“Hanau ka Ua,” a landmark collection of Hawaiian rain names and the stories behind them, is now available from Kamehameha Publishing. ADVERTISING “Hanau ka Ua,” a landmark collection of Hawaiian rain names and the stories behind them, is now available
“Hanau ka Ua,” a landmark collection of Hawaiian rain names and the stories behind them, is now available from Kamehameha Publishing.
Written by Collette Leimomi Akana and Kiele Gonzalez, with illustrations by Sig Zane, the book offers the fullest record of Hawaiian rain names and their lore to date, drawing on over 400 sources from from the 19th and 20th centuries including traditional Hawaiian stories, songs and proverbs.
Rain names are a rich example of this precious legacy of our elders, or kupuna, who were keen observers of the world around them and who had a nuanced understanding of the forces of nature. They knew when a particular rain would fall, its color, duration, intensity, path, sound, scent, and effect on the land and their lives.
“’Hanau ka Ua’ contains story after story, song after song about the land,” said Gonzalez. “These stories and our relationship with the aina are part of what makes Hawaii unlike any other place in the world. And if we don’t perpetuate these traditions, then we stand to lose a great deal of what makes Hawaii unique. If you live in Hawaii, you have a rain name and a wind name, probably several, in fact, for your aina. You can be a part of that tradition by keeping the stories and the names alive in the only place that they exist, Hawaii nei.”
The book is available at www.kamehamehapublishing.org, and at book retailers throughout the islands.
