Over the years that it took me to write Wai-nani, A Voicefrom Old Hawai’i, I had two yellowing postcard images taped to my wall. One was
of a woman with arms stretched to the heavens, knees bent deeply, wearing a
swaying ti leaf skirt in a classic kahiko dance pose.
The other was a muscular
Hawaiian man glistening with vitality wearing a malo, or loin cloth, with knees
bent arms outstretched, hair flying also doing hula. I looked to these two
images while conjuring the love scenes that take place in the story. This man
and woman epitomized the natural beauty and grace of people in a culture I so
admired.
After a year of searching on the internet for an image that
would convey the spirit of my book, I settled upon one by Randy Jay Braun. He
is a photographer internationally known for his realistic depictions of
Hawaiian dancers doing the ancient kahiko dance of Hawai’i. It is called “Celebration
of Life.” Since Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i is a celebration of the
people of old, I felt it was fitting.
The silhouette of a dancer with arms
stretched to the heavens to capture mana, or spiritual power, depicts a sacred
ceremony. The deep purple, tinged with
gold, sunset evokes a sense of mystery and hopefully invites the reader to
enter a world largely unknown to western readers.
 |
| Randy Jay Braun |
It is ironic that the two images I held in my mind over
twenty years of research and writing were also those of Randy Jay Braun. I was
not aware of that fact until I found them on his site along with the image that
eventually became the cover of my book.
Writing Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i has been a long, satisfying
journey with many serendipitous discoveries along the way. I have met many wonderful people who have
opened their hearts to me with warm aloha and lent their talents to enrich the
telling of the Hawaiian story. A special thank you to Randy Jay Braun for
allowing me to use his image for the cover of my book.
