Tales and Traditions of the People of Old: Na Moolelo a ka Poe Kahiko

by Samuel M. Kamakau, Mary Kawena Pukui (Translator), Dorothy Barrere (Editor)

Overview

This book completes the trilogy based on a series of articles Kamakau wrote in Hawaiian language newspapers in the 1860s and 1870s. It takes the reader on a tour of the Hawaiian islands, stopping along the way to tell tales associated with each site. The stories, some full of mischief, bring to life the ancestral chiefs and gods of Hawaii. Kamakau describes the origins of Hawaii and its people, taking pains to trace the genealogies of the chiefs.

Additional volumes in this series include Ka Poe Kahiko: The People of Old and The Works of the People of Old: Na Hana a ka Poe Kahiko also published by Bishop Museum Press.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012828446
Publisher:	Bishop Museum Press
Publication date:	12/01/1991
Series:	Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Special Publication , #94
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Samuel Kamakau, a Hawaiian scholar born on Oahu, was enrolled at the age of 17 in Lahainaluna Seminary on Maui. A brilliant student with a remarkable memory and a keen, insightful mind, Kamakau became a protege of Lahainaluna's Rev. Sheldon Dibble. Dibble urged his students to maintain an interest in their own culture, and with the aim of collecting first-hand accounts from native Hawaiians, formed the Islands' first historical society. Kamakau served as treasurer of the short-lived society and thus began a lifelong academic involvement with the history and traditions of his people.

Kamakau later taught at Lahainaluna and served in various official posts, including that of district judge of Wailuku. Eventually returning to Oahu, he was active in politics, serving several terms in the Legislature as a representative of various districts on Maui and Oahu. He married S. Hainakolo, and together they raised several children.

Kamakau's continuing interest in the history and culture of his people led him to write several series of articles. Published originally in Hawaiian-language newspapers during the 1860s and 1870s, translations of these articles have become important tools for the modern student of Hawaiian culture. Collected and edited, they have been published as Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, Ka Poe Kahiko: The People of Old, The Works of the People of Old: Na Hana a ka Poe Kahiko, and Tales and Traditions of the People of Old: Na Moolelo a ka Poe Kahiko. Kamakau is among the most significant native Hawaiian historians of the 19th century.