Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 11, 1 November 2005 — FALL READING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FALL READING

By Sterling Kini Weng Publicatiūns Editor Hawaiian history and culture continue to be popular subjects for new books. Here's a selected sampling of recent offerings: Nō Kaikamahine 'o Haumea, Daughters of Haumea Lueia īarallo Jensen and Natalie Mahina Jensen Pueo Press; $29.95

While she was writing the 1972 hook Men of Ancient Hawai'i with her husband,

Lueia Tarallo Iensen began to realize that the role women played in pre-con-tact Hawaiian society had been severely distorted by foreign writers and native men who had been heavily influenced by western culture. She noted that in most academic and historic publications, Hawaiian women had

been depicted as "mere shadow beings" or "appendages of their male counterparts." Nā Kaikamahine 'o Haumea, Daughters of Haumea, the sequel to the 1972 book, represents Iensen's attempt to dispel misinformation about women in Hawaiian culture. Iensen dedicates eaeh section of the book to a different role women had in society, from eanoe maker to feather worker, from farmer to warrior, from ruler to lover. "Lfpon closer inspection, it was evident that [Hawaiian] women did not stand on the outside looking in, but were in fact an integral part of the whole - the female principle clearly woven into their civilization's fabric, essential to all facets of life," Jensen writes. Lucia's daughter, Natalie Mahina, also contributes to this family project by providing 20 elegant black-and-white photographs of women - all Hawaiian models - in traditional settings, practicing a different aspect of their culture.

Hawaiian Legends of Dreams Caren Loebel-Fried University of Hawai'i Press; $1 9.95

Hawaiians believe that a person's soul doesn't rest while they dream, instead it embarks on

amazing adventures, travels to otherworldly places and may even heeome infatuated with a secret lover. Moe'uhane, or dreams, also serve as an important time to interact with and receive advice from a person's gods and ancestors. In Hawaiian Legends ofDreams, Caren Loebel-Fried retells nine mo 'olelo that illustrate the signifieanee of dreams in Hawaiian society. Some of the stories she writes about are well-known, such as the love affair between the volcano goddess Pele and the Kaua'i chief Lohi'au, but others are more rare, like Lauka'ie'ie's search for her lover. In Dreams, Loebel-Fried shines both as a colorful storyteller and a skilled artist whose block-printing pieces are striking. Lost Generations: A Boy, a S(hool, a Prin<ess J. Arthur Rath University of Hawai'i Press; $35.00

In the 1990s, K a ni e h a ni e h a Schools/ Bishop Estate, the largest private landowner in

Hawai'i and the nehest educational institution in the nation, was embroiled in one of most sensational scandals in Hawai'i since statehood. Members of the school's board of trustees were accused of mismanaging the multi-billion-dollar trust, micromanaging school operations and intimidating the faculty and student body. The controversy ended with the iniprisonment of one of the trustees for money laundering and left the image of the school, long a source of pride for the Hawaiian community, badly damaged. In Lost Generations, retired LfH professor J. Arthur Rath, himself a Kamehameha alumnus and a member of the school's Hall of Fame, provides a very personal account of his relationship with the school he credits with turning his life around, and chronicles his fight to help restore its integrity in the midst of the scandal.

A close friend of Oz Stender, who cooperated with state officials to remove his fellow trustees, Rath provides insight into what he and the close-knit Kamehameha 'ohana went through to ensure that the school could eonhnue fulfilling its mission to educate Hawaiian children. I am a Creature of the Tides: What Am l?/He l'a Wau: Pehea Ko'u 'Ano? Kynaston Kaikō Lindsey Kamehameha Schools Press; $15.95

IWhis is the I s e e o n d book produced from the partner-

ship between Hawai'i island's Kanu o Ka 'Āina Charter School and Kamehameha Schools Press. As a high-school junior, author and illustrator Kynaston Kaikā Lindsey first created this simple riddle book that teaches keiki about different creatures found in tide pools. The release of Tides follows the success of Kanu o ka 'Āina's first book, The Fish and Their Gifts/ Nā Makana a Nā I'a, whieh was

named the 2005 Hawai'i Book of the Year by the Hawai'i Publishers Association in October. Tides mimics the bilingual storytelling model used in The Fish and Their Gifts/ Nā Makana Nā I'a\ the English and Hawaiian versions of the story begin at opposite ends of the book. After finishing one version of the story, readers flip the book over and read the other. The Hawaiian Monar<hy Allan Selden Mutual Publishing; $29.95

Asweeping glance at the native rulers of Hawai'i from King Kamehameha I ( 17951819) to Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole

(1871-1922), this book features insightful biographies of Hawai'i's ali'i, complemented by beautiful archival photographs. Also containing a royal genealogy chart and a detailed hmeline of historic events, The Hawaiian Monarchy is a recommended read for people trying to familiarize themselves with Hawai'i's post-contact history. EJ

NĀ PUKE • B00KS

Caren Lobel-Fried learned the ancient art of block printing from her mother. This pieee is from the story "The Romance of Lauka'ie'ie" from her latest book, Hawaiian Legends ofDteams. - Image courtesy of UH Press