Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 7, 1 July 2014 — ʻŌIWI OPTICS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻŌIWI OPTICS

By Lurline Wailana McGregor History is an interpretation of past events as told through the eyes of the storyteller. It is based on that person's worldview, their speeific knowledge of the events they are describing and their particular agenda. Until around 30 years ago, most books about Hawaiian history were written by members the dominant Western

culture, whose viewpoint is very different from that of the indigenous people, whose knowledge of events about Hawai'i's history is often based on other Westerners' accounts and whose intentions have conceivably been to steer the reader away from wondering if there was

a wrongful takeover of an independent nation. Thanks to the growing body of work by Native Hawaiian historians and academics, this is no longer the case. "Native agency optics" is how Kamanamaikalani Beamer describes the framework of his new book, No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Naiion, published by Kamehameha Publishing. It is

his mo'olelo (history), his 'ōiwi (native) version of how the ruling ali'i of the Hawaiian Kingdom combined governance systems that had long been established in Ka Pae 'Āina (the archipelago) with carefully selected Western laws to create an independent nation-state.

Beamer bases his findings and post-colonial interpretations on indigenous source materials that range from ali'i correspondences to 'ōlelo Hawai'i (Hawaiian language) newspaper reports to 'ōiwi discourses, from the historical publications of Davida Malo and Samuel Kamakau to the more eontemporary work of Haunani-Kay Trask and Kehau Abad.

The book begins with an overview of how the 'aha ali'i (eouneil of chiefs) was established through genealogy to heeome the ruling chiefs, and how the evolution of the ahupua'a system provided a structure for land tenancy. Following the arrival of Capt. Cook and the ensuing settlement of foreigners in the islands, Kamehameha the Great sent a letter to King George III of England asking that his country serve as a protectorate of the Hawaiian Islands. Four years later, Liholiho traveled with an entourage to London to meet with King George IV to follow up on his father's letter and secure Britain's commitment to protecting the Hawaiian Islands from foreign threats. The king gave his verbal agreement to Liholiho's request to Boki, the highest-ranking member of Liholiho's entourage after he died. Beamer contends that the success of this diplomatic mission may have been the reason that Hawai'i remained independent as long as it did. Ruling ali'i during the period of the Hawaiian Kingdombecame proficient in European and American

legal systems, languages, clothing and customs. This was by no means to the exclusion of learning their own history and traditions; rather, their strategy was twofold: to be able to create a governing system that they could adapt to their increasingly Western and capitalist society, and through their acquisition of diplomatic skills, create international allies to ward off foreign threats to their kingdom. Beamer demonstrates through the inclusion of original newspaper announcements and posted kānāwai (laws) that the Hawaiian ali'i were highly eompetent in their capacity to issue laws and respond to crises, such as restricting the entrance of vessels into the harbor that may have originated in smallpox-infested areas. This is not to say that the ali'i were equipped to withstand the overwhelming forces of the U.S. businessmen and the Ameriean military in the overthrow of their government. Beamer's mo'olelo covers an area of Hawaiian history that has not been methodically researched or critically analyzed, possibly because it does not serve a purpose for a Western audience. His 'ōiwi perspective in explaining ali'iagencyisto show that the ali'i were highly eapahle of not only governing their own nahon, but as skillful diplomats, creating poliheal alliances with other governments. Beamer's work is intended to revive the intelligence and the mana of the ali'i, henee the title, No Mākou Ka Mana - we as Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) have the power inside us that will enahle us to carve out our own future. No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation is a valuable contribution to interpreting past events from an 'ōiwi point of view. As Kānaka Maoli consider options to craft a government based on traditional practices while incorporating selected Western law, this mo'olelo provides important insights that will serve to further the discourse on modern nationhood. ■

Lurīine Waiīana McGregor is a writer, fibnmaker anel author of Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me.

The book begins with an overview of how the aha ali'i (eouneil of chiefs) was established through genealogy to heeome the ruling chiefs, and how the evolution of the ahupua a system provided a structure for land tenancy.

No Mākou ka Mana: Liberating the Nation By Kamanamaikalani Beamer, Ph.D. 278 pages. Kamehameha Publishing. $30 hapdcovep, $15 softcovep, $9.99 Kindle anel iPael.

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