Week 5 2/6
Kumulipo
The Papa and Wākea moʻolelo discussed in the Traditional Hawaiian Metaphors article is just one of many origin stories--although it is probably the most well-known today. The great cosmogonic genealogy He Kumulipo no Kaʻīiamamao is another origin tradition and it is the longest and most detailed origin chant that survives in Oceania. Kumulipo describes the relationship between human life and the natural and spiritual environments, in essence it elucidates Hawaiian developmental theory. There is also some overlap with the concepts from the Traditional Hawaiian Metaphors reading. Below is a list of concepts to pay particular attention to while reading and listening/viewing:
Below is a short video explaining moʻokūʻauhau. As with the first video posted in the right side column, this presentation was designed for a younger audience. Nonetheless, it reiterates the importance of genealogies that are imperative to understanding the Kumulipo. |
Past and Present
As kānaka, humans, we are born into the same family as the land, the sea, and the other living creatures. We all come from the same source, Pō. Kumulipo teaches us that there is a natural relationship among all living things. The video posted below by Kamehameha Publishing presents some of these fundamental concepts. Although intended for a younger audience, there is much that can be gleaned by adult learners. The significance of genealogies, and in particular the Kumulipo, persists today. Below is a contemporary interpretation of the importance of the Kumulipo expressed in the poetry of Jamaica Osorio. Osorio performed her spoken word poem at a White House Poetry Jam.
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Activities
- Read the article in the Hawaiian Studies textbook by Lilikalā Kameʻeleihiwa titled, "Kumulipo"
- Complete the reading quiz in the tests and quizzes tool titled, Unit1-RQ_Kumulipo.
- Complete the assignments posted in the discussions tool--topic questions, responses to a classmate.
- Discussions are due Thursday, February 9 at 11:55 pm and Sunday, February 12 at 11:55 pm.
- Answers to the questions posted in the Unit1-RQ_Kumulipo are due by Sunday, February 12 at 11:55 pm. The quiz questions are based on the Kameʻeleihiwa reading found in the Hawaiian Studies textbook.