Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai'i: Her Epic Journey - Softcover
Through Wai-nani's eyes, experience the Hawaiian society as it existed when Captain James Cook arrived at Kealakekua Bay in 1779; ride the billowing seas withEku, the wild dolphin she befriends; learn why she loved the savage, conflicted ruler, Makaha; walk with her as she defies ancient laws and harsh taboos of the Island people; share the love she received from all who knew her and learn how she rose to become the most powerful woman in old Hawai'i.
Linda Ballou weaves legends of old Hawai'i and an evocative love story into a poetic rendering of the "people of Old.". Be transported into ancient Hawai'i. Feel present in the lives of royals and learn the secrets of the mysterious Polynesian culture that called for human sacrifice. The story is told through the eyes of Wai-nani, a fiercely passionate, free-spirited woman who takes the reader on a seductive journey. Ballou delivers vivid imagery, historical detail, emotional impact, tragedy and triumph amidst the sensual beauty of the Islands.
Linda Ballou weaves legends of old Hawai'i and an evocative love story into a poetic rendering of the "people of Old.". Be transported into ancient Hawai'i. Feel present in the lives of royals and learn the secrets of the mysterious Polynesian culture that called for human sacrifice. The story is told through the eyes of Wai-nani, a fiercely passionate, free-spirited woman who takes the reader on a seductive journey. Ballou delivers vivid imagery, historical detail, emotional impact, tragedy and triumph amidst the sensual beauty of the Islands.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Author:
Ano Ano (the seed) for Wai-nani - A Voice from Old Hawaii took root in my heart thirty years ago when I lived on the north shore of Kauai. I became smitten with the great personage of Ka'ahumanu, the childless bride who was the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great. This was in the late 70's, a time when women were breaking the traditional mold. Ka'ahumanu faced down the all-powerful priests and ended the 2,000-year-old kapu system that called for harsh penalties for infractions. Writing the story of this empowered woman, mostly overlooked by western historians, became a beautiful obsession.
Readers of Wai-nani are amazed at the authentic detail and depth of my research. I went to most of the places described in my book, including the sacred Waipio Valley now closed to overnight stays. I hiked across the smoldering floor of Iki Crater in Volcano National Park, and spent hours in The Place of Refuge on the Big Island trying absorb the mana of the ancestors. I read old and new chronicles on Hawaiian history, spent hours at Bishop Museum and hired a Hawaiian scholar to read my manuscript. In short, I did everything in my power to stay true to the culture and re-create an authentic portal into a world that is lost to us now.
From the Inside Flap:
Readers of Wai-nani are amazed at the authentic detail and depth of my research. I went to most of the places described in my book, including the sacred Waipio Valley now closed to overnight stays. I hiked across the smoldering floor of Iki Crater in Volcano National Park, and spent hours in The Place of Refuge on the Big Island trying absorb the mana of the ancestors. I read old and new chronicles on Hawaiian history, spent hours at Bishop Museum and hired a Hawaiian scholar to read my manuscript. In short, I did everything in my power to stay true to the culture and re-create an authentic portal into a world that is lost to us now.
Excerpt from Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawaii-Page 122
I ran to the crescent shore of Waipio to see Makaha bobbing like a coconut husk in the giant surf. My throat went dry as I saw the suck of the rising swells pulling him deep into the belly of a foaming monster. He danced with the swift channel current with the courage of sky and sea in his heart. Half-man, half-fish, water was his home.
I came with the thought to stop him, but felt more jealous of his great courage than afraid. I could contain myself no longer. I am born to life and death in the water. I grabbed a short board from a nearby warrior and plunged into the lashing surf.
Once beside Makaha my thoughts of death ended. I followed him to the cold blue bowels of a roaring wave. I could feel the pull of Milu as he tried to take me to his kingdom. I fought with all my might to paddle up the curving breast of the beast that dwells in the ocean. The churning rage over my head was about to drop on me when I slipped just under its snarling lip. I turned to make the drop and felt myself falling into eternity. I hit hard, nearly toppling over in the heaving swell. I shuffled back and forth on my board to regain my balance. Before I knew what was happening, I was encircled by an ice-blue tube shot through with light. I was inside the belly of the whale. Many moments passed in which I was lost to all but the immense power shooting me through the whorl of blue. It fired me out and down the face of the great wave.
I turned my board up and rode the crest to shore. When I emerged from the water my aura flew off of me in a halo of sparkling light. Pinpricks of light shot off my fingertips and the soles of my feet as I walked on the hard packed sand. The mystery of moana--the grand and vibrant sea--could never be grasped and made to stay still, I reminded myself. All one could do is let it go and live in harmony with it. I was content to live that day and did not re-enter the surf with Makaha, who continued wave-sliding for many hours like a dolphin born in water.
When the gods tired of the storm, the skies cleared to sapphire blue and three-colored rainbows burst over the valley. I took Makaha by the hand and led him up the canyon to Hi'ilawe and Hakalaoa, the twin waterfalls. These two streams plunging from the sky into a secret pool were once forbidden lovers. Rather than be separated, the lovers jumped off the pali together into the pool at the bottom of the falls to meet their deaths together. The joined water flows from the stream to the sea and supports the taro fields, feeding the fishes and nurturing the land.
"Like these streams our lives are forever bound," I told him.
"My brave Wai-nani, you are my never-fading flower," he said, rubbing my nose tenderly with his own.
"Your hard path is to be softened by the pure water of my love," I said. We held hands and turned to watch the silken tracks of the dying lovers.
I ran to the crescent shore of Waipio to see Makaha bobbing like a coconut husk in the giant surf. My throat went dry as I saw the suck of the rising swells pulling him deep into the belly of a foaming monster. He danced with the swift channel current with the courage of sky and sea in his heart. Half-man, half-fish, water was his home.
I came with the thought to stop him, but felt more jealous of his great courage than afraid. I could contain myself no longer. I am born to life and death in the water. I grabbed a short board from a nearby warrior and plunged into the lashing surf.
Once beside Makaha my thoughts of death ended. I followed him to the cold blue bowels of a roaring wave. I could feel the pull of Milu as he tried to take me to his kingdom. I fought with all my might to paddle up the curving breast of the beast that dwells in the ocean. The churning rage over my head was about to drop on me when I slipped just under its snarling lip. I turned to make the drop and felt myself falling into eternity. I hit hard, nearly toppling over in the heaving swell. I shuffled back and forth on my board to regain my balance. Before I knew what was happening, I was encircled by an ice-blue tube shot through with light. I was inside the belly of the whale. Many moments passed in which I was lost to all but the immense power shooting me through the whorl of blue. It fired me out and down the face of the great wave.
I turned my board up and rode the crest to shore. When I emerged from the water my aura flew off of me in a halo of sparkling light. Pinpricks of light shot off my fingertips and the soles of my feet as I walked on the hard packed sand. The mystery of moana--the grand and vibrant sea--could never be grasped and made to stay still, I reminded myself. All one could do is let it go and live in harmony with it. I was content to live that day and did not re-enter the surf with Makaha, who continued wave-sliding for many hours like a dolphin born in water.
When the gods tired of the storm, the skies cleared to sapphire blue and three-colored rainbows burst over the valley. I took Makaha by the hand and led him up the canyon to Hi'ilawe and Hakalaoa, the twin waterfalls. These two streams plunging from the sky into a secret pool were once forbidden lovers. Rather than be separated, the lovers jumped off the pali together into the pool at the bottom of the falls to meet their deaths together. The joined water flows from the stream to the sea and supports the taro fields, feeding the fishes and nurturing the land.
"Like these streams our lives are forever bound," I told him.
"My brave Wai-nani, you are my never-fading flower," he said, rubbing my nose tenderly with his own.
"Your hard path is to be softened by the pure water of my love," I said. We held hands and turned to watch the silken tracks of the dying lovers.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherStar Publish
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 1932993886
- ISBN 13 9781932993882
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages280
- Rating
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Wai-Nani, a Voice from Old Hawaii
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ISBN 10: 1932993886
ISBN 13: 9781932993882
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Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Fine. Signed "with / warm aloha / Linda Ballou" on title page. Top corner bumped, rear cover slightly creased as a result. Otherwise nice and clean inside and out. A very nice, solid copy. All of our books are individually inspected and described. Never ex-library unless explicitly described as such. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 2109-3029
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