Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 1, 1 January 1993 — Book Review: "Native Land and Foreign Desires" [ARTICLE]

Book Review: "Native Land and Foreign Desires"

by Deborah Lee Ward Published by Bishop Museum Press and written by Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa,"Native Land and Foreign Desires" discusses the history of land tenure in Hawai'i from traditional times until the 1848 Mahele. As a respected scholar and descendant of the Pi'ilani lineage of Maui, Kame'eleihiwa follows in the footsteps of Hawai'i's distinguished historians David Malo, John Papa I'i and Samuel Kamakau, whose works have also been published by Bishop Museum Press. Like these authors, Kame'eleihiwa speaks from both a scholarly and a native perspective, on matters of importance to Hawaiians.

In the first several chapters of "Native Land," Kame 'eleihiwa elaborates on the basic metaphors of traditional Hawaiian culture. By unraveling the symbols of the creator gods Papa and Wakea, the 'aikapu (sacred eating), nl'aupi'o (mating of closely related high chiefs), and 'imihaku (paths to power), Kame'eleihiwa clarifies early Hawaiian society. All of these metaphors incorporate the traditional mandate Hawaiians had to always mālama 'āina: to care for the land. This groundwork prepares the reader for a thorough analysis of the impact of the ending of 'aikapu, the religion of traditional Hawai'i, the political repercussions of Hawaiian conversion to Christianity, and the role of

Calvinist missionaries in eonvincing the ali'i to take Hawaiian lands from eommunal use to private ownership. Later chapters provide information on the genealogies and traditional inheritance patterns among the ali'i nui (high chiefs), and a discussion of the land awards of the ali'i who participated in the Mahele. The aftermath of this land division on both foreigners and the Hawaiian population is also covered. Kame'eleihiwa ends this thorough study with her thoughts on the question "Pehea lā e pono ai," or "How shall we live in harmony?" She provides Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian readers some stimulating ideas about how to live in harmony in

today's Hawai'i. Kame'eleihiwa's intent in writing this book is for us to leam from the past and apply the lessons learned rather than repeat the hewa, the wrong. This is her gift to the Lāhui, the nalion, a history of her people for all to read. Kame'eleihiwa is a professor at the Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai'i-Mānoa. A graduate of Kamehameha Schools, she believes Hawaiians must know the traditional wisdom and true history of their ancestors before they ean change their lives.

"Native Land and Foreign Desires" is available at Bishop Museum's Shop Pacifica, Honolulu Book Shops, the University of Hawai'i bookstore, Mission Houses Museum, Queen Emma Summer Palaee, 'Iolani Palaee shop and through Native Books. The book is priced at $39.95. For more information eall 845-8949. Kame'eleihiwa will speak on "Native Land and Foreign Desires" on Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i and Kaua'i. For more information on her talks, eall Bishop Museum at 848-4187.