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| Let Me Take You There |
Ano Ano (the seed) for Wai-nani
- A Voice from Old Hawai’i took root in my heart 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.
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| Ka'ahumanu |
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.
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| Place of Refuge |
Free shipping and a copy of Wai-nani's Wayfinder-a map to sacred sites on the Big Island if you purchase Wai-nani on my site www.LindaBallouAuthor.com
