Author Cody Kapueola‘akeanui PataPata is the Maui-based Kumu Hula of Halau Hula ‘o Ka Malama Mahilani; a classically trained Haku Mele; a Hawaiian language and culture teacher, researcher and consultant; a Hawaiian music entertainer; an artisan; and a lifelong learner.

LAHAINA — In ʻ “‘Ohu’ohu na Mauna o ‘E’eka, Place Names of Maui Komohana,” author Cody Kapueola’akeanui Pata gathers together over 1,600 inoa ‘aina (place name) entries for Maui Komohana (West Maui) — an area of less than 200 square miles.

Distributed by University of Hawaii Press, the book is now available for purchase on its website and in various storefronts. A book launch tour is planned for the month of October starting on Maui, jumping to Hilo and ending on Oahu.

Maui events are slated at Lahaina Public Library (680 Wharf St.) on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (RSVP on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/1MIzpOEb0), and Wailuku Public Library (251 S. High St.) on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. (RSVP on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/2TNlPU1Jq).

“For Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians), inoa ‘aina have always served to encode and relay meaningful information across space and time, from one generation to the next. Inoa ‘aina continue to be revered as inseparable from genealogies, individual and collective narratives, mele (poetic verse), and prayers, and they persist into modern times as cherished and sacred legacies deserving of deference and appreciation…” shared Pata.

“One of my hopes is that this book will encourage people, no matter where they’re from or where they live, to deepen their senses of pilina (relationship) and kuleana (responsibility) to ‘aina (land).”

The content for the new book was compiled from dozens of maps, 19th & 20th century Hawaiian and English language newspapers, mele, online databases, numerous print publications, recordings of Kanaka Maoli speakers of the Maui Komohana region, and information provided directly to the author by his elders, masters and mentors.

Whether one is a genealogical descendant of Maui Komohana, a practitioner of ‘oihana Hawai’i (Hawaiian professions), or any other manner of scholar, this book is meant to be a resource for all researchers who wish to delve deeper into the toponymy of Maui Komohana.