Mea Kaua O Kaihewalu
(The Weapons of the Kaihewalu Lua)

The sacred tradition of Lua, the only indigenous warrior art of the People of Hawai’i was intially empty-handed and evolved to incorporate weaponry. The art photography imagery contained in this book showcases the Lua weaponry of ‘Olohe Solomon Kaihewalu.

While this compilation began with the intent to simply show the weaponry in an artistic way, it quickly evolved. If you search for imagery of a Hawaiian woman warrior, you will find not a single image. Hopefully this book will give an energetic snap shot of what a proficient and powerful woman warrior (koa wahine or ‘olohe wahine) might have looked like over two hundred years ago. As a disciple of ‘Olohe Kaihewalu, a koa (warrior) would be highly proficient in open-handed techniques before he or she was allowed to learn the weaponry. At the time of Kumu Manu’s over two decades of intense training, the weapons shown in this book were reserved only for ‘Olohe’s senior ranks.

In Maoli (original) times, the weapons had their own identity. They had a name and its own place within the house (hale). A weapon slept and was awakened only by its kia’i (guardian) for practice or battle.