NEWS RELEASE
Hānau ka Ua is now available from Kamehameha Publishing
Posted: February 25, 2016
With illustrations by Sig Zane, Hānau ka Ua is available for sale now.
Authors Collette Leimomi Akana and Kiele Gonzalez put together Hānau ka Ua as the fullest record of Hawaiian rain names and their lore to date.
Hānau ka Ua, a landmark collection of Hawaiian rain names and the stories behind them, is now available from Kamehameha Publishing.
Written by Collette Leimomi Akana and Kiele Gonzalez, with illustrations by Sig Zane, Hānau ka Ua is the fullest record of Hawaiian rain names and their lore to date, drawing on over 400 sources from from the 19th and 20th centuries including traditional Hawaiian stories, songs and proverbs.
“The wisdom of our kūpuna continues to inform and inspire us on multiple levels—physiologically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually,” says Akana. “It is their ‘ike and aloha ‘āina that fill the pages of this book, and it is on their firm foundation that we begin to solve the great problems of our time. Our kūpuna thrived and, with the ‘āina, were able to create abundance. As their descendants, we must be able to do the same.”
Rain names are a rich example of this precious legacy from our elders, who were keen observers of the world around them and who had a nuanced understanding of the forces of nature. They knew when a particular rain would fall, its color, duration, intensity, path, sound, scent, and effect on the land and their lives.
“Hānau ka Ua contains story after story, song after song about the land,” said Gonzalez. “These stories and our relationship with the ‘āina are part of what makes Hawai‘i unlike any other place in the world. And if we don’t perpetuate these traditions, then we stand to lose a great deal of what makes Hawai‘i unique. If you live in Hawai‘i, you have a rain name and a wind name, probably several, in fact, for your ‘āina. You can be a part of that tradition by keeping the stories and the names alive in the only place that they exist, Hawai‘i nei.”
The celebratory launch of Hānau ka Ua will take place at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘I on Sunday March 6th from 2pm – 4pm. Free and open to the general public, the event will include hula performances, a reception and book signing with the authors.
Hānau Ka Ua is available at www.kamehamehapublishing.org, and at book retailers throughout the islands.
