Studies in Hawaiian &/or Pacific Literature: Hawaiian Literary Nationalism

This class examines the pivotal role of Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) literature in contemporary movements for Hawaiian cultural and political sovereignty, or what is called Indigenous literary nationalism. We will explore selected texts by Kanaka Maoli writers and discuss how the lāhui (the Hawaiian people, nation) and ‘āina (land) are represented and what such Indigenous-centered texts “do” culturally, politically, aesthetically, how these are interwoven, and why it is important to understand. We will examine how political concepts of aloha ‘āina (very old and traditional concept, lit. love for the land; matriotism [as opposed to patriotism]), hoʻoulu lāhui (King Kalākauaʻs 19th century motto, lit. to increase, perpetuate, and reinvigor the Hawaiian people), and other themes reflect Hawaiian values and worldviews, particularly in regard to concepts of identity constuction in the revitalization of the lāhui (inclusion, exclusion, and the resulting trauma), while simultaneously grappling with social, cultural, economic, and political issues and intergenerational trauma.

Some questions we will consider:

  • Who and what is the lāhui? How do concepts such as moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) and diaspora contribute to the understanding of lāhui?
  • How do individuals negotiate personal values and experiences with that of the lāhui, particularly within formulating larger movements of solidarity?
  • What key aspects of Hawaiian culture and identity are within the texts, and how are they reflected as literary themes?
  • What convensions of Hawaiian culture or literary practice do the authors adapt? How is sovereignty represented within the literary texts?
  • How does kaona (metaphor, poetic allusion or meaning) produced layered representations of the Hawaiian nation?

Course Requirements: A short essay, an annotated bibliography, lead a discussion on an assigned reading, a final research paper.

Possible texts: Altiery, The Last Village in Kona; Apio, Kamau; Baker, My Boy He Play Ball; Beamer, Ka Oili, The Shimmering;  Kanae, Islands Linked by Ocean, Trask, Night is a Sharkskin Drum, ‘Oiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal.