"Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source), a two-volume work first published in 1979, describes Hawaiian beliefs and customs compiled by the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center to better understand and meet the needs of the Hawaiian families they served. Much of the books’ material was distilled from the Center’s Hawaiian Culture Study Committee’s weekly meetings. The authors strove to capture the freshness, the intimacy, and the “aliveness” of Hawaiian ideas put into action. Mary Kawena Pukui (1895–1986) is the primary source of information on Hawaiian culture not otherwise documented.
Volume One interprets specific Hawaiian customs, concepts, and terms “to clarify distorted beliefs, suggest the rationale behind Hawaiian ritual, and convey some of the poetic imagery of ancient rites and their underlying concepts.”
Volume Two deals with broader concepts and topics in order to more fully understand the influences of Hawaiian culture on the lives of those served by the Center."