The Heart of Being Hawaiian: An Exploration of Modern Hawaiian Culture
I was a kid in the 40’s and 50’s, a time when it still was not cool to be Hawaiian. Kamehameha, my school from seventh through twelfth grade, even though instituted for Hawaiian children, sought to make us thoroughly American. Which I was. Except for those “aboriginal twinges” and a gaping hole in my heart. I consciously—and self-consciously—pursued article assignments to learn about being Hawaiian as well as to write about specific topics. I learned about hula, heiau, the Hawaiian diet. I spent three days on Kaho‘olawe during January Makahiki ceremonies, addressed a personal health problem through lomilomi, sailed for an afternoon on the voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a. Eventually I came to know dozens of people in the Hawaiian community. They all welcomed me, especially after I learned to approach any Hawaiian by placing myself in my family, school, and community. I think it is today’s version of what some have told me was the ancient recitation of genealogy between strangers until they came to a point of commonality. Never mind the journalism degrees and writing achievements. I am the younger Pierre Bowman’s older sister, Uncle Wright’s niece, Scotty’s cousin. I am KS ’58. I am Kailua, O‘ahu. Now we can talk.
~ Sally-Jo Keala-o-Ānuenue Bowman, author, The Heart of Being Hawaiian
The Heart of Being Hawaiian by Sally-Jo Bowman
In The Heart of Being Hawaiian, author Sally-Jo Keala-o-Ānuenue Bowman presents a collection of essays, articles and profiles exploring today’s Hawaiian people, their culture and practices in an attempt to answer the question, What does “being Hawaiian” mean today and how do we appreciate the culture?
Renowned Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson notes in the foreword, “Being Hawaiian is a voyage in words for native Hawaiians and for many others who carry Hawaiian values and care for things Hawaiian….It’s about connecting to something deeply special about Hawai‘i and the almost innate, instinctual need to be connected to our special island home.”
Being Hawaiian explores the importance of each of us discovering or re-discovering what it means to be Hawaiian—whether we are Hawaiian by blood or not. The selection of works included range in subject from lua (Hawaiian martial arts), lomilomi (massage), hula, the Pūnana Leo language immersion school, Kaho‘olawe, Kalaupapa, the experience of attending the Kamehameha Schools, profiles of several Hawaiian kupuna and more.
Twenty years ago, the author began searching for her own Hawaiian identity by researching and writing articles on modern Hawaiian culture. Bowman grew up “in the Forties and Fifties, a time when it still was not cool to be Hawaiian.” Her family, and many others, had left the Hawaiian language behind, along with many customs and much knowledge, and she lacked even a Hawaiian name. The book’s opening essay, “Aloha, Anuhea,” in which a high school classmate gives her a name, Keala-o-Ānuenue, The Path of the Rainbow, marks the beginning of her quest. The final piece, “Inescapably Hawaiian,” ends her huaka‘i, her journey, when she sees that it has led her from “no-name shame” to a sense of being rooted in her own culture at last.
Author Sally-Jo Bowman
A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools (’58), Bowman has published some 200 freelance articles, essays, poems and short stories. Many of the pieces included in Being Hawaiian have received Pa‘i awards from the Hawaii Publishers’ Association; in addition, the author has won several other prestigious writing awards for her work both in Hawai‘i and the Mainland. Originally from Kailua, O‘ahu, Bowman currently resides in Springfield, Oregon. Being Hawaiian is her second book with Watermark Publishing. No Footprints in the Sand: A Memoir of Kalaupapa, which she co-wrote with Henry Nalaielua, was released in November 2006.
The Heart of Being Hawaiian is a voyage in words for native Hawaiians and for many others who carry Hawaiian values and care for things Hawaiian. It’s about a journey. It’s about seeking. It’s about connecting to something deeply special about Hawai‘i and the almost innate, instinctual need to be connected to our special island home. It’s an extraordinary, beautiful and necessary voyage for all those seeking a deeper spiritual relationship with this special place.
Once Sally-Jo quoted me as saying, “We sail for the honor of us all.” In The Heart of Being Hawaiian, she writes for the honor of us all.
~ Nainoa Thompson, navigator
Sally-Jo’s words speak poignantly on both personal and universal levels. Like hula and chant, she gives poetic expression to emotions, experience and our contemporary connection with ancient knowledge. Her book is a treasure for anyone who calls Hawai‘i home.
~ Robert Cazimero, musician
With clarity and empathy, the author eloquently describes the problems and promise facing Hawaiians today. Through personal encounters with many others of Hawaiian ancestry, she shows us how accommodations can be made between traditional values and modern ways.
~ Herb Kawainui Kāne, artist
To completely reveal and openly trust is uncommon in today’s world, but for Sally-Jo Bowman, as a Hawaiian, it is vital. Her profound quest to understand herself as a Hawaiian is a lifelong journey of love and pain, understanding and healing. Her model of heartfelt exploration offers us strength and courage to find our own ea—our freedom to define ourselves as Hawaiians. Mahalo piha for a life-changing gift!
~ Maile Meyer, businesswoman
Being Hawaiian is available for purchase at your local bookstore and at online booksellers, including direct from the publisher at www.bookshawaii.net.
Author: Sally-Jo Bowman
Softcover, 246 pp
Release Date: June 2008
ISBN: 978-0-9815086-0-3
$16.95 retail price
Tags: Being Hawaiian, Sally-Jo Bowman
