Hawaiian Literature Resources (HWST270): BOOKS: Exploring Myth & Folklore

It is becoming more and more a matter of regret that a larger amount of systematic effort was not established in early years for the gathering and preservation of the folk-lore of the Hawaiians. The world is under lasting obligations to the late Judge Fornander, and to Dr. Rae before him, for their painstaking efforts to gather the history of this people and trace their origin and migrations...

This literary treasure provides one of the earliest glimpses into pre-colonial Hawaaiin culture. This book, one of six written by Dr. Westervelt, is a fascinating compilation of Hawaiian legends and historical tales.

"...Of special value to all who are concerned with the study of comparative folklore... an entertaining dip into Hawaiian mythology...Hawaiian Legends of Ghost and Ghost-Gods is a series of richly entertaining Hawaiian folk tales. The legends of the Hawaiian Islands are as diverse as those of any there region in the world..."

Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes made its first appearance in 1916, in both American and British editions, as the third in a series that represented a pioneering study of Hawaiian folklore. The rich tradition of Hawaiian legends is showcased in it's purest form, making this an essential read for anyone living in Hawaii who wants to understand the local culture or anyone interested in classical folklore.

The Cry of the Huna invokes the author's personal history as he recounts the decline of his people's spiritual tradition as a result of colonization. The breakdown of the Hawaiians' ties with their sacred land led them to forget not only the teachings of their ancestors, but also the chain of na aumakua they form, which connects this people to both the earth and the realm of the gods...

A History of the Pacific Islands traces the human history of nearly one-third of the globe over a fifty-thousand year span. This is history on a grand scale, taking the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia from prehistoric culture to the present day through a skilful interpretation of scholarship in the field.

Volume one interprets specific Hawaiian words and phrases and was meant to "clarify distorted beliefs, suggest the rationale behind Hawaiian ritual, and convey some of the poetic imagery of ancient rites and their underlying concepts."

Volume two deals with broader concepts and relationships, including such topics as the child, man and woman, dreams and symbols, holiness and healing. It restates the theme of understanding more fully the influences of Hawaiian culture on life today.

"Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-lore"
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT Ulukau.org
"A rare find in ancient Hawaiian literature, a Hawaiian composition not only rich in its poetic power but an authentic source of information concerning pre-European Hawaiian religion, mythology, and way of life... Beckwith rightly compares it to the Greek creation chants and Genesis in the Bible."

This ancient saga begins with the goddess Pele's migration to Kilauea and her spirit's search for a lover. The story then details the quest of Pele's younger sister, Hi'iakaikapoliopele, to find the handsome Lohi'auipo, and bring him back to their crater home. It is a very human account of love and lust, jealousy and justice, peopled with deities, demons, chiefs and commoners. This version by Ho'oulumahie-hie ran from 1905 to 1906 as a daily series in the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Na'i Aupuni. It is the most extensive form of the story ever documented, offering a wealth of detail and insights about social and religious practices, poetry and hula, healing arts, and many other Hawaiian customs.

One of the great epics of Hawaiian mythology is the story of Pele, goddess of Hawai`i's volcanoes, and her youngest sister, Hi`iakaikapoliopele. This is a passionate story of love, healing, betrayal, and reconciliation, culminating in the reunion of parted lovers.

Stories of the volcano goddess Pele and her youngest sister Hiʻiaka are most familiar as a form of literary colonialism. But far from quaint tales for amusement, the Pele and Hiʻiaka literature published between the 1860s and 1930s carried coded political meaning for the Hawaiian people at a time of great upheaval. Voices of Fire recovers the lost and often-suppressed significance of this literature, restoring it to its primary place in Hawaiian culture.

Chapters: 1. Food -- 2. Houses -- 3. Plaiting -- 4. Twined baskets -- 5. Clothing -- 6. Canoes -- 7. Fishing -- 8. Games and recreation -- 9. Musical instruments -- 10. War and weapons -- 11. Religion -- 12. Ornaments and personal adornment -- 13. Death and burial -- 14. Index.

Dance we will -- Origins : legend & myth -- Pre-contact : a Polynesian memory -- Contact : another myth begins -- The missionaries : "heathen song & dance" -- Kalākaua's renaissance -- Yaaka hula hickey dula -- The torch is passed -- Hapa haole Hollywood -- Quality comes to Waikiki -- Hula goes to war, then booms

"This extraordinary collection of Hawaiian sayings--collected, translated, and annotated by Mary Kawena Pukui--offers a unique opportunity to savor the wisdom, poetic beauty, and earthy humor of these finely crafted expressions. The sayings may be appreciated individually and collectively for their aesthetic, historic, and educational values. They reveal even deeper layers of meaning, giving understanding not only of Hawaii and its people but all of humanity. Since the sayings carry the immediacy of the spoken word, considered to be the highest form of cultural expression in old Hawaii, they bring us closer to the everyday thoughts and lives of the Hawaiians who created them. Taken together, the sayings offer a basis for an understanding of the essence and origins of traditional Hawaiian values."