The Salt-Wind: Ka Makani Pa‘akai

by Brandy Nālani McDougall

This postcolonial collection of poetry is the first by Native Hawaiian poet, Brandy Nalani McDougall. Of the collection, Samoan novelist Albert Wendt "Once in a while a collection of poetry comes along and grabs your eyes, heart, and na'au and makes you see and feel more deeply than you've done in a long, long time. For me, Brandy Nalani McDougall's collection is one of those. And I keep rereading it. Her poems have a unique and hugely inviting surface simplicity and elegance that immediately hook you into them, into their profound and complex depths of imagery, lyricism, political and historical savvy, feeling, thought and vision. These are woven together with unusual wisdom, perception, control of language, and intense aloha for her people and islands. You have to read this collection. It will lift you and make you feel you are more."

Genres: Poetry, Indigenous

96 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2008

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry collection, both powerful and vulnerable, moving and raw.

[Stacie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

[ariel *ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"English could never replace / the land's unfolding song, nor the ocean's / ancient oli, giving us use again."

this poetry book is the first book i've read by a native hawaiian author, and it was truly amazing. obviously, the poetry wasn't written for me, and there was a language barrier (google translate wasn't super helpful) that made it difficult for me to fully understand, but that didn’t take my enjoyment away. but the words were still beautiful and captivating. it was a really heartfelt, heartbreaking, and raw book. i highly recommend it!

"So now, though the television and radio instruct us to Speak / American. Think American. Act American, as the 50th state, I / know better than to think that such goodness could ever be / rewarded. But, like I tell my daughter, if you keep your na'au / Hawaiian it is easier to accept our bitter inheretence - we / must become them to overcome them."

my favorite poems include: po, the history of this place, pele, how i learned to write my name, tiny rebellions from the kamehameha tales, ku’ulei 1960, natives wanted, on cooking captain cook, kukui, and ka 'olelo.

here's a link to brandy mcdougall giving a ted talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K69_k...

[Jennifer Canaveral · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Salt-Wind: Ka Makani Pa'akai is a poetry collection not to be missed

I have been wanting to read this poetry collection for a long time and was so glad to finally read it. I loved McDougall's book, Finding Meaning: Kaona and Contemporary Hawaiian Literature and appreciated the recognition and analysis of Hawaiian works, which are so often overlooked in literary circles.

Poems of Hawai'i, 'ohana, Hawaiian identity, and history, The Salt-Wind is a collection of postcolonial poetry to be added to the growing Hawaiian canon of literature and it is a collection that will stay close to my heart for a long time.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There is only the spirit of memory that stirs the air,
dark and heavy like a broth strained from the living
body of before, saturating the earth, the rain sinking
the old grief down deep, closer to the fire within."

[Noreen Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hawaiian Poetry

Succinct yet subtle … in the tradition of Hawaiian metaphor. Yet the poet shares tremendous pain of a childhood with parents who frequently failed her. But would she be the person, the poet, the word artist she is today without all she has experienced?

[Sage Kawelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, vulnerable poetry. The balance between honoring the ancient while resolving the present was gorgeous. I will be rereading and looking for more works.

[Malayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

literature by native pacific islanders is few and far between and especially those that are bilingual in nature. i loved it from start to finish and would recommend it to all and most importantly to those that want to understand the current native hawaiian/kanaka struggle.

[Calen Firedancing · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don't care for poetry, but I actually wanted to read this. McDougall's work is Very Important and tastes of home.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

my review of this book is at the poetry foundation blog:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harri...