Na Ho?onanea o ka Manawa: Pleasurable Pastimes

Nā Hoʻonanea o ka Manawa is a collection of stories and descriptions of life in Kona, Hawaii, that contains local knowledge and cultural traditions. It was written by J. W. H. Isaac Kihe and published in Ka Hoku o Hawaii, a Hawaiian-language newspaper, from 1923 to 1924. This book presents the complete collection of scanned articles, English translations, and indexes, making it a valuable resource for remembering, relearning, reviving, and reintegrating Native Hawaiian knowledge, traditions, and resource management practices.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2024
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press

A memorial for the events of the past, and something to ensure that the children of today and forever more will never forget. —Kaʻohuhaʻaheoinākuahiwiʻekolu, Ka Hoku o Hawaii

Nā Hoʻonanea o ka Manawa, translated as Pleasurable Pastimes, is a delightful collection of tales and descriptions of life in the northern region of Kona on the island of Hawaiʻi. These moʻolelo (stories) from the arid land known as Kekaha WaiʻOle ONā Kona contain the name, location, and nature of hundreds of wahi pana (storied sites) and extensive listings of moon phases, calendrics, counting methods, and plant names—all of which make this assembly a treasury of local knowledge and cultural traditions that extend far beyond the region.

Beginning on September 13, 1923, a series of articles titled Na Hoonanea o ka Manawa appeared weekly in Ka Hoku o Hawaii, a Hilo-based Hawaiian-language newspaper of Hawaiʻis territorial period, until its closure on August 28, 1924. The author of the series, J. W. H. Isaac Kihe, writing under the name Ka ʻOhu Haʻaheo I Nā Kuahiwi ʻEkolu, was a knowledgeable and prolific contributor to Ka Hoku o Hawaii. Proud of his heritage and concerned about the possible erasure of the cultural knowledge and practices of his homeland, Kihe believed that by documenting and disseminating this information through the press, he could help circumvent its loss and provide an invaluable resource for the people of his time and for generations to come.

One hundred years later, this book presents the complete collection of scanned articles alongside thoughtful English translations by Kilika Bennett and Puakea Nogelmeier, as well as indexes of the named places, people, winds, rains, plants, and.

Weight: 388g
Dimension: 203 x 254 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780824892760