I
was quite excited several months ago when Malama o Manoa asked me to
do a fully illustrated children's book about the legend of
Kahalaopuna, the beautiful princess of Manoa, whose evil suitor is
the famed Sleeping Giant of Manoa. Since I shared Malama's goal: to
spread the word about our beautiful valley and to show what an
important cultural site Wa'ahila Ridge is, I set to work right away.
Within a few days of reading the many versions of the ancient
legend--with especial emphasis on the version done by Manoa's Kimo
Keaulana - I had a rough draft that began:
"Everyday the wind and the rain bring a rainbow to Manoa Valley. So it was in the ancient days when the wind, a man, and the rain, a woman, gave birth to a daughter. She was so beautiful that a rainbow followed her wherever she went."
Next I made sketches--of the beautiful maiden Kahalaopuna with rainbow hair, of Kauhi with his dark tattoos and of the gods' punishment: Kauhi lying atop Wa'ahila Ridge. Within a few months, I finished the entire book, with its watercolors and two texts - one in English and one in Hawaiian. The book is now at the printers and will make its debut early this summer.
The title of the book? Kahalaopuna, the Beauty of Manoa. The price? $12.95. Where available? In bookstores throughout the Islands. But, if you would like to pre-order a signed copy, let us know by filling out and submitting our online Book Order form.
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