The Arts of Kingship offers a sustained and detailed account of Hawaiian public art and architecture during the reign of David Kalakaua, the nativist and cosmopolitan ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1874 to 1891. Stacy Kamehiro provides visual and historical analysis of Kalakaua’s coronation and regalia, the King Kamehameha Statue, ‘Iolani Palace, and the Hawaiian National Museum, drawing them together in a common historical, political, and cultural frame. Each articulated Hawaiian national identities and navigated the turbulence of colonialism in distinctive ways and has endured as a key cultural symbol. These cultural projects were part of the monarchy’s concerted effort to promote a national culture in the face of colonial pressures, internal political divisions, and declining social conditions for Native Hawaiians, which, in combination, posed serious threats to the survival of the nation. The Kalakaua leadership endorsed images that boosted international relations and appeased foreign agitators in the kingdom while addressing indigenous political cleavages. Kamehiro interprets the images, spaces, and institutions as articulations of the complex cultural entanglements and creative engagement with international communities that occur with prolonged colonial contact. Nineteenth-century Hawaiian sovereigns celebrated Native tradition, history, and modernity by intertwining indigenous conceptions of superior chiefly leadership with the apparati and symbols of Asian, American, and European rule. The resulting symbolic forms speak to cultural intersections and historical processes, claims about distinctiveness and commonality, and the power of objects, institutions, and public display to create meaning and enable action. The Arts of Kingship pursues questions regarding the nature of cultural exchange, how precolonial visual culture engaged and shaped colonial contexts, and how colonial art informs postcolonial visualities and identities. It will be welcomed by readers with a general and scholarly interest in Hawaiian history and art. As it contributes to discussions about colonial cultures, nationalism, and globalization, this interdisciplinary work will appeal to art and architectural historians as well as those studying Pacific history, cultural and museum studies, and anthropology.

American national trade bibliography.

The weaving of lau hala represents a living tradition borne on the great arc of Pacific voyaging history. This thriving tradition is made immediate by masters of the art who transmit their knowledge to those who are similarly devoted to, and delighted by, the smoothness, softness, and that particular warm fragrance of a woven lau hala treasure. The third volume in the Hawai‘inuiākea series, ‘Ike Ulana Lau Hala is an intriguing collection of articles and images about the Hawaiian tradition of ulana lau hala: the weaving, by hand, of dried Pandanus tectorius leaves. ‘Ike Ulana Lau Hala considers the humble hala leaf through several, very different lenses: an analysis of lau hala items that occur in historic photographs from the Bishop Museum collections; the ecological history on hala in Hawai‘i and the Pacific including serious challenges to its survival and strategies to prevent its extinction; perspectives–in Hawaiian–of a native speaker from Ni‘ihau on master weavers and the relationship between teacher and learner; a review–also in Hawaiian– of references to lau hala in poetical sayings and idioms; a survey of lau hala in Hawaiian cultural heritage and the documentation project underway to share the art with a broader audience; and a conversation with a master artisan known for his distinct and intricate construction of the lei hala. Rich with imagery, this extraordinary volume will guide the reader to a better understanding of the cultural scope and importance of lau hala, fostering an appreciation of the level of excellence to which the art of ulana lau hala has risen under the guidance of masters who continue to steer the Hawaiian form of the tradition into the future.

Includes its Report, 1896-19 .