Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 12, 1 December 1986 — "Ku Kanaka" Does Not Easily Review [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"Ku Kanaka" Does Not Easily Review

Editor's Note: Hawaii businessman and former State Sen. Kenneth F. Brown wrote thefollowing letter to Ka Wai Ola O OHA, placing the proper perspective on Author George Hu'eu Kanahele's book, "Ku Kanaka— Stand Tall." Ku Kanaka Dear Mr. Haina:

Those of us who have been lucky enough to visit Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, New Zealand, or any of the other homelands of our Polynesian cousins, are usually struck by a sense of nostalgia, and we say to ourselves, "This is what Hawaii might have been if we had not become so Westernized and if Hawaiian values and ways had not declined so dramatically." This is because our cousins seem more deeply immersed in their ancestral values and seem to have a more coherent view of themselves than we have. They are thus better able to answer the question about their heritage whieh we ask about ourselves when we ask, "Who and what is an Hawaiian?". Traveling to these other lands, however, only gives us a small hint of what might have been, though it does, indeed, help motivate our search for Hawaiian values.

Rather than traveling in today's world to other geographies, it would be far more rewarding to travel in time, in our Hawaii, back to the days of our ancestors, before Cook's arrival. We would take with us all of the knowledge available to us from our times — knowledge of the sciences, of sociology, economics, mythology, comparative religion, philosophy, and anthropology, both of "advanced" and primal civilizations. We wouīd stay a long time, observing and participating in all the vital activities of our ancestors. What knowledge, what insights, what understanding, and most of all, what pride we would gain! We would return with a sense of unity, a sense of destiny, and a feeling of purpose and dedication, all of whieh would stand us in good stead as we tackle the problems and opportunities of today's times.

This voyage īn time is precisely what George Kanahele took when he created the book "Ku Kanaka". And those who read the book have the opportunity to share Kanahele's experiences and insights. To belabor the analogy a little further, your reviewer

of "Ku Kanaka" showed no more than passing interest in the voluminous notes and observations that voyager Kanahele brought back with him, nor in their pertinence and value to us today. I have tried to figure out why, and I think I have the answer. "Ku Kanaka" does not easily "review." In fact, by its very nature, it does not allow for a conventional book review.

Look at some of the subjects addressed: The World of the Sacred The Reality of Mythology The Gods Ritual and Sacrifice Cosmology Time A Sense of Plaee Evolution and the Scientific Savage Technology Primal Economics Leadership and Destiny The Dynamics of Aloha

How many of us would feel comfortable with a critique of Kanahele's handling of one, let alone all, of the disciplines by whieh he views and analyzes Hawaiian civilization? And if we did, how many of us could eompress our thoughts down to book review length? What needs to be done is to assemble a group of people who eaeh are comfortable with one or more of the disciplines of the book, and then, one by one, over a period of time, have eaeh expert give his or her views, both pro and eon, of Kanahele's insights and findings. In this way, those who don't read the book will get a sense of what it says about Hawaiians, and will gain a feeling of pride and wonder over the depth and nobility of the civilization of the ancient Hawaiians. And from that, they will be able to "Stand Tall", and take their rightful plaee in the leadership and destiny of Hawaii.

And the voyage īn time that Kanahele took would be taken by more and more people, and Kanahele's findings would be discussed, questioned, elaborated, and built upon; so that a great body of knowledge of that past would be established and extended. All of this seems well within the province and mission of OHA, and I urge you to do it. Yours sincerely, Kenneth F. Brown