In the Works Now!
KKV’s Pacific Voices youth program will be publishing two illustrated books in partnership with Bess Press, Hawai’i, funded in part by the Hawaii Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The new project called Echoes of Oceania will celebrate the rich storytelling traditions of the Pacific Islands. It is part of KKV’s ongoing effort to boost literacy and language skills for young learners, while acknowledging the rich cultural heritage of the Kalihi communities. We plan to distribute the books through our Youth services programs and also make some available on KKV’s website for public sales.
One book is an adaptation of a Mortlockese (Chuukese) chant as told by Pacific Voices Coordinator Innocenta Sound-Kikku. Titled Mwa Machang: Hey Birdy, the story is set on the island of Lukunor of the Mortlock island chain in Chuuk, Sound-Kikku’s home island. It is illustrated by local Micronesian artist Lissette Yamase from Pohnpei and Chuuk.
The second book is an illustrated adaptation of Sound-Kikku’s poem Silent Warriors, written to empower women who are victims of domestic violence. The poem re-centers the cultural role of Micronesian women as warriors, transformers, and movers versus the often-misinformed labels of passive actors and victims. Silent Warriors will also be illustrated by Lissette Yamase.
