- Kumulipo
In ancient Hawaiian religion, the Kumulipo is an
epic poem andchant , over two thousand lines long, that was recited from memory bykahuna at important ceremonies and festivals. Some traditions of theMāori are similar, as are poems fromTahiti , theMarquesas Islands ,Tuamotu , andRapa Nui .The Kumulipo was composed to honor the lineage of the high chief
Kalani‘īimamao . His father,Keaweikekahialiiokamoku , asked his kahuna knowledgeable ingenealogy to compose the Kumulipo as a "pule ho‘ola‘a ali‘i", a prayer to sanctify a chief.Makanani, Russell Kawika. "Kumulipo".]It is believed that the Kumulipo was recited upon the arrival of
Captain James Cook atKealakekua Bay , as he was treated as anakua .Divisions
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. The words show the development of life as it goes through similar stages as a human child. Eventually, it leads to early mammals.The second section, containing the remaining eight wā, is "ao" and is signaled by the arrival of light and the gods, who watch over the changing of animals into the first
human s. After that is the complex genealogy of Kalani‘īimamao that goes all the way to the late1700 s.Comparative literature
Comparisons may be made between marital partners (husband and wife often have synonymous names), between genealogical and fauna-fauna names, and in other Polynesian genealogies. [See [http://00.gs/Kumulipo_spouses.htm Kumulipo spouse-names] , [http://00.gs/Kumulipo.htm terms for flora and fauna in the Kumulipo] , and [http://00.gs/Maniapoto;Uriwera;Moriori;Hivaoa;Kumulipo.htm Maori and Rarotongan parallels with the "Kumulipo] ]
References
External links
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/ku/index.htm The Kumulipo] A public domain copy of "The Kumulipo" with commentary and translations by Martha Beckwith.
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/lku/index.htm The Kumulipo] A public domain copy of "The Kumulipo" as translated by queen Lili-o-ka-lani -- published in Boston in 1897; re-printed by Pueo Press in 1978.
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