Chapter 8. An Indigenous Narrative of Resilience: Malama ko Aloha

Abstract

Many indigenous cultures use storytelling as the foundation for the transmission of important cultural information. Stories passed down from generation to generation sometimes teach, record history, provide examples, or inform. One important function of storytelling is the transmission of stories about cultural resilience illustrating how a cultural group has kept strong in the face of adversity. This article shows how storytelling in the Hawaiian culture has been used for this purpose and how the Beamer family has served as the master storytellers of their culture, keeping the culture and traditions alive through their music, dance, and stories.

Keywords :

• Hawaiian
• resilience
• storytelling
• indigenous

THE AUTHORS

Jeannette L. Johnson, Ph.D., holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Vermont, and completed a fellowship in cross-cultural psychology at the University of Hawaii. Her research has centered on the effects of substance use on individuals, their families, and the communities in which they live. She is especially noted for her cross-cultural research with Native Americans and for her work in resilience. Trained as a developmental psychologist, she conducted research at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse where she studied the transmission of alcohol and drug use to the children of alcoholics and other substance users. She was appointed the Director of the Division of Drug Abuse Evaluation at the University of Maryland in the School of Psychiatry and conducted studies of substance user treatment. Later she was appointed as a Distinguished Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Buffalo, where she was the Director of the Center of Research on Children and Adolescents. Here she studied and developed mentoring programs for elementary school aged children in Buffalo. Dr. Johnson has presented workshops throughout the United States, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. She is a contributing editor for several journals and the author and co-author of over 150 scientific publications. She has published three books, one entitled Resilience and Development: Positive Life Adaptations. She currently is a Scientific Research Officer at the National Institutes of Health where she leads the Behavior and Social Science of Aging Review Committee. She is a member of the Editorial Board of Substance Use and Misuse. She has been a member of the Halau Pulama Mau Ke Aloha Ka ‘Ohana ‘Ilima for over 10 years and is a Huron Indian with ancestral roots in Quebec.

Keola Beamer is one of Hawaii's premier singer/songwriter, arranger, and composer. His well of talent springs from five generations of Hawaii's most illustrious and beloved musical families. The Beamers trace their roots to the 14th century; among their ancestors are Queen Ahiakumai Ki'eki'e and Ho'olulu, a child of the favored wife of Kamehameha I. For over 30 years, Keola Beamer's artistry has helped breathe new life into slack key guitar music while remaining true to the soul of its deeply Hawaiian roots. Reflecting both continuity and innovation, Keola incorporates traditional forms in his music, including chant and ancient instruments, multitrack recording, and complex chord progressions. He was also one of the first slack key masters to teach public classes. Teaching was his main job until he turned to full-time performing and composing. In the mid-1970s, Keola and his brother, Kapono, formed the Beamer Brothers, mixing Hawaiian and pop to create many Island standards. Throughout the 1980s, Keola turned increasingly to a solo career, which by the 1990s included recording for Dancing Cat.