Learn More about the Hawaiian Community in MANA Magazine’s New Book

The MANA anthology is available for purchase this month.

December 8, 2015

Michael Keany,

Photo: Gary Saito

Photo: Courtesy of Watermark Publishing

From 2012 through 2015, MANA Magazine acted as an independent voice for the Hawaiian community and all those who love the Islands. It explored the culture, the language, the arts, and offered reporting and opinion on current events, all from a Native Hawaiian perspective.

The magazine published its last issue earlier this year, but a new hard-cover book coming out this month collects some of the best stories and photographs from MANA’s three-year run. There are profiles of influential people ranging from Eddie Aikau to the women of local clothing-and-design company Kealopiko; thought pieces on subjects including self-determination, Mauna a Wākea and gender; and stories that look forward to Hawai‘i’s future.

Ke‘ōpū Reelitz, a former editor of MANA, explains why this kind of content is important. “Hawai‘i news media talk about Hawaiians frequently, but rarely, and only when individual journalists take on the cause, do they talk with Hawaiians,” she says. “MANA really put Hawaiians and our community first, with Hawaiians and our supporters asking the questions. In the end, it gave Hawaiians pride and a place to belong.”

The book’s editor, Christine Hitt, who was also the most recent editor of the magazine, says that, if sales go well, it’s possible there may be sequel MANA titles with newly reported content. “There are so many important issues and stories about Native Hawaiians that need to be told, and aren’t being reported for various reasons,” she says. “That was the gap MANA Magazine filled, and I’m hoping that with this book, MANA’s mission continues.”

$32.95, Watermark Publishing, welivemana.com. A portion of proceeds will be donated to ‘Ahahui Haku Mo‘olelo, the Hawaiian Journalists Association.