The Kumulipo: A Hawaiian Creation Chant

by Martha Warren Beckwith (Editor), Martha Warren Beckwith (Translator)

Overview

The Kumulipo is the sacred creation chant of a family of Hawaiian alii, or ruling chiefs. Composed and transmitted entirely in the oral tradition, its 2000 lines provide an extended genealogy proving the family's divine origin and tracing the family history from the beginning of the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824807719
Publisher:	University of Hawaii Press, The
Publication date:	07/01/2000
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

Editorial Reviews

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, politics, mythology, and way of life. . . . . An extremely scholarly and detailed work.

Pacific Islands Monthly