Nā ‘Ono O Ke Kai / The Delicacies of the Sea Card Game

Created by Maya L. Kawailanaokeawaiki Saffery

Nā ʻOno o Ke Kai means “the delicacies of the sea”—a reference to the delicious Native fish of Hawai‘i. This standard deck of playing cards features thirteen iʻa commonly found near reefs that were essential to Kānaka in traditional times and continue to play a significant dietary and cultural role in Hawaiʻi today.

Nā ʻOno o Ke Kai introduces a Hawaiian worldview on fishing and provides opportunities for haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to practice vocabulary and basic sentence structures.

E pāʻani pepa kākou—let's play cards!

About the Creator
Maya L. Kawailanaokeawaiki Saffery was born and raised in Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu, and is an ongoing student of the language and culture of her ancestors. With a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian language and a PhD in education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she serves as the curriculum specialist for Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian language. She is responsible for researching, developing, implementing, and evaluating curricula for use within Kawaihuelani and in the broader community. Her scholarly work focuses on kanaka—ʻāina (people–land) relationships in all aspects of pedagogy, ʻŌiwi research methodologies, and culturally grounded, interdisciplinary Hawaiian-language curriculum. She is a graduated ʻōlapa and kumu hula from Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima and is a leader of Kauluakalana, a community-based organization dedicated to ʻāina education and restoration in Kailua, Oʻahu. All her work is dedicated to her daughter, Hāʻalewaiakamanu Hoʻoipoikamalanai.

2023. 3 x 4". Includes 52 cards (standard deck), instruction booklet, and quick reference sheets in Hawaiian and English.