Q. What are you reading?

A. I'm in the middle of "Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i" by Jon Van Dyke, and it's a particularly slow read for me because I've been going back and forth between his book and a previous book that came out in 1992 by Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa called "Native Land and Foreign Desires." It addresses all the same issues in the Van Dyke book but includes more cultural information. … And for fun I just read "Stiffs," about what happens to human cadavers, which is part of the Common Book Program at Windward Community College. …

Q. What stands out as you compare Van Dyke's and Kame'eleihiwa's books?

A. I think a lot of people not versed in Hawaiian culture and history don't realize what the relationship of the land to the people was in traditional times. Van Dyke's book raises that for a new, younger audience, which is important. My children's generation didn't read Lilikala's book, so it gives new people a chance to understand these issues. …

Q. Are these books appealing because as a historian and cemetery expert you have a love of details and documenting history so it's not lost to future generations?

A. Yes, absolutely. I'm a serious student of Hawaiian history and the whole land issue has been so complex, even I to this day — even though I've been studying for years — don't feel like I know even as much as I want to. This is really important stuff for me to know personally, and as someone who teaches Hawaiian history in the community, to get as many facts to pass on understanding to the people that I teach.