The first statewide Hawaiian checkers tournament in modern history will take place this week on O‘ahu.
The inaugural Ka Makou Kōnane Invitational Tournament Finals will be held at Bishop Museum, the State of Hawai‘i Museum of Natural and Cultural History, on Friday from 4-10 p.m. The event will feature representatives from Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi and Oʻahu.
Qualifying matches have been held across the islands over the past month. Representing the Big Island in the finals are Jonathan Jay and Yuna Inoue.
“Kōnane is one of the greatest achievements of our kūpuna (ancestors),” said Kapena Baptista, founder of Pā Kōnane, a kōnane advocacy and players association, and one of the principal organizers of the Tournament. “To me, it’s more than a game, it’s a teaching tool, a mindset, a portal into the world of our ancestors.”…