Voices of Wisdom Hawaiian Elders Speak by M. J. Harden   Paperback 240 pages (April 1999) Aka Pr ISBN: 0944134017 Bookshelf Categories Hawaiian Huna

Reviews:

Guardians of Hawaiian Culture	7/28/2000
Reviewer: Bill from Sacramento, CA USA
Harden has produced a book that is somewhat of a "coffee table" book in style and format; the print is widely spaced and the photographs and the layout are very professionally done. The Hawaiians profiled here are those whose names and pictures you are likely to see in the big Honolulu papers; people whom she definitely considers to be Kupuna. Her book covers such well-known people as Margaret Machado, Winona Beamer, Kekuni Blaisdell, George Na`ope, Herb Kane and Nainoa Thompson. All together, Voices of Wisdom profiles 24 different people. Harden's format consists of a mix of biographical material, interviews and historical background information, with only a little original material in the form of chants and poems. There are a lot of directly quoted interviews, which is a real plus. It's very interesting and gives the reader excellent insights into the thoughts and feelings of the people interviewed, though at times, the quotations have a little bit of a disjointed feel to them (I suspect that she had to do a lot of editing). Her chapter headings include Nature; Spirituality and Healing; Preservation and History; Activism, Dance, Chant, Genealogy, Music; Arts and Crafts; Canoe and Next Generation. In contrast to other similar books, which tend to do it the other way around, Voices of Wisdom is a collection of 24 verbal portraits of Hawaiian people that also happens to teach the reader about Hawaiian culture and values. But Harden leaves that task to the people she portrays, and they do it through their own words. This fine book represents a new genre of Hawaiian cultural material and we can all hope that it starts a trend!