NEW RELEASE!
HAWAII’S NIGHT MARCHERS: A History of the Huaka‘i Pō
The oral traditions of Hawaii’s Night Marchers were first passed down from mouth to ear by those who had witnessed the haunted procession. After Western contact and the influx of so many different cultures, hundreds of people have observed the ghostly army, Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike, all from different walks of life, and the most common question is, who are they?
Lopaka Kapanui has been researching and collecting ghost stories, legends, and the history of Hawai‘i for over twenty-five years and has published several of them into four separate books. Together with his wife, Tanya, the Kapanuis have compiled more than four dozen eyewitness narratives along with the history of the night marchers and put them into one book. For the first time, an authoritative compendium of accounts has been published, providing a definitive history and answering the question, “Who are the night marchers?”
by Robert Lopaka Kapanui & Tanya Kapanui
About the Authors
Best known as “Hawaii’s Ghost Guy,” Master Storyteller Lopaka Kapanui, has been scaring people and sharing Hawaii’s stories for more than twenty-five years. A native Hawaiian born and raised on O‘ahu and spending his childhood vacations on Hawai‘i Island and Maui, Lopaka learned about his family’s history, customs and protocol, which were passed down to him in the traditional Hawaiian way, through mo‘olelo, from mouth to ear, sitting at the foot of his Mother and his Aunty as they related the lessons to him. He learned the significance of the proper prayers to offer in ceremonial blessings, to enter or leave a sacred place, to ask for protection or forgiveness, or before gathering greenery in depths of a Hawaiian forest, and the importance of intent. Additionally, he was taught that the responsibility which would come with what he was going to inherit would have to, one day, be passed down. As a Master Storyteller, Lopaka has received a special citation from the Hawai‘i State Legislature in 2020 for perpetuating and celebrating local culture, history, language, and folklore through storytelling and knowledge of these Islands’ history and legends.
Born in Denver, Colorado and raised in a military family, Tanya Kapanui had the privilege of living in Colorado, Texas, and Germany before making Hawai‘i, where her parents were born and raised, her home for the last thirty years. As a lifelong horror aficionado, Tanya’s interest in the supernatural was established at a very young age, but it wasn’t until she was older that her interests expanded to native legends like the Filipino aswang and the Hawaiian mo‘o. The last three years have been dedicated to intense research on the huaka‘i pō. When she’s not working, reading, or researching hauntings and ghost stories, Tanya can be found spending time with their amazing grandchildren.
Together, the couple runs Mysteries of Hawai‘i, sharing Hawaii’s scariest ghost stories one tour at a time.
About the Illustrator
Alika Spahn Naihe is a kanaka maoli digital artist and game designer. Born and raised on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Alika spent much of his childhood sketching and doodling on any pieces of paper he could find, whether at home, in class, or at his grandparents’ house where he spent most of his time. As a teenager, he saw the art of Solomon Enos - the Kamapua‘a series - in a Hawaiian Airlines in-flight magazine that sparked what would become a deep fascination with Hawaiian mythology and the art inspired by it. After working in various occupations - from kitchen prep, to baking cookies, to landscaping, to becoming a journeyman electrician at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard - he decided to make his lifelong hobby of art his life’s work. Alika has a design and apparel business, Hau‘oli Art, where he creates art and clothing inspired by the Hawaiian culture. Alika is also a part-owner of Theorycraftist Games along with Jeffrey Vierra and Jack Hobbs, where he is the head artist and leads manufacturing and production of their games. Together, Jeffrey, Jack, and Alika teach an after-school game design class at Nānākuli High School under the PALS program.