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No Makou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation
Winner - 2015 Samuel M. Kamakau Award for Hawai‘i Book of the Year
Winner - 2015 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Award of Excellence in Hawaiian Language, Culture and History
No Mākou ka Mana asserts that the founders of the Hawaiian Kingdom exercised their own agency and were not just acted upon by foreign powers. The ruling ali‘i selectively appropriated tools and ideas from the West--including laws, religion, educational models, protocols, weapons, printing and map-making technologies, seafaring vessels, clothing, names, and international alliances. The result? A hybrid system based on an enduring tradition of Hawaiian governance intended to preserve, strengthen, and maintain the lāhui. Using rare primary documents and "‘Ōiwi optics," Kamanamaikalani Beamer offers a new point of reference for understanding the motivations, methods and accomplishments of Hawai‘i’s great leaders.
No Mākou ka Mana is exhaustively researched, carefully written, and powerfully argued...a major contribution to Hawaiian history and Hawaiian studies...The clear analysis, engaging narrative, and original voice will serve as inspiration to other small nations and indigenous peoples the world over." --Noenoe Silva
"Beamerʻs study highlights native agency in the face of Western imperialism. 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...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." --Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo‘ole Osorio
Winner - 2015 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Award of Excellence in Hawaiian Language, Culture and History
No Mākou ka Mana asserts that the founders of the Hawaiian Kingdom exercised their own agency and were not just acted upon by foreign powers. The ruling ali‘i selectively appropriated tools and ideas from the West--including laws, religion, educational models, protocols, weapons, printing and map-making technologies, seafaring vessels, clothing, names, and international alliances. The result? A hybrid system based on an enduring tradition of Hawaiian governance intended to preserve, strengthen, and maintain the lāhui. Using rare primary documents and "‘Ōiwi optics," Kamanamaikalani Beamer offers a new point of reference for understanding the motivations, methods and accomplishments of Hawai‘i’s great leaders.
No Mākou ka Mana is exhaustively researched, carefully written, and powerfully argued...a major contribution to Hawaiian history and Hawaiian studies...The clear analysis, engaging narrative, and original voice will serve as inspiration to other small nations and indigenous peoples the world over." --Noenoe Silva
"Beamerʻs study highlights native agency in the face of Western imperialism. 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...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." --Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo‘ole Osorio
- GenresNonfictionHistory
268 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 6, 2019
"For `Ōiwi, this book strives to be a testament to the brilliance of our native rulers. Much may be gained by freeing their spirits from the chains of victimhood as the prey of foreigners. Ali`i were astute leaders. Their dedication to their people and their nation should not be overlooked because of their inability to stop brute military force. Understanding and accepting the ways they were changing while still being Hawaiian speaks directly to the heart of many `Ōiwi, as we face contemporary struggles on a daily basis. Reclaiming our past as we navigate toward our future can only lead to more clarity, direction, and resolve in the midst of change. Witnessing what our ancestors were able to do against such overwhelming odds should help to defeat the seeds of self-doubt that have afflicted our people for too long." - Kamanamaikalani Beamer, p. 229-230.
This is the first Hawaiian history book, or mo`olelo, as Beamer describes it, that I have read that shows how our ali`i as protagonists in their relationships with foreign countries. Beamer illustrated how our ali`i selectively used the knowledge and systems of foreign countries to establish Hawai`i as a legitimate nation and to establish alliances with the world's global powers.
The historical moments covered in this mo`olelo were illustrated without colonial optics, because, "No Mākou Ka Mana is not concerned with what missionaries or foreigners did for or to `Ōiwi, but rather with `Ōiwi did for themselves, in the midst of depopulation and constant threats of colonialism. In taking this position, however, it should be emphasized that I do not justify the missionizing process or any of the racial assumptions that were clearly part of the 'civilizing' process" (Beamer, p. 12).
If you are interested in reading about Hawaiian ali`i and our history from a non-colonizing perspective, I highly recommend you read this book. I still have much to learn about my own history and culture, and how it impacts our people today, especially in light of the protest of the building the TMT on Mauna Kea.
This is the first Hawaiian history book, or mo`olelo, as Beamer describes it, that I have read that shows how our ali`i as protagonists in their relationships with foreign countries. Beamer illustrated how our ali`i selectively used the knowledge and systems of foreign countries to establish Hawai`i as a legitimate nation and to establish alliances with the world's global powers.
The historical moments covered in this mo`olelo were illustrated without colonial optics, because, "No Mākou Ka Mana is not concerned with what missionaries or foreigners did for or to `Ōiwi, but rather with `Ōiwi did for themselves, in the midst of depopulation and constant threats of colonialism. In taking this position, however, it should be emphasized that I do not justify the missionizing process or any of the racial assumptions that were clearly part of the 'civilizing' process" (Beamer, p. 12).
If you are interested in reading about Hawaiian ali`i and our history from a non-colonizing perspective, I highly recommend you read this book. I still have much to learn about my own history and culture, and how it impacts our people today, especially in light of the protest of the building the TMT on Mauna Kea.
October 17, 2015
Well researched, and helped me to pull together a lot of information I had previously learned from primary sources into a cohesive thesis.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews