Brook Kapūkuniahi Parker shows two illustrations from his portfolio. Parker has been tapped by Kamehameha Publishing to illustrate historical figures from Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii by S.M. Kamakau. Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

The Art of Love and War
Local artist-historian showcases
Hawaiian chiefs in books and posters

By Blaine Fergerstrom / Ka Wai Ola

Brook Kapūkuniahi Parker cuts an imposing figure. He sits quietly, examining the room with a sometimes intense gaze. When introduced, he expands out of his chair into a 6-foot-6-inch giant of a Hawaiian warrior. His presence fills the room.

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But the ferocity of his persona belies who he is: Brook Parker is a Hawaiian historian and artist who is deeply in love with all the Hawaiians who came before him. He pores over historical volumes, looking for previously unnoticed details which might help provide some insight into just exactly who these people really were, what they were like, what they looked like, how they dressed and what they did.

Parker turns the pages of a portfolio full of his illustrations from Hawai'i's distant history and as the characters are revealed, the stories emerge. It is as if Parker is introducing you to his friends and 'ohana. In some instances, he does trace his genealogy directly to them. He knows each one, almost personally. He knows about their strengths, their weaknesses, their loves, and hates. He knows how they were born, he knows their parents, their wives, their children, and he knows how they died.

All eyes are on him as he tells tales of love and war, of triumph and tragedy in ancient Hawai'i, as illustrated in intense detail in his images. He has been drawing Hawaiian warriors, he says, “since I was 5 years old.” Parker also studies and makes Hawaiian kahiko weaponry. He loves the art of war.

Parker is following in the footsteps of his father, David Parker, who in May received a MAMo Award in recognition of his work illustrating historic Hawaiians. In his own words, the senior Parker has painted portraits of “200 chiefs, and counting.”

In this illustration from 2000, artist Brook Parker shows Kamehameha the Great surrounded by his ruling council of uncles. This is one of the illustrations slated to be updated with new information and redone for a series of posters and an eventual remake of the venerable Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii volume.

This is one of the pencil sketches in-progress that Parker is preparing for the Ruling Chiefs poster series.

For years, Brook Parker illustrated books for 'Aha Pūnana Leo. All of the kids that came through the Hawaiian immersion schools grew up surrounded by Parker's images.

According to Kēhaunani Abad, director of Kamehameha Publishing, the book Humehume of Kaua'i “was sitting at some printer in Asia ready to be printed” – when it was pulled back for a “complete overhaul.” During that revamp, they hired Parker to illustrate the story. One of his images graced the cover of that book.

The work was well received, and it wasn't long before Kamehameha found another venue for Parker's passion.

“We had a need to reprint Ruling Chiefs,” said Abad, as shelf inventory was getting low. “The first question we had to ask ourselves was 'How much do we want to fix?' as anytime you reprint you take the opportunity to fix what you know is wrong.”

But “even the short list of things that we came up with” that they could fix became “gargantuan.” “It would take years” to finish, said Abad.

Artist Brook Parker has been tapped by Kamehameha Publishing to illustrate 24 people or scenes from Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii. The project came about on the heels of Parker's well-received work on their Humehume of Kaua'i remake. Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

“There are the issues of considering modern Hawaiian orthography and whether we want to go with that,” as the last revamp of the volume was done in the 1930s, “before there was the 'Ahahui 'Ōlelo Hawai'i established.”

“Even the 'okina and kahakō! There are 'okina, but no kahakō, and all the hyphens in the names.

“There are questions about certain passages of the translations” that might be “reconsidered by modern scholars of 'Ōlelo Hawai'i.”

The center section of Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii by Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau features a series of black and white photo plates of historical images of some of the book's subjects. One of the ideas that came out of the discussions was to augment the photo plates with color illustrations of some of the stories and people from the book with no pre-existing images. Following the success of Humehume, Parker was immediately a prime candidate.

Abad estimates that it could take five years to properly complete a revision of Ruling Chiefs. After much discussion, Kamehameha Publishing decided to do a smaller reprint now and to establish a longer-term plan for a major revamp of the historic tome.

The center section of Ruling Chiefs includes black-and-white plates of some very well-known images of Hawaiian royalty. Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

In the meantime, Abad says, they decided to produce a “precursor” to the book with a series of posters illustrated by Parker which could be hung in classrooms to spark discussion and learning about Hawaiian history. The illustrations would later be used in the revamped volume.

They came up with a list of 24 historic chiefs who might grace the illustrations, which Parker is now working on. Parker says, “I kept a couple of spots open” on the list, for Hawaiian chiefs who might not have been obvious choices at first.

The posters are expected to be released in the spring of 2009.

Below: Inset - Kēhaunani Abad, director of Kamehameha Publishing discusses Parker's contributions. Parker has been tapped by Kamehameha Publishing to illustrate 24 people or scenes from Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii. Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

BROOK PARKER shares the process he is using in developing the new Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii illustrations. First he starts with pencil-sketch studies of the individuals who are going to be portrayed. Then he does more sketches showing the individuals as they might be situated in the final illustration. The proposed sketch is taken to Kamehameha Publishing and discussions begin.

Parker, says, for instance, “I wanted to draw Lopaka.” He shows one of his sketches: “This is John Young and Isaac Davis and the artillery piece that Kamehameha used. My Kū side is really strong; Kēhau's Hina side is strong, so we have to find a happy medium, because if it was me, it would be all battle scenes, blood and guts!”

Abad tempers his passion for the battle, often asking him to tone down an image, or to include prominent women, who often do not get play in Hawaiian histories.

Parker's “Kū side” is tied deeply to his name, Kapūkuniahi, which was given to him by his great-grandfather, who was also Captain of the Guard at 'Iolani Palace under Queen Lili'uokalani.

Before bestowing that particular name on the newborn Parker, a great amount of debate went on between his parents and 'ohana. His grandmother was set against naming the child, “The Firing Canon,” out of fear that it would cause the boy to have a fiery temper and contentious demeanor.

“Grandma didn't want,” says Parker, so his father came up with the name Brook – water – “to cool the cannon,” and the family agreed. But, says Parker with a smile, “Sometimes the cannon fire still boils the water!”