kanahele University of Hawaii Press and Waiaha Foundation $30 cloth

In the mid 1970's there was a great interest in things Hawaiian. This was the time of Hokule'a's voyage to Tahiti, of the emergence of many hula schools and eanoe clubs, of an unheard of iricrease of Hawaiian music being recorded and performed in nightclubs, of a University degree program in Hawaiian Studies, and the reporting in loeeil newspapers of Hawaiian "rights" and "activism"; this was the beginning of the "Hawaiian renaissance."

An unanswered question developed from all of this activity: "What is a Hawaiian?" and it evolved into a quest by many Hawaiians to seek an answer. Among those seekers has been Kenneth Brown who with George Kanahele went to New Zealand and found a similar revival and interest in native identity. Through their experiences and friendship with the Maori people of New Zealand eame the inspiration and persistance to discover what is a Hawaiian.

Ku Kanaka is a search to define what makes a Hawaiian beyond the mere biological fact of blood. Therefore, Kanahele has centered his search upon "values whieh may be an all encompassing term to mean culture, philosophy, spirituality, and of a people's world view. This is an immense task, and the 498 pages of text attest to the fact that answering the question of "what is a Hawaiian?" has not been an easy one.

Readers will find many interesting topics in Ku Kanaka, such as explanations for "uku pau" and "leadership" to consider. However, one wonders if loeal readers and especiaily Hawaiians will want to plough through mueh of the comparative material used by Kanahele to justify what he proposes as Hawaiian values and insight. For example, in the chapter on Gods, Kanahele discusses the concept of "man-made gods. . .to help explain certain concepts in Hawaiian reiigion." In doing so, he uses this example: The Greek philosopher Epictetus, in the sixth eentury B.C., observed that "men imagine gods to be born, and to have raiment and voice and body like themselves". . .Epictetus meant, wherever we go, gods tend to look like those who revere them. How do we know for sure that this is the way that Hawaiians made their gods? Frankly, we don't know for sure.

Is this usage of comparative literature necessary to define "what is a Hawaiian?" If the readership is nonHawaiian then such material seems appropriate and necessary , but if this book is to help or to inspire Hawaiians in their quest for identity, then Ku Kanaka falls short of its goal. The need to back up the values being

proposed in Ku Kanaka muddles whatever insight that Kanahele has been able to discover and makes the book read like a University thesis. Perhaps the original project of Ku Kanaka, whieh was to eompile the writings of various Hawaiians, might have been preferable, and been able to state what are values than to have to justify their existence. Whatver the case Ku Kanaka is now available to the world as a presentation of Hawaiian values, and it will be important for Hawaiians to know what has been presented of their lives before this large audience. Tifaifai and Quilts of Polynesia Joyce D. Hammond University of Hawaii Press $16.95 paper

In furthering the enthnographic work on the techniques and craftsmanship of Pacific Island arts and crafts, we have recently seen such definitive works as Marie MacDonald's Ka Lei, and Linda Moriarty's Niihau Shell Leis, and now there is Joyce Hammond's Tifaifai and Quilts of Polynesia. Tifaifai is a comparative work on the development of quilt making in the Pacific, emphasizingHawaiian, Tahitian and Cook Island quilts. Hammond traces the changes from kapa (barkcloth) and its ritual/social function in traditional island life through the adaptation of Western cloth and sewing techniques whereby quilts now serve as Pacific isiand treasures of weaith and status. Tifaifai is well illustrated, although most of the pietures are in black and white (a lot are historical), and readable.

Hammond approach in Tifaifai goes beyond just historical and comparisons of different styles, but more importantly she discusses the insights artisans have for their work as well as the present day social function and customs related to quilts, especially as gifts. This latter discussion is something that Pacific islanders interested in how protocol and gift giving works today will find interesting. Hammond is an Associate Professor of Western Washington University and her doctorial research was on Pacific Island quilts. — MNC