A graduate of the University of Hawaii, Kiana has been a Bunting Fellow at Harvard University, a Visiting Writer at Wesleyan University, and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Her short stories have won numerous O. Henry Awards, Pushcart Prizes, and the Best American Short Story Award, 2000. Her novels and short stories have been translated into twenty-one languages. She lives in Hawaii and New York City.
Kim: Hawaiians are proud of their heritage. Can you share your thoughts on the Hawaiian way of life?
Kiana: Being a hapa-haole (half white, half Native Hawaiian) and living part-time on the U.S. mainland, I see Hawaiians a bit more objectively than a local who lives here year round. Whereas Westerners are more focused on career-advancement, status, and material goods (at least before the Recession), Native Hawaiians are focused on 'ohana (the family), the 'aina (the land) and the kai (the sea.) These precious things are more important to them than jobs, big homes or cars, and sometimes, sadly, even education.
Many Hawaiians still choose to stay at home, rather than venture out into the world away from 'ohana. Most traditional families have two and three generations living under one roof. This goes back to kahiko days, the ancient days, when we were ruled by kings and lived communally, many families under one roof in dwellings called hales, structures made of logs and thatched roofs, and mats for walls. The family joined in all ceremonies, weddings, funerals. Even when a woman gave birth, all members of the family participated in the birthing, the chanting, and cutting and burying of the umbilical cord (the piko.)
Money (kala) was never important to Hawaiians. We measured our wealth by the amount of 'aina the family owned, though for many generations only the ali'i, the king and chiefs, owned land. Many Hawaiians still prefer to ku'ai, or barter, rather than use currency. They swapp produce or farm animals for lumber or labor. It's a more civilized transaction than using paper currency, and often the bartering turns into a game, and so two strangers become friends.
Hawaiians are thought of as superstitious because we revere our family gods, our aumakua. One family might worship a shark, another a hawk, or owl. We worship many things in nature, believing that there are living souls within. For instance, we consider stones (pohaku) sacred, because they possess great power, or mana. We polish stones and pray to them and often sit and talk to them. When I water my plants, I also water large stones in my yard. Our sacred heiau, old temples where our gods were once worshipped, are all made of lava stones, and are worshipped and looked after to this day.
The kai (the sea) is venerated above all else, for this was always the main source of food for Hawaiians. In fact all forms of water, salt and fresh, are precious to us, as freshwater nourishes our taro fields, the sacred staple of the Hawaiian diet, from which poi is made. That is why we even worship rain. Water (wai) brings us sustenance and therefore wealth, so the word for wealth is waiwai. Double water!
Hawaiians will always cling to the old ways, the good ways. Westerners often see this as backward and childlike. But we believe that humans are never closer to God - whatever form he takes - than when we are caring for, and worshipping, the 'ohana, the 'aina, and the kai, and the wai.
 |
| The Pacific Ocean crashes into the Waiʻanae coast near the Makua Cave - home of the shark shapeshifter |
Kim: The Hawaiian way of life has charmed me these past three years on Oahu! I felt a new awakening where I could achieve my own success. Obviously, you achieved your own success as a writer - who helped you along the path to publishing?
Kiana: It has primarily been women who helped me along the path to publishing. In grade school, a Miss Forney introduced me to books and I never stopped reading. In high school a teacher introduced me to Shakespeare and 'serious' literature, and said that was how I would learn to be a good writer. At university, a professor told me I had talent, and encouraged me to 'keep on writing.' After years of struggling, by the grace of the gods I met established authors who in time became my mentors, Alice Walker, Isabel Allende. When finally I was published, they were generous enough to endorse my novels, and they encourage me to this day. In return I try to 'pay it forward' by helping young writers who are just starting on their path.
My mother died when I was young, so my Hawaiian aunty and my Chinese Uncle raised me. These were the two people in the world who influenced me the most. Neither had finished high school, neither had ever been off the island of O'ahu. They did not know the east coast of the US mainland from the west. But they encouraged me to go out into the world, to travel, observe people, learn all I could, then sit down and write my novels. They gave me the courage to follow my dream. They are still the angels at my side when I sit down to write. I thank them every day!
My mother died when I was young, so my Hawaiian aunty and my Chinese Uncle raised me. These were the two people in the world who influenced me the most. Neither had finished high school, neither had ever been off the island of O'ahu. They did not know the east coast of the US mainland from the west. But they encouraged me to go out into the world, to travel, observe people, learn all I could, then sit down and write my novels. They gave me the courage to follow my dream. They are still the angels at my side when I sit down to write. I thank them every day!
 |
| The birthing stones on Oahu |
Kim: Tell us about your new novel, THE SPY LOVER, available on August 28 on Amazon.
Kiana: THE SPY LOVER is based on my family history on both sides of my family. My father was from Talladega, Alabama. His ancestor Warren Davenport, was a cavalryman who rode for the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War. For years my Southern cousins have been asking me to write a novel about him and his famous cavalry unit, the Prattville Dragoons, out of Prattville, Alabama. Coincidentally, my Chinese uncle, Ayau Kam, also had an ancestor, John Tommy Kam, who fought in the same Civil War. Back in the 1800s, John Tommy had emigrated from Canton, China, to Hawaii (where he worked the cane fields), then on to San Francisco. By the time the Civil War started, he had made his way to New York State where he volunteered to fight for the Union Army. In return they promised him American citizenship (which they promised all Chinese soldiers who served in that war. A promise never kept.)
So here was my novel-in-waiting - my ancestors who had fought on opposing sides of the War! Aside from Warren Davenport and John Tommy Kam, I invented a nurse named Era, who connects the two men. She is the daughter of John Tommy but they have been separated by the war. She sets out to find him, and is lured into spying for the Union Army while posing as a nurse in Confederate hospitals. What is a novel without a great romance? Inevitably, Era falls in love with the Confederate cavalry-man, Warren, while tending his wounds, and her loyalties become divided between the father she is searching for, and the man who captures her heart. The Spy Lover is a new departure for me.
So here was my novel-in-waiting - my ancestors who had fought on opposing sides of the War! Aside from Warren Davenport and John Tommy Kam, I invented a nurse named Era, who connects the two men. She is the daughter of John Tommy but they have been separated by the war. She sets out to find him, and is lured into spying for the Union Army while posing as a nurse in Confederate hospitals. What is a novel without a great romance? Inevitably, Era falls in love with the Confederate cavalry-man, Warren, while tending his wounds, and her loyalties become divided between the father she is searching for, and the man who captures her heart. The Spy Lover is a new departure for me.
I have only written novels and stories about Hawaii and the Pacific. But these soldiers were my brave ancestors and I wanted to memorialize them, and not have them fade unknown into history.
Kim: What's next for Kiana Davenport?
Kiana: I am working on my fourth collection of Pacific stories which will follow the first three ebooks that are already available on Kindle and have been bestsellers. HOUSE OF SKIN, CANNIBAL NIGHTS, and OPIUM DREAMS. I am also working on a novel that involves a wayward Dominican nun, an ex-Navy Seal, a very mysterious and handsome FBI-profiler, and a lovely part-Hawaiian woman trying to find her white father. Sounds complex, but it's, hopefully, a deeply moving love-story set in New York City, Russia, and Hawaii.
There is also a character from my best-known novel, SHARK DIALOGUES, who keeps coming to me in dreams. It is Vanya, the granddaughter of Pono. When SHARK DIALOGUES ended, Vanya was a fugitive living in the rainforests, on the run from the FBI. She was an activist who believed the Hawaiian Islands should not be run by the U.S. government, that we should be allowed to be an independent nation (as many Hawaiians believe.) She had accidentally shot and killed an FBI agent. Through the years I have received many letters from readers, asking me what happened to Vanya, and the child she was carrying. Since Hawaiians believe in dreams and omens, I feel Vanya comes to me in dreams because she wants the rest of her story told. It may be there is a sequel to SHARK DIALOGUES.
There is also a character from my best-known novel, SHARK DIALOGUES, who keeps coming to me in dreams. It is Vanya, the granddaughter of Pono. When SHARK DIALOGUES ended, Vanya was a fugitive living in the rainforests, on the run from the FBI. She was an activist who believed the Hawaiian Islands should not be run by the U.S. government, that we should be allowed to be an independent nation (as many Hawaiians believe.) She had accidentally shot and killed an FBI agent. Through the years I have received many letters from readers, asking me what happened to Vanya, and the child she was carrying. Since Hawaiians believe in dreams and omens, I feel Vanya comes to me in dreams because she wants the rest of her story told. It may be there is a sequel to SHARK DIALOGUES.
Mahalo, Kiana, for sharing with us today! I am giving away a copy of THE SPY LOVER to one randomly selected commenter:
Thrust into the savagery of the Civil War, a Chinese immigrant serving in the Union Army, a nurse doubling as a spy for the North, and a one-armed Confederate cavalryman find their lives inextricably entwined.
Fleeing drought and famine in China, Johnny Tom arrives in America with dreams of becoming a citizen. Having survived vigilantes hunting “yellow dogs” and slave auction- blocks, Johnny is kidnapped from his Mississippi village by Confederate soldiers, taken from his wife and daughter, and forced to fight for the South. Eventually defecting to the Union side, he is promised American citizenship in exchange for his loyal services. But first Johnny must survive the butchery of battles and the cruelties inflicted on non-white soldiers.
Desperate to find Johnny, his daughter, Era, is enlisted as a spy. She agrees to work as a nurse at Confederate camps while scouting for the North. Amidst the unspeakable carnage of wounded soldiers, she finds solace in Warren Petticomb, a cavalryman who lost an arm at Shiloh. As devastation mounts in both armies, Era must choose where her loyalties lie—with her beloved father in the North, or with the man who passionately sustains her in the South.
A novel of extraordinary scope that will stand as a defining work on the Chinese immigrant experience, The Spy Lover is a paean to the transcendence of love and the resilience of the human spirit.
Thrust into the savagery of the Civil War, a Chinese immigrant serving in the Union Army, a nurse doubling as a spy for the North, and a one-armed Confederate cavalryman find their lives inextricably entwined.
Fleeing drought and famine in China, Johnny Tom arrives in America with dreams of becoming a citizen. Having survived vigilantes hunting “yellow dogs” and slave auction- blocks, Johnny is kidnapped from his Mississippi village by Confederate soldiers, taken from his wife and daughter, and forced to fight for the South. Eventually defecting to the Union side, he is promised American citizenship in exchange for his loyal services. But first Johnny must survive the butchery of battles and the cruelties inflicted on non-white soldiers.
Desperate to find Johnny, his daughter, Era, is enlisted as a spy. She agrees to work as a nurse at Confederate camps while scouting for the North. Amidst the unspeakable carnage of wounded soldiers, she finds solace in Warren Petticomb, a cavalryman who lost an arm at Shiloh. As devastation mounts in both armies, Era must choose where her loyalties lie—with her beloved father in the North, or with the man who passionately sustains her in the South.
A novel of extraordinary scope that will stand as a defining work on the Chinese immigrant experience, The Spy Lover is a paean to the transcendence of love and the resilience of the human spirit.
To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about your ancestors - from where do they hail?
My father was born in Mississippi and his family tree leads back to the Civil War. My mother was born in England and her family tree leads back to Coldstream, Scotland.
2. This giveaway is open to all readers as Aloha is universal.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, August 25, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 26.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
To learn more about Kiana and her books, check out:
Kiana's website: kianadavenport.com
Kiana's blog: kianadavenportdialogues.blogspot.com
 |
| Another view of the Wai'anae coast |
Interesting post ! My ancestors hail from Austria and Germany. I always like to think that I got the best of two good sides !
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds awesome! So much culture in each of the books.
ReplyDelete-Adam Ahmed
I love Kiana and this was such a cool interview! I am a total "haole" which makes me that much more fascinated with her history. Kiana is a beautiful and amazing writer--her Opium Dreams book of short stories is unbelievable--trust me, you will love it--You can read that before The Spy Lover comes out next week (which I've already pre-ordered!). Mahalo!
ReplyDeleteMy ancestors all hail from England, which makes me 100% British. lol
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Kiana's interview. Hawaiian culture is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteMy ancestors are from Holland, England, and Germany. They came to the United States in the 17th and 18th Century.
My grandparents all come from Cefalù which is in Sicily. My dad was born in a small town in Mississippi and my mom was born in Pittsburgh, PA.
ReplyDeleteMy ancestors are from Scotland, England, and Germany.
ReplyDeleteMy family is a European mixing bowl! Congrats to Kiana on her new book! I applaud her for stepping outside her comfort zone of Pacific stories to write the Civil War. I am looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteSara
Exactly what Carol M said lol.
ReplyDeleteMy ancestors were from Ireland and England.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post. Great to read and learn. My ancestors have been here since the early 1700s so I am a true product of the melting pot. I have German, English, French, Irish and a few more.
ReplyDeleteAsia
ReplyDeleteOn my Mother's side I hail from all over Great Britain & on my Father's side I am German, but originally trace back to the vikings in Denmark.
ReplyDeleteI'm Asian, but my grandfather from my mom's side is half Spanish and my grandmother from my father's side also has Spanish blood. So my ancestors basically hails from Spain. :D
ReplyDelete