The Mahele of our Bodies edited by Stephanie Nohelani Teves

Generated from the life histories of ten Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) elders (kūpuna) who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or māhū (LGBTQM), this book reveals the way they experienced overlapping Native/Indigenous and LGBTQM identities. The Mahele of Our Bodies: Nā Moʻolelo Kūpuna Māhū/LGBTQ is filled with rich descriptions of Hawaiʻi’s unwritten queer history, from growing up in the late Territory era and Hawai‘i’s transition to a state, to vivid descriptions of Honolulu nightlife in the 1960s and 1970s, the impact of HIV/AIDS in the hula community, and first-person accounts of the activism and political debates surrounding same-sex marriage rights in the 1990s. Each life history explores themes of the significance of Hawaiian culture in identity formation, the ongoing prevalence of colonialism and Christianity, the importance of community activism, the role of culture and performance, and the complexities of leaving home to fully come out. The kūpuna in this book hav