He was born December 24, 1884, to Chun Akana and Harriet Kahema in the Kaihuwai district of Waialua on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, in the Territory of Hawaii.

After his return to Hawaii, he served with the Hawaiian Evangelical Association, and was the founder of the Young People's League of Honolulu.

Music for the occasion was provided by ukulele virtuoso Ernest Kaʻai, the Correlli Brothers String Trio, and students of Kamehameha Schools.

[7] As noted by author Ethel Moseley Damon in her book on the church's history, Akana was the first Kahu of Hawaiian ancestry.

[7] In 1920, Akana appeared before the United States House of Representatives hearings on "Public Protection of Maternity and Infancy", where he delivered a lengthy report on the subject matter as it related to the Territory of Hawaii.