Ka Wana Series by Malcolm Nāea Chun

The Ka Wana series, part of the Pihana Nā Mamo Native Hawaiian education program, offers new insight into the philosophy and way of life of Native Hawaiian culture. Those raised in these traditions will find memorable recollections, while those unfamiliar with Native Hawaiian values and practices will find insights and guidance.

The Ka Wana series consists of eleven short volumes covering a range of subjects including ethics and philosophy, leadership, education, health, management, protocol, and religious beliefs. Each volume is illustrated with historical documents accompanied by detailed cultural descriptions or with photographs of contemporary cultural practices.

Author Malcolm Nāea Chun uses traditional and historical examples to show behavior, thoughts, and values, then analyzes events in both traditional and contemporary contexts. All descriptions are cited so the reader can explore them in their original context. Chun asks readers to think about whether we are following those traditions today, or whether we have changed them or are making them up. The implications of his findings will cause some to reexamine and rediscover a true sense of Native Hawaiian values and virtues.

As a researcher and scholar, Chun has worked throughout his life with Native Hawaiian agencies and organizations, and has accumulated years of cultural experiences, both in Hawai‘i and while living among other Polynesians and Pacific Islanders. The Ka Wana series is a lifetime achievement, a masterful work that pieces together fragments of historical and cultural information to form a clearer picture than we have ever had before.

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Press Release 12.25.2005
Ka Wana Series :: Honolulu Advertiser