It is a rare privelege to sit at the feet of Hawaii's elders--to hear their stories firsthand. Such wisdom and knowledge are seldom passed beyond Hawaiian communities, but now, with this book, their expertise is available to us all. Described by The Maui News as "a brilliant book of interviews with amazing photographs," Voices of Wisdom is a book that explains Hawaiian culture through the lives of 24 Hawaiians, each an expert in some facet of Hawaiiana. It is not just the stories and personalities of these 24 that are featured; through each individual we learn about a discipline, talent or skill valued in Hawaiian culture. These 24 are leaders of the cultural renaissance that awakened the Hawaiian spirit in recent decades. These are people who have led lives that matter, and what matters most to them is to keep lit the flame of a culture that nearly died. Through their efforts, Hawaiian culture will live on into the next century.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
A brilliant book of interviews with amazing photographs -- The Maui News, May 23, 1999
Sections on Hawaiian healers shed light on practices just beginning to become known outside the Hawaiian community. -- Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 6, 1999
Steve Brinkman's masterful black-and-white portraits are intimate, as though you're just about to clasp the person's hand. -- Kihei Times, August 10, 1999
The book is emotionally inspiring all the way through. -- Kihei Times, August 10, 1999
These uncompromising men and women revived Hawaiian language, dance and music; they redis-covered native arts such as kapa making, herbal healing and open-sea navigation; they began the struggle for sovereignty--in short, they pulled their own cul\000\000ture back from the brink of extinction. Today's Hawaiian elders constitute a truly heroic generation. Each chapter represents an encounter--and I mean a good, rich, insightful, thought-provoking encounter--with a different member of this heroic generation. -- Haleakala Times, August 17, 1999
Sections on Hawaiian healers shed light on practices just beginning to become known outside the Hawaiian community. -- Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 6, 1999
Steve Brinkman's masterful black-and-white portraits are intimate, as though you're just about to clasp the person's hand. -- Kihei Times, August 10, 1999
The book is emotionally inspiring all the way through. -- Kihei Times, August 10, 1999
These uncompromising men and women revived Hawaiian language, dance and music; they redis-covered native arts such as kapa making, herbal healing and open-sea navigation; they began the struggle for sovereignty--in short, they pulled their own cul\000\000ture back from the brink of extinction. Today's Hawaiian elders constitute a truly heroic generation. Each chapter represents an encounter--and I mean a good, rich, insightful, thought-provoking encounter--with a different member of this heroic generation. -- Haleakala Times, August 17, 1999
From the Back Cover
Hawaiian tradition honors the elders as keepers of its knowledge and wisdom. The 24 people interviewed in Voices of Wisdom continue that tradition by teaching us their mastery. They are kahuna, in the old days considered the best in their specialty. Here are a few excerpts of their voices: "We somewhat live yesterday in combination with today."
Jo-Anne Sterling "Our goal was to recapture our traditions, to make our people feel proud of those traditions and therefore proud about themselves."
Nainoa Thompson "The gift of mana [power, spiritual essence] is all of ours, and we can command this mana. You generate mana through prayer, through deep breathing and through meditation."
Lanakila Brandt "It's said that Hawaiian massage is praying work."
Margaret Machado "The hula is Hawai'i. The hula is the history of our country. The hula is a story itself if it's done right. And the hula, to me, is the foundation of life. It teaches us how to live, how to respect, how to share. The hula, to me, is the ability to create one's inner feelings and no one else's."
George Na'ope "The work [kapa making] was done almost exclusively by the women and that intrigues me. I want the world to know what that Hawaiian woman did and what she went through to produce the ultimate art piece in the fiber arts. When I work, I feel like that Hawaiian woman, back in time."
Puanani Van Dorpe
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guardians of Hawaiian Culture,
This review is from: Voices of Wisdom Hawaiian Elders Speak (Paperback)
Harden has produced a book that is somewhat of a "coffee table" book in style and format; the print is widely spaced and the photographs and the layout are very professionally done. The Hawaiians profiled here are those whose names and pictures you are likely to see in the big Honolulu papers; people whom she definitely considers to be Kupuna. Her book covers such well-known people as Margaret Machado, Winona Beamer, Kekuni Blaisdell, George Na`ope, Herb Kane and Nainoa Thompson. All together, Voices of Wisdom profiles 24 different people.Harden's format consists of a mix of biographical material, interviews and historical background information, with only a little original material in the form of chants and poems. There are a lot of directly quoted interviews, which is a real plus. It's very interesting and gives the reader excellent insights into the thoughts and feelings of the people interviewed, though at times, the quotations have a little bit of a disjointed feel to them (I suspect that she had to do a lot of editing). Her chapter headings include Nature; Spirituality and Healing; Preservation and History; Activism, Dance, Chant, Genealogy, Music; Arts and Crafts; Canoe and Next Generation. In contrast to other similar books, which tend to do it the other way around, Voices of Wisdom is a collection of 24 verbal portraits of Hawaiian people that also happens to teach the reader about Hawaiian culture and values. But Harden leaves that task to the people she portrays, and they do it through their own words. This fine book represents a new genre of Hawaiian cultural material and we can all hope that it starts a trend!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mahalo kapuna,
By
This review is from: Voices of Wisdom Hawaiian Elders Speak (Paperback)
This book reminds me what it means to be Kanaka maoli esspecially in the current time, It reminds us of where we came form and who we are to be, This book is inspirational and a must have.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT COMPILATION OF HAWAIIAN KUPUNA KNOWLEDGE,
By Palaka "palakahope" (SB,CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Voices of Wisdom Hawaiian Elders Speak (Paperback)
THIS IS A FANTASTIC COMPILATION OF INTERVIEWS ABOUT CRITICAL ASPECTS IN HAWAII. IT ALLOWS YOU TO FEEL LIKE YOU JUST SPOKE TO LOCAL HAWAIIANS AND REALLY GET INSIGHT INTO THEIR POLITICS, SPIRITUALITY, CUSTOMS, ETC. IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND A FUN READ. IT HAS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL WHO LIVE IN OR VISIT HAWAII (TOURIST, PERSONAL, OR ACADEMIC). AN EXCELLENT REFERENCE.
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