As charter schools and the University of Hawai'i's Hawaiian Studies program release more students steeped in Hawaiian culture and language, Hawaiian protocol and practices are increasingly part of everyday life. Go to Hale Noa 'awa bar, and you'll see people greeting each other with honi and speaking 'olelo Hawai'i.

The new Ka Wana series of booklets from the University of Hawai'i's Curriculum Research & Development Group fits into the trend. The publications, by cultural specialist Malcolm Naea Chun, are designed to assist parents, teachers, students and staff in "their study and modern-day application of Hawaiian customs and traditions," reads the introduction. Chun writes that it "represents what I believe is fundamental to seeing the world around us through Hawaiian vision, thought, and feelings."

First in the 11-part series is "Pono," a word bandied about a lot these days. Chun explains that while there are no words in Hawaiian for "values," "pono" comes closest, and that pono encompasses Hawaiian principles such as observation, listening, reflection and questioning. Subsequent editions include "Welina," "A'o," "Ola," "Ho'oponopono," "Ho'omana" and "Alaka'i," which will be available next year.

Well researched and written in an authoritative but graceful tone, the Ka Wana booklets were developed through Pihana Na Mamo, the state Department of Education's special-education project, for which Chun is the scholar in residence.

To order, call 956-4969 or e-mail crdg@hawaii.edu.