“No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation," a book that presents a bold new historical perspective on the motivations, methods and accomplishments of Hawaiian leaders, is now available in print and for e-readers from Kamehameha Publishing.

The book, written by University of Hawai‘i Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, discusses the complex ways in which the ruling ali‘i of the Hawaiian Kingdom engaged with foreign powers, crafting a sophisticated blend of traditional Hawaiian governance with ideas from the west.

“No Mākou Ka Mana is exhaustively researched, carefully written and powerfully argued - a major contribution to Hawaiian history and Hawaiian studies,” says Hawaiian scholar Noenoe Silva. “Beamer demonstrates that the ali‘i and their advisers created their constitutions, laws, and styles of government themselves, keeping the Hawaiian customs that worked and importing European and American practices that they wanted. The clear analysis, engaging narrative, and original voice will serve as inspiration to other small nations and indigenous peoples the world over.”

“Beamer’s study highlights native agency in the face of Western imperialism,” adds University of Hawai‘i Professor Jonathan Osorio. “This is a dicey political trade-off for Kānaka Maoli, who must sacrifice the role of victim – and its political potential for reparation – in order to explore the nature of native cooperation and engagement with Europeans and Americans and their nineteenth-century imperialist agendas.

“No Mākou Ka Mana does this extremely well by citing archival evidence of deliberate attempts by the ali‘i to understand and incorporate modernity as it came ashore. Coming to grips with modernity and needing to mediate its changes with our own values and aspirations was a trial not only for our nineteenth-century ali‘i, it is still our challenge today. Ultimately, if we are to have a clearer sense of what colonialism really is in the modern age – not just about conquest, but more about influence and hegemony – we need this book.”

Kamehameha Publishing offers employees a 60 percent discount on products purchased for educational use, and a 20 percent discount on personal purchases through its Hui Mo‘olelo program. The book can also be purchased at booksellers statewide. It is priced at $15 for the soft cover edition, $30 for the hardcover edition, and is also available for e-readers at amazon.com and the iTunes bookstore.

No Mākou Ka Mana is exhaustively researched, carefully written and powerfully argued - a major contribution to Hawaiian history and Hawaiian studies.
Noenoe Silva, Hawaiian scholar

Dr. Kamana Beamer, a former ‘Āina-Based Education director at KS, authored the book.

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