Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 6, 1 June 1992 — 'Ruling Chiefs of Hawaiʻiʻ back in print [ARTICLE]

'Ruling Chiefs of Hawaiʻiʻ back in print

One of the most sought after out-of-print books, "Ruling Chiefs of Hawai'i", is back in print. Kamehameha Schools Press has published a second edition of "Ruling Chiefs of Hawai'i," an edited volume of the writings of Hawaiian historian Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau, originally published in 1961 and out of print since the 1970s. The book has been in constant demand over the past 20 years and is considered a classic reference work on Hawaiian culture and political history. Kamakau, considered the greatest Hawaiian historian, wrote in Hawaiian language newspapers from 1842 through 1876, when the Hawaiian eulture was rapidly disappearing.

This edition of "Ruling Chiefs" is expanded to include an introduction and biographical informahon on Kamakau written by Hawaiian scholar and Kamehameha Schools graduate Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa. The book also includes the eom-

plete index originally compiled by Elspeth Sterling and published by Bishop Museum Press in 1975. No diacriticals have been added to Kamakau's material in order to present the text in its originally published form.

This 500-page volume begins with the story of the great chief 'Umi, eight generations before Kamehameha the Great, and concludes with the death of Kamehameha III in 1854. Kamakau tells of the reign of Kamehameha the Great, the coming of the missionaries and the profound changes that affected the kingdom during the first half of the 19th century. He wrote about topics ranging from the complexity of chiefly society to the politics of religion. He was close enough to ka po'e kahiko, the people of old, to record their stories and to preserve their knowledge, whieh he knew was rapidly disappearing.

During the 1860s he wrote a regular eoiumn on Hawaiian history for the Hawaiian newspaper Ku'oko'a. Kamakau served the Hawaiian people in a variety of occupations — as an educator, a poliheal appointee, an elected official and a judge. Kamehameha Schools Press began as a vocational training program publishing its first book in 1933. KS Press is now a professional publisher of educational materials for the schools and the broader community. "Ruling Chiefs of Hawai'i " is available in both

softcover and hardcover editions for $24.95 and $39.95 respectively. The book may be purchased at selected retail outlets or through the Kamehameha Schools Store on the Kapalama Heights campus, or by mail from Native Books P.O. Box 37095, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96837; include $3 postage and handling per book ordered.