Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 8, 1 August 2008 — LOVE AND WAR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LOVE AND WAR

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Brook Kapūkuniahi Parker cuts an imposing figure. He sits quietly, examining the room with a sometimes intense gaze. When introduced, he expands out of his chair into a 6-foot-6-inch giant of a Hawaiian warrior. His presence fills the room. But the ferocity of his persona belies who he is: Brook Parker is a Hawaiian historian and artist who is deeply in love with all the Hawaiians who eame before him. He pores over historical volumes, looking for previously unnoticed details whieh might help provide some insight into just exactly who these people really were, what they were like, what they looked like, how they dressed and what they did. Parker turns the pages of a portfolio full of his illustrations from Hawai'i's distant history and as the characters are revealed, the stories emerge. It is as if Parker is introducing you to his friends and 'ohana. In some instances, he does trace his genealogy directly to them. He knows eaeh one, almost personally. He knows about their strengths, their weaknesses, their loves, and hates. He knows how they were born, he knows their parents, their wives, their children, and he knows how they died. All eyes are on him as he tells tales of love and war, of triumph and tragedy in ancient Hawai'i, as illustrated in intense detail in his images. He has been drawing Hawaiian warriors, he says, "since I was 5 years old." Parker also studies and makes Hawaiian kahiko weaponry. He loves the art of war. Parker is following in the footsteps of his father, David Parker, who in May received a MAMo Award in recognition of his work illustrating historic Hawaiians. In his own words, the senior Parker has painted portraits of "200 chiefs, and counting." For years, Brook Parker illustrated books for 'Aha Pūnana Leo. All of the kids that eame through the Hawaiian inunersion schools grew up surrounded by Parker's images. According to Kēhaunani Abad, director of Kamehameha Publishing, the book Humehume of Kaua 'i "was sitting at some printer in Asia ready to be printed" - when it was pulled back for a "complete overhaul." During that revamp, they hired Parker to illustrate the story. One of his images graced the cover of that book. The work was well received, and it wasn't long before Kamehameha found another venue for Parker's passion. "We had a need to reprint Ruling Chiefsf said Abad, as shelf inventory was getting low. "The frrst question we had to ask ourselves was 'How mueh do we want to fix?' as anytime you reprint you take the opportunity to frx what you know is wrong." But "even the short list of things that we eame up with" that they could fix heeame "gargantuan." "It would take years" to finish, said Abad. "There are the issues of considering modern Hawaiian orthography and whether we want to go with that," as the last revamp of the volume was done in the 1 93 0s , "before there was the 'Ahahui 'Ōlelo Hawai'i established." "Even the 'okina and kahakō! There are 'okina, but no kahakō, and all the hyphens in the names. "There are questions about certain passages of the transla-

tions" that might be "reconsidered by modern scholars of 'Ōlelo Hawai'i." The center section of Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii by Samuel

Manaiakalani Kamakau fea-

tures a series of ^ and white photo images of some of the

hlaek plates of historical book's subjects. One

of the ideas that eame out of the discussions was to augment the photo plates with color illustrations of some of the stories and people from the book with no pre-existing images. Following the success of Humehume, Parker was immediately a prime candidate. Abad estimates that it could take five years to properly complete a revision of Ruling Chiefs. After mueh discussion, Kamehameha Publishing decided to do a smaller reprint now and to establish a longer-term plan for a major revamp of the historic tome. In the meanhme, Abad says, they decided to produce a "precursor" to the book with a series of posters illustrated by Parker whieh could be hung in classrooms to spark discussion and learning about Hawaiian history. The illustrations would later be used in the revamped volume. They eame up with a list of 24 historic chiefs who might grace the illustrations, whieh Parker is now working on. Parker says, "I kept a eouple of spots open" on the list, for Hawaiian chiefs who might not have been obvious choices at first. The posters are expected to be released in the spring of 2009. Brook Parker shares the process he is using in developing the new Ruling Chiefs ofHawaii illustrations. First he starts with pencil-sketch studies of the individuals who are going to be portrayed. Then he does more sketches showing the individuals as they might be situated in the final illustration. The proposed sketch is taken to Kamehameha Publishing and discussions begin. Parker, says, for instance, "I wanted to draw Lopaka." He shows one of his sketches: "This is John Young and Isaac Davis and the artillery pieee that Kamehameha used. My Kū side is really strong; Kēhau's Hina side is strong, so we have to find a happy medium, because if it was me, it would be all battle scenes, blood and guts!" Abad tempers his passion for the battle, often asking him to tone down an image, or to include prominent women, who often do not get play in Hawaiian histories. Parker's "Kū side" is tied deeply to his name, Kapūkuniahi, whieh was given to him by his great-grandfather, who was also Captain of the Guard at 'Iolani Palaee under Queen Lili'uokalani. Before bestowing that particular name on the newborn Parker, a great amount of debate went on between his parents and 'ohana. His grandmother was set against naming the child, "The Firing Canon," out of fear that it would cause the boy to have a fiery temper and contentious demeanor. "Grandma didn't want," says Parker, so his father eame up with the name Brook - water - "to eool the eannon," and the family agreed. But, says Parker with a smile, "Sometimes the eannon fire still boils the water!" I

The Research and Evaluation division of Kamehameha Schools issues periodically a peerreviewed collection of their work on the subject of Hawaiian well-being. Produced by Kamehameha Publishing, the volumes contain articles and essays on the subject by noted Hawaiian scholars.

Just released in June Volume 4, Number

1 of the journal, Hūlili, features articles by Nainoa

Thompson, John Laimana, 'Umi Perkins and many others. Titles include "E

Ho'i Mau: Honoring 1 the Past, Caring for the Present, Journeying to the Future," "Living Without

Kuleana," and "On Being Hawaiian Enough: Contesting American Racialization with Native Hybridity." The volumes feature beautiful cover images by noted loeal artist Harinani Orme. Hūlili is available from Kamehameha Publishing online at www.kamehamehapublishing.org, or at Native Books/ Na Mea Hawai'i www.nativebookshawaii.com. Back issues are available online at the Hawai'i Digital Library w w w. hawaiidigitallibrary.org .

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Brook Kapūkuniahi Parker shows fwo illusfrafions from his portfolio. Parker has heen tapped by Kamehameha Publishing to illustrate historical figures from Ruling Chiefs ofHawaiiby S.M. Kamakau.