A Hawaiian Life: Kimo Pihana’s Story

“I am just an ordinary native Hawaiian who grew up on O`ahu.  I have had a full life as a sailor, a soldier, a refinery worker, a cultural warrior, and a ranger and cultural practitioner on our sacred mountain Mauna Kea.  I have done my part, along with many others, as best as we can to advance and honor our culture—not to recreate the old culture, but to use it as a guide, a meditation, as we look forward in the 21<sup>st</sup> century.”  So begins the noteworthy autobiography of a truly noteworthy man, Kimo Keli`i Ka`aha`aina Pihana.  Growing up in a society in which he was made to feel ashamed of being Hawaiian, he became a happily married, church-going, solid citizen with a good steady job.  Something was missing from his life, however, and when one day his niece asked him simply, “What are you doing for the culture, Uncle?” Kimo realized that part of his destiny was to regain his culture—and to perpetuate it.  This is an account of how he did just that, in his middle years, and how today as a kupuna he works to awaken a respect for the Hawaiian culture in the hearts and lives of others.  This evening, Kimo talks story about his own Hawaiian life and journey i mua, forward to the future, and how it is possible to bring to everyone the true meaning of aloha:  peace, harmony, humility, and respect for all.  Copies of his wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated autobiography, Celebrating the Hawaiian Culture, will be available for purchase, and Kimo will be pleased to inscribe them should you wish him to do so.