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.

Bringing together a medley of stories, myths, and folklore Gary Varner shares a fascination and respect for humankind's early and contemporary cultures and wonders at similarities across the board.

The sixty "heiau" photographed and described in this text are all located on on O'ahu, the island that has experienced by far the most development over the last 200 years. The images provide a compelling argument for the preservation of Hawaiian sacred places.

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...

Through an analysis of the history of Polynesian cultures they present a first-time detailed reconstruction of Hawaiki, the Ancestral Polynesian culture that flourished some 2,500 years ago.

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.

Substantive and provocative, this book makes a major contribution to the literature of precontact Hawaii and illuminates Hawaii’s importance in the global theory and literature about divine kingship, archaic states, and sociopolitical evolution.

Tracing the origins of the Hawaiians and other Polynesians back to the shores of the South China Sea, archaeologist Patrick Vinton Kirch follows their voyages of discovery across the Pacific in this fascinating history of Hawaiian culture from about one thousand years ago.

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.

Online text is courtesy of www.ulukau.org

"This is Martha Beckwith's monumental study of Hawaiian mythology. The book covers every significant theme in Hawaiian mythology, from the origin myths of the Hawaiian gods and goddesses, to more recent legends of star-crossed lovers."
Check out a print copy ... CALL NUMBER: GR385 .B43 1976 Hawaii Pacific Collection

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

Wonderfully illustrated and written, AKUA HAWAI'I offers simple stories of creation, duty, love, and hope that provide not only a better understanding of the gods, but also demonstrate important lessons about life that still remain today.

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."

Kepelino, like Native Hawaiian historians Malo, Kamakau, and Papa 'I'i, worked in the mid-19th century to record Hawaiian historical, cultural, and religious knowledge for future generations.

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.

Chapters: A Search for Küulakai; Aumäkua of Kona, Oahu; Voyaging Chiefs of Käneohe Bay; Killing the Cannibal King; He Mele No Käne: A Song of Life; A Twisted Tale: Jack London’s "Koolau the Leper"

Mary Kawena Pukui stands alone in the history of Hawai'i for her unparalleled contributions to the preservation and revitalization of Hawaiian language and culture. This collection includes tales she first heard from her grandmother and mother when she was a child in Ka'u on the Big Island.

Rich selections includes stories of gods and creation, fairies and supernatural beings, cannibalism and human sacrifice, adultery and revenge, more. Also, expert commentary on stories and Polynesian culture.

Contents include: The princess of the rainbow. -- The fire-goddess. -- The seven great deeds of Maui. -- The menehune. -- The canoe of Laka or Rata and those who sailed in it. -- When the little blond shark went visiting. -- The boy Punia and the King of the Sharks. -- Owl and Rat and the Boy who was good at shooting arrows. -- The story of Moe Moe. -- Halemano and the Princess Kama, and MORE...

Stories of gods and goddesses, ghosts and heroes, cowboy adventures, and dangerous journeys among Hawaii's valleys and peaks.

This book's mythological epic, perhaps more than any other, brings primal elements together, and its lyric power and drama are unsurpassed in traditional Hawaiian lore. Here are captured the poetry of Hawaiian places, the feel of the Hawaiian landscape—whose volcanic features are the handiwork of Pele herself—and the unique mood of old Hawaii.

Contents include: Hina, the Helen of Hawaii -- The royal hunchback -- The triple marriage of Laa-mai-kahiki -- The apotheosis of Pele -- Hua, king of Hana -- The iron knife -- The sacred spear-point -- Kelea, the surf-rider of Maui -- Umi, the peasant prince of Hawaii -- Lono and Kaikilani, and MORE...

About the Hawaiian Gods, select mythology (including the Kumulipo or creation chant), and many illustrated sacred symbols with explanations. In addition, it does have a few astrological references in the context of the presented mythology or history.

Also available online free at Project Gutenberg eBooks.

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.

"In old Hawaii, man and gods and nature were very close, and the curtain between living and dead was woven of cobwebs...The stories that follow are testimony to that sensitivity of spirit so characteristic of the Hawaiian people."

Subtitle - "The Classical Traditions of the Hawaiian Pig God as a Body of Literature."

A collection of stories that reveal the personal relationship between the ancient Hawaiian people and all aspects of nature. Includes notes that explain the historical, cultural, and natural context of the legends.

A collection of twelve Hawaiian tales about island men who became tricksters in order to survive and others who became riddlers in order to win a place in their society.

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.

The people and the deities. The land and the people ; The ways of the deities ; The gods and goddesses ; Pele ; Deified ancestral spirits -- Aspects of traditional Hawaiian culture and religion. Spiritual power ; Taboos ; Experts ; Shrines and temples ; Water ; Stone ; Color ; Plants ; Dance ; The menehune ; Ghosts and night marchers -- Magic and sorcery. Magic ; Prophecy and dreams ; Divination, spirtual possession, and omens ; Birth omens ; Contemporary survival of traditional Hawaiian spirituality.

A collection of 43 traditional or historical stories from the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Australia. Includes creation myths, myths of origin, adventures of gods and heroes, kings and queens, and much more.

A retelling of nine Hawaiian legends illustrating the importance of dreams and their interpretation in Hawaiian culture.

The text is divided into 4 parts: Dreams Sent by the Gods; Dream Romances; Dream Prophecies; Dream Guidance sent by the Spirits.

Presents twelve Hawaiian myths which explain how the earth was created, why volcanoes on Hawaii erupt, why the days are longer in summer, and other natural phenomena.

Table of Contents: Introduction -- Creation and the cosmos -- Deities, themes, and concepts -- Annotated print sources -- Internet web sites.

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."