Kōnane at Bishop Museum

Wednesday, June 11, 2025
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Atrium of Hawaiian Hall
$15 General Admission, $10 Museum Member

Kōnane is a Hawaiian game of strategy, critical thinking, and resource management. Join kōnane experts on Kamehameha Day to learn the history, moʻolelo, strategies, and philosophical perspectives of kōnane in honor King Kamehameha ʻEkahi, a legendary strategist and kōnane player.

Early foreign visitors to Hawai’i wrote of the popularity of kōnane among all of Hawaiʻi’s people, but none were more talented than Kamehameha. He would sit for hours playing with his chiefs, giving an occasional smile, but without uttering a word. While much of the nuance of kōnane has been lost over the years, a dedicated team of players is uncovering Hawai’i’s own heritage game and wants to share their cutting-edge research with you.

The program is led by Uncle John Kaʻohelauliʻi, author of the Black Book of Kōnane, Wallace Akau of Akau Boards, and Kapena Baptista of Kō Kākou Nane. The program will take place inside Hawaiian Hall and includes 1) an overview of the game, 2) moʻolelo, 3) free rounds of play, and 4) a mini tournament.

All ages and playing abilities are welcome to join, but adults and intermediate to advanced players are especially encouraged to participate! Aʻole hilahila, everyone is welcome!

Light refreshments will be provided.

Program timeline
5:30 p.m. Introduction & Overview
6 p.m. Kōnane Moʻolelo
6:30 p.m Rounds of play w/ different configured boards
7:30 p.m. 16-player single-elimination tournament

BIOS

Uncle John Kaʻohelauliʻi is a native Hawaiian and a Kōnane expert who lives in Kauaʻi and has been teaching Kōnane since 2011. You can find Uncle John at many events on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu teaching Kōnane. “If you like strategy games, you’re going to love Kōnane. Kōnane is an ancient Hawaiian strategy game used as a teaching tool to train the next generation of Hawaiian leaders. It is a simple game to learn, yet it will take you a lifetime to master. What makes Kōnane unique is that the game’s objective is to make the last move, not acquire the most pieces, making this game more about managing your resources than going after your opponent,” says Uncle John. To learn more about Kōnane and Uncle John Kaʻohelauliʻi, visit www.hawaiiancheckers.com.

Wallace Akau owns Akau Boards, LLC alongside Leimomi Akau. Akau Boards, LLC was established in 2017. Their business was started inspired by his passion for woodworking. Akau joined the military in 2012, got out in 2015, and persuedhis carpentry degree at Honolulu Community College. Akau Boards, LLC has been perpetuating Hawaiian culture since 2020 by providing access to Hawaiian wooden cultural implements such as Kōnane papamu, Papa kuʻi ʻai, Iʻe kuku, Kua, Pōhaku kuʻi ʻai and much more. To learn more about Akau Boards, LLC visit www.akauboards.com or follow @akauboards on Instagram.

Kapena Baptista is a multi-hyphenate professional, researcher, and cultural practitioner hailing from the Island of Oʻahu. He holds an AB from Harvard University, an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and served as a J. William Fulbright Scholar in Lisbon, Portugal. Having played kōnane as a child, its boundless potential was lost on him in its marketing as Hawaiian “checkers.” It wasn’t until after years of playing Chess at a moderately advanced level did he return to play kōnane seriously in 2020 with a newfound amazement of its tactical complexity and layers of Hawaiian thought hiding in plain sight. Saddened by kōnane’s lack of visibility and player competence in Hawaiʻi, Kapena took it upon himself to start playing “guerilla kōnane” around the pae ʻāina, posting up with kōnane boards at events and gatherings, inviting people of all ages to see, play, and understand kō kākou nane. He posts regularly about his kōnane research and events he will be at on his Instagram @pa.konane.