not just another story set in Hawaii
writing with Māʻawe pono
What is māʻawe pono and why does it matter?
In the book, “The Past Before Us. Moʻokūʻauhau as Methodology,” Kahakalau (2019) compares Māʻawe Pono to a trail created by the smooth river rocks placed on the harsh volcanic terrain. Without these river rocks, the pathway forward would be treacherous, and you'd definitely walk away with a few lacerations.
This is no different than writing as a Kanaka Maoli in the 21st Century - balancing creativity with cultural relevancy, but not forgetting the importance of being pono with the people and land you represent. Luckily, our ancestors have left us river rocks despite colonial efforts.
Those river rocks are our ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, or proverbs, soaked in cultural knowledge. Within a community that has undergone colonization, these proverbs serve as the stones for Kanaka Maoli like myself seeking to write responsibly. Some of the ʻŌlelo Noʻeau that I’m guided by revolve around dreams and naʻau.
Learning from the Past
Guided by dreams
Ka pō nui hoʻolakolako, ke ao nui hoʻohemahema.
The great night that provides, the great day that neglects.
The gods supply, but man does not always accept with appreciation. Guidance is given in dreams that man often misunderstands and neglects. (Pukui, 1983)
Driven by Naʻau
Naʻau heals and “when calibrated correctly according to the standards of our ancestors, becomes a powerful gauge to measure what is pono, or righteous, and what is not” (Kahakalau, 2019).
