Kumulipo

Questions for Further Study

• 1. It is safe to say that virtually every culture/religion has a creation account, such as the Kumulipo. Each of these accounts is likely to be a reflection of something in the culture’s history, social structure, or even geography that defines that culture. In what ways does the creation account of Kumulipo reflect something unique and defining about Hawaiian culture?
• 2. To what extent is the Kumulipo—or at least publication of a translation of it in the late nineteenth century—a political document as well as a religious one?
• 3. Historically, the purpose of many religious documents, at least in part, has been to establish the legitimacy of the king or chief by confirming royal descent. This concern, though, seems to have been an obsession in Hawaii; as the entry notes, “A genealogy was a treasured family possession, and no one outside the family would ordinarily know the entire chant, except for the priest who did the chanting.” Why do you think the issue of genealogy was a particular concern in Hawaii?
• 4. Why do you think the chant was performed only twice, once in 1779 and once in 1804?
• 5. Imagine that you are Captain Cook and that you have arrived at the Hawaiian Islands in 1779. What do you think your reaction, as a proper Englishman and sea captain, would be to the Kumulipo?