Welina: Traditional and Contemporary Ways of Welcome and Hospitality

Hawai‘i may be the “Aloha State,” but what is traditional Hawaiian protocol? That was the challenge Hawaiians faced in 1985 when the first large group of Maori came to Honolulu to pay tribute to their relation, Te Rangi Hiroa, Sir Peter Buck, at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum where he had been the director. How were they greeted? What was the to be done? Welina, also a traditional term used for greeting, explores what traditional welcomes were like and follows the development of more contemporary ways of greeting that incorporate the traditions of Hawaiians and other indigenous peoples. Malcolm Nāea Chun served as a chair of the committee that developed the greetings for the Maori in 1985 and brings the unique perspective and insight to this account of the development of contemporary Native Hawaiian greetings.

_____

Written by Malcolm Nāea Chun

_____

paperback   |   45 pages   |   6" x 9"   |   B&W