Native Land and Foreign Desires: Pehea Lā E Pono Ai? How Shall We Live in Harmony?

by Lilikalā K. Kame'eleihiwa

VERY GOOD 1992 FIRST EDITION softcover, free tracking number, solid binding, NO remainders NOT ex-library, smoke free; slight notations on 10 pages plus half-title page shows many notations; slight gentle shelfwear / storage-wear; WE SHIP FAST. 201905503 Native Land and Foreign Desires is the best book i've ever read on Hawaiian history and the history of the Mahele. using Hawaiian language sources, Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa opens the book with several chapters that introduce the reader to Hawaiian cosmology. She clearly and eloquently explains how Hawaiian society was politically, culturally, spiritually, economically, and socially structured by reciprocal relationships among the land, animals, plants, and people. Given this understanding, she describes how that system was transformed by relationships with US colonizers, businessmen, and missionaries and analyzes its dramatic consequences. This book is one of the few books that offers history from a native Hawaiian perspective. It is an absolute treasure and a brilliant contribution to critical historical scholarship. Carefully packed and quickly sent. Please choose Priority / Expedited shipping for faster delivery. (No shipping to Mexico, Brazil, Argentina or Italy.)

Genres: History

424 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

About the author

Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa is an associate professor at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Center for Hawaiian Studies. Her earliest work was published under the name of Lilikala L. Dorton. She is a writer, translator, historian, activist and artist fluent in Hawaiian.

Reviews

[David Gillett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on the way to Kaua’i to get some flavor of the Hawai’ian people. It tells the story of Hawai’i in the first half of the 19th century setting the events of the destruction of Hawai’ian culture in the context of Hawai’ian beliefs and world-view.

It brings alive the personalities of the time. It occasionally lapsed into hyper-researched detail that obscures the main thrust of the book. I skipped those sections.

My favorite quote was the end of the introduction:

To those members of the History department who refused to sign off on my “brilliant” dissertation, let the Lāhui decide who is more skilled in their profession. Soon young Hawaiians—my students—will rise to assume your positions as you fade into the obscurity of footnote trivia.