What was the purpose of the Kumulipo?

In Hawaiian religion, the Kumulipo is the creation chant, first recorded by Westerners in the 18th century. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty and was created in honor of Kalaninuiamamao and passed down orally to his daughter Alapaiwahine.

What is the Kumulipo and why is it important to Hawaiian identity?

The Kumulipo is known as the Hawaiian Creation chant which speaks about the universe’s beginnings described in “deep-darkness.” It is a change chant of a family of Hawaiian alii, or ruling chiefs. This chant is one of the prime sources of information on Hawaiian mythology, culture, political structure, and way of life.

Who was the first human found in the Kumulipo?

Poepoe quotes the Moʻolelo Hawaii in these words: “in this genealogy [the Kumulipo] it is said that the earth was not born nor was it made by hand but just grew.”1 David Malo writes, as translated by Emerson: “In the genealogy called Kumulipo it is said that the first human being was a woman named Laʻilaʻi and that her …

What does the Kumulipo teach us about the relationship between the land and the sea?

The Kumulipo tells us that the Ko’a, or coral polyp, was the first organism created. The chant teaches us that life in the sea and life on land are inexorably connected, and what we do on land has a direct connection and impact on all organisms in the sea.

When was the Kumulipo invented?

1889
The original text of the Kumulipo was first printed in Honolulu in 1889 from a manuscript copy in the possession of King Kalakaua. Several translations were made later, including one by Queen Liliuokalani, published in 1897.

What does wakea mean in Hawaiian?

Haloa means long breath, eternal breath.

Why is genealogy important to Hawaiians?

One’s genealogy is extremely important and a critical aspect of one’s identity. Since Hawaiian is a spoken language, genealogies were memorized at an early age and were passed down orally through the generations. The highest of aliʻi (chiefs) could trace their lineage directly back to the beginning of the universe.

Who is Papa and Wakea?

In Hawaiian tradition Wakea, the sky father, married Papa, whom he formed into Papahanaumoku, the earth mother. This depiction of the myth was painted by Solomon Enos, an indigenous Hawaiian artist.

What is the Hawaiian religion called?

The traditional Hawaiian religion is a polytheistic animistic religion. Hawaiians believe that there are spirits in many objects such as the waves and the sky. The Hawaiian religion believes in four gods; Kāne, Kanaloa, Kū, and Lono.

Who is wakea in Hawaiian culture?

Wakea-Sky Father who mated with Papa to give birth to all the island children. Mauna Kea is known to many Hawaiians as Mauna O Wakea or Ka Mauna A Kea (Wakea’s Mountain). 2.

Why are Hawaiian names so important?

Names commemorated individuals both living and deceased or events that were significant to the family or to the time. Some of the more traditional Hawaiian names were given in dreams at night to a member of the family of the newborn by an ancestral guardian spirit, or aumakua.

What does it mean to be a Kumulipo?

He Kumulipo means “A source of darkness or origin”. In some cultures, children are brought up thinking that the dark is a bad place, one to avoid. Ancient Hawaiians thought of it as a place of creation. In the Kumulipo the world was created over a cosmic night.

When was the Kumulipo written down in Hawaiian?

Please edit the article to reflect standard Hawaiian orthography. The Kumulipo is an ancient hawaiian chant that was written down in the 18th-century in the Hawaiian language. One viewpoint of the chant is that it tells a creation story..

Who was the creator of the Kumulipo chant?

In Hawaiian religion, the Kumulipo is the creation chant, first recorded by Westerners in the 18th century. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty and was created in honor of Kalaninuiamamao and passed down orally to his daughter Alapaiwahine

How many sections are there in the Kumulipo?

The Kumulipo is divided into sixteen wā, or sections. The first eight wā fall under the section of pō (darkness), the age of spirit. The Earth may or may not exist, but the events described do not take place in a physical universe.