Maile Meyer is the owner and founder of Native Books and Nā Mea Hawaiʻi. Read about her beginnings of Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and Native Books, Inc. here.

Josh Tengan is a Honolulu-born and based curator and arts project manager. Since 2015, he has worked with local and Native Hawaiian artists, through the arts nonprofit Puʻuhonua Society, to deliver Hawaiʻi’s largest annual thematic contemporary art exhibition, CONTACT, which offers a critical and comprehensive survey of local contemporary visual culture.

He recently served as Assistant Curator of the 2019 Honolulu Biennial. He is a professional arts manager at Nā Mea Hawai‘i, managing public art installations in Honolulu for the past four years. He holds a Curatorial Studies MA with Distinction from Newcastle University (UK) and a BA in Fine Art from Westmont College.

Lise was raised in Kalihi Uka. They manage the web sales and institutional orders for Native Books.

Lise's favorite pastime is dream recollection. In addition to dreaming, they enjoy eating and reading, separately and sometimes together.

Sarah Kuaiwa is the book buyer for Native Books and our sister store, Na Mea Hawaiʻi. She is responsible for keeping the shelves stocked with beloved titles new and old. Sarah is also a trained historian and art historian specializing in nineteenth century Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian-language materials, and Hawaiian material culture.

Favorite books: The Kingdom and the Republic, The Musubi Book, Clouds of Memories, and Waimea Summer

Sancia Shiba Nash is a filmmaker and artist from Kīhei, Maui, ka pae ʻāina o Hawaiʻi.

Through time-based media, primarily video and sound, she helps to amplify lesser-known transpacific stories of place.

Oral history interviews and private/public archives provide the foundations for her collaborative practice.

Kamalei is a recent graduate from the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she received a double bachelor's degree in Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies.

Her roles at Native Books are main floor-sales associate, book receiver, Wiliau blog author, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi consultant, and moderator of our ʻŌlelo Kaiāulu discussion series.

She enjoys reading both in the bookstore and in the comfort of her own home, as well as giving book recommendations to customers when they visit the store. She hopes to create an environment that encourages customers to practice their ʻōlelo within the bookstore and the larger community. E kipa mai nō a hoʻomaʻamaʻa i ka ʻōlelo! 

Her most recent and enjoyable read of this year has been The Properties of Perpetual Light by Julian Aguon. 

Līhau Collier is a philosopher, writer, and kanaka ʻōiwi of Hawaiʻi.

She is inspired by mana wahine (powerful women), who make a positive difference for ka lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian people) and the world. Līhau has experienced the liberating aspects of maoli (indigenous) studies and with that, wholeheartedly became a part of our team. 

Her kuleana (responsibilities) include, editorial insights, design discussion, copyediting, proofreading, marketing, and distribution. She is empowered by each member of the hui, as each person's perspective helps shape her own.  Her favorite motto, “It's a kākou thing!”