There’s a full course of tales about Kamapua`a, the pig god. Since they’re all mythical, where’s the historical angle asked for in this blog? It’s in the footnotes – a wealth of them to enjoy in two books about the rascal.  Below, a citation from each book. [1] A greeting of “aloha” [...]
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Buss Laugh “Give da GIFT of LAUGHTER dis X-mas with SERIOUS COMEDY Local Style.  Serious comedy is no longer an oxymoron, and this book encourages readers to think as well. A perfect read for all of Hawaii’s generations. Lee Tonouchi’s book includes excerpts from local poets like Eric Chock, [...]
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1778. From Captain Cook’s journal, some little known facts about Hawaiian manufacture and living. Hair Style. Ordinarily black hairs of natives were stained with a mix of gray clay and powdered shells, and made into balls. Later chewed into a soft paste. Then smeared over the hair, rendering it [...]
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It’s a given, Kamehameha gained the skills of weaponry use and man-to-man fighting. Credit to his instructor, Kekuhaupi`o, expert at dodging and catching spears aimed to kill, a bone-breaking technician of lua wrestling, and master of  parrying and thrusting in fencing with a staff. Competen [...]
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It can’t be said of many books that every Honolulu home should have one, but HONOLULU STORIES is such a book.  It’s certainly one of the best possible Holiday [...]
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I’ve always had a problem with the abundance of nostalgia in local literature. Because we live in such a beautiful place, it’s so tempting to write about Hawaii when it was even more lovely—less people, more fish. We witness nostalgia in songs, books, and hear it from our elders all the time. [...]
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Hulo! (hooray) is a fast, fun, and easy way to practice your Hawaiian vocabulary while competing with friends and family. Whet [...]
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What’s the connection between land and power? It’s the central question in LAND AND POWER IN HAWAII. The potent answer: Land – the ownership, control and use of it – is power. The book begins earnestly in the 1950s. Democrats then control the territorial legislature and most of the county go [...]
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The island of Lana`i gets little written attention compared to the others of Hawai`i. But in the book cited below that’s resolved. In it are loads of stories about the tiny 13-miles long and wide island. Take its meaning. “La” for day – and “na`i” for conquest. Which memorializes the da [...]
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November 21 2009 You’ve probably heard rumblings in the media about the extremely controversial Google Books Settlement proposed to U.S. District Court this past week. It’s complex—the document is itself a 300-page book. But it’s pretty radical in its effects and implications for authors, [...]
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