Hawaiian Lore: Legends, Myths, And Fairy Tales

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Hawaiian Lore

Folklore is a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation that include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales.

Legends are based on historical facts that have characters or events that have been embellished, they are told and retold, and they are told to sound possible.

Myths are based on religion, supernatural beings or creators/gods or demigods, and explaining natural phenomena.

Fairy Tales are fantastic elements, may have magic, conflict between good and evil, and imaginary creatures.

Folklore in Hawaii in modern times is a mixture of various aspects of Hawaiian mythology and various urban legends that have been passed on regarding various places in the Hawaiian islands.

Hawaiian folklore’s most

heavily concentrated is mythology because of their religion.
The native culture of Hawaii is a culture that is filled with fascinating customs, music, legends, traditions and values. Hawaii's cultural environment is the result of layer upon layer of various cultural groups. The culture of Hawaii is one of the strongest remaining in the world, and certainly within the United States. The culture and practices of the Hawaiian people remains very evident on the islands, even though the Hawaiian race itself has become diminished and "diluted" over the years - few pure blooded Hawaiians remain in the general population.
Oral Tradition and Folklore
“Stories serve the main functions of communication - to inform, persuade, and entertain.

Storytellers tended to have a special place in their societies, whether they were held in high regard or shunned for their lifestyle choice. Regardless, these people could inform the audience about cultural traditions, values, behaviors, etc such as the griots found in some Hawaiian cultures. They could also take advantage of the opportunity to attempt to persuade people to act a certain way or adopt a particular world view. Finally, quite often storytellers were looked upon to entertain at social gatherings to tell humorous stories, such as jesters.” ( http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-significance-storytelling-oral-tradition-396206 )

The Hawaiian oral tradition of folklore helped shape the culture by establishing the identity, the role that oral traditions like stories, comb our hair, and so forth, folklore also helps us to shape our identity.

The importance of the oral tradition in the growth of a community is the culture of native Hawaiians is manifested in many facts of a daily life. One of the most important for any culture is language. The Commission was very fortunate to have an expert on the Hawaiian language. Another discussion about the Hawaiian culture is the different context in historic

preservation.
Hawaiian culture would change without oral tradition because the many manifested facts we have found in the Hawaiian culture would have never been found. Our world would be different without the very fortunate facts we have found.
The loss of folklore in Hawaii would make it less fun and boring to not know about folklore, Hawaii has many of folklores and so many people are inspired by them and they would like to know more about them and if folklore never existed in the Hawaiian culture, I believe Hawaii would not be as popular of a place as it is today.
Folklore where I live is different than it is in Hawaii it does relate, but not by a lot. Every culture has their own beliefs about everything. Here is Texas we may believe in a Chupacabra but in Hawaii they might believe that their is no such thing and they believe in Pele ( if you do not pay your respects to Pele then you and your family will be in trouble by the power of the lava flow ).
Legends
The two myths I picked were Pele and Mujina, The Faceless Woman.
Pele- If you want to protect yourself and your family from the lava flow, you have to pay respects to Pele, the volcano goddess. Mujina, The Fearless Woman- A man saw a girl one evening when he was walking and he was stopping to see if she needed aid, the man was frightened to discover that she had no face. He raced up the road until he saw a dim glow of a lantern in the distance, suddenly the lantern was extinguished and the man was alone in the night with the faceless Mujina.
They both protect someone, in Pele she wants you to pay your respects to her and you can protect your family. In Mujina the man was going to check on her to make sure she was okay and he was going to protect her if something bad was happening.
These legends reflect on Hawaiian Culture because the culture is very diverse and has a lot of purpose.
In Pele, there is an evident to be understood. If you would like to keep your family safe, you need to show your respect to her.
In Mujina, The Faceless Woman, there is an evident to be understood. If someone is alone and you are wanting to make sure they’re okay that means you have purpose.
In this website it is telling you about the history that goes on in Hawaii; “778—The Hawaiian Islands were originally settled by Polynesian immigrants more than 1,000 years ago, but remained unknown to Europeans until Captain James Cook landed there in 1778. 1800—During the late 1800s, Hawaii developed an export economy based on sugar and pineapple cultivation, drawing thousands of Asian immigrant workers to the farms.” ( http://www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2011/03/hawaiian-history/ )

Pele- The legends oral tradition altered by “as many versions of how Madame Pele came to Hawaii as there are lava rocks on Hawaii Island. One common legend says that Pele – who was born in Honua-Mea in Tahiti — was sent away by her father because of her difficult temper and for seducing her sister, Namakaokahai’s, husband. She found her way to the Hawaiian Islands where legend after legend bubbled up around her countless lovers, infidelities and feuds and heated outbursts.” in modern day they say if you do not pay her respects then bad things will happen to your family. It has change a lot over the years. ( http://www.robertshawaii.com/blog/legend-behind-hawaii%E2%80%99s-goddess-fire#sthash.WCQFah97.dpuf )
Mujina, the faceless woman- The legends oral tradition altered by “ In 1959, a woman was reported to have seen a mujina at a drive-in theater in Kahala. The local woman claimed that she went to use the restroom and noticed another woman combing her hair. Once close enough to see the other woman, she immediately noticed that the red-haired woman did not have any facial features. The woman was reported to have had a nervous breakdown and was treated at a hospital.” In modern day they still say they see a faceless woman but every story is very different. ( http://listverse.com/2014/04/26/10-spooky-stories-from-hawaii/ )
Myths
The two myths I chose were Laka: Goddess of the hula and Papa: Fertility goddess. Earth mother.
Laka: “She is the Hawaiian Goddess of Hula, through which the myths, legends and histories of the Hawaiian people are kept intact. Today She charges us with the sacred duty of collecting the treasures of our personal legacies and recording them for sharing with future generations.” ( https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/goddess-laka/ )
Papa: “Papa’s themes are providence, thankfulness, abundance, earth, fertility, weather, grounding, the harvest and the moon. Her symbols are the moon, harvested foods, rainwater and rocks. Polynesians summon Papa to help in all earthly matters. She is, in fact, the Earth Mother who gave birth to all things by making love to the sky. To this day, the earth and sky remain lovers, the sky giving its beloved rain for fertilization. Papa is sometimes known by the alternative title Papa Raharaha, ‘supporting rock’, through which She provides foundations and sustenance for our body, mind, and spirit.” ( https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/goddess-papa/ )
These myths reflect on Hawaiian Culture because the culture is very diverse and has a lot of purpose.

In Laka, there is an evident to be understood. If she charges you with the sacred duty of collecting the treasures of our personal legacies and records them for sharing with future generations, then you need to respect that.
In Papa, there is an evident to be understood. Papa provides foundations and sustenance for our body, mind, and spirit, and since she does that we need to understand that she is supporting us.
In this website it is telling you about the religious accuracies that go on in Hawaiian Culture; “ Religion has been a very important part of the history of Hawaii and a major force in shaping the sovereignty of Hawaii both in ancient times and at present. In order to understand major issues related to Hawaiian sovereignty it is essential to understand both the ancient native Hawaiian religion and modern Christianity; and how the two religions have interacted since 1778.”
( http://www.angelfire.com/big09a/ReligionHawnHistSovRefs.html )
Myths are impossible to verify because every story that has been told, has been told different ways. Every myth that is out there is very different from the original story that was first told. The beliefs that gods walked among men was to prove that the gods that were in the Hawaiian culture made the culture different than others, every culture does have their own myths but not like the Hawaiian culture. If the Hawaiian culture never had myths, the culture would be very different than the way it is now. I believe that the culture would not be as popular as it is today if myths were not apart of the Hawaiian culture.
Fairy Tales
The two fairy tales I chose were Kamohoalii the King-shark of Hawaii and Maui and Ku-ula, THE FISH GOD OF HAWAII.
Kamohoalii- “The King-shark of Hawaii and Maui, has several deep sea caves that he uses in turn as his habitat. There are several of these at the bottom of the palisades, extending from Waipio toward Kohala, on the island of Hawaii. A favorite one was at Koamano, on the mainland, and another was at Maiaukiu, the small islet just abreast of the valley of Waipio. It was the belief of the ancient Hawaiians that several of these shark gods could assume any shape they chose, the human form even, when occasion demanded.” ( http://sacred-texts.com/pac/hft/hft27.htm )
Ku-ula- “The story of Ku-ula, considered by ancient Hawaiians as the deity presiding over and controlling the fish of the sea,--a story still believed by many of them to-day,--is translated and somewhat condensed from an account prepared by a recognized legendary bard of these islands. The name of Ku-ula is known from the ancient times on each of the islands of the Hawaiian group, and the writer gives the Maui version as transmitted through the old people of that island.” ( http://sacred-texts.com/pac/hft/hft24.htm )
The king shark and the fish god compare together, they both have to do with the ocean and they both compare with islands in Hawaii.
These fairy tales reflect the Hawaiian Culture by having a lot to do with the islands in Hawaii, everything that goes on in Hawaii has to do with the islands.
The kind shark, has evident to be understood. It was the belief of the ancient Hawaiians that several of these shark gods could assume any shape they chose, the human form even, when occasion demanded. The shark gods could do anything and everyone needs to do everything they can to not make them mad or bad things will happen.
The fish god, has evident to be understood. There are things to be considered by ancient Hawaiians as the deity presiding over and controlling the fish of the sea. The fish god can control all the fish in the sea.
Both of the fairy tales originated in Hawaii, a long time ago on the island of Maui.
The beliefs that imaginary creatures and magic associated was to prove that the fairy tales in the Hawaiian culture made the culture different than others, every culture does have their own fairy tales but not like the Hawaiian culture. If the Hawaiian culture never had fairy tales, the culture would be very different than the way it is now. I believe that the culture would not be as popular as it is today if fairy tales were not apart of the Hawaiian culture.

The Archetypal Hero’s Journey in Folklore
An archetype is a typical example of a certain person or thing.
A hero’s journey is “intrigued by mythology, author Joseph Campbell studied the myth and made the famous claim that nearly all myths, and some other story types, have similar ideas and the heroes' adventures are almost identical in their format. The different stages of adventure identified have come to be called the "hero's journey." ( http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-each-stage-of-a-hero-s-journey.html )
The hero’s journey is significant because the whole purpose of it all is to show people what mythology can do and how it can change the way people look at a culture.

A archetypal fits into folklore many different ways, it depends on what the folklore is talking about. But you can add an archetypal to folklore.

The strongest legend connection to the archetypal hero’s journey is Pele. Legend says if you do not respect her then your family will not be safe, but if you show your respects to her then she will keep everyone in your family safe. In hero’s journey there is a point in time where archetypal becomes the hero and Pele is the hero because if you show them both respect then they will become the people who protect.

The significance is that pele and archetypal both help people, and their purpose for helping people is to make sure nobody is struggling and nothing bad is happening to them. They are heroes because of what they do for people.

The journey helps the reader connect to the story by learning the good things to do for people and that it will make you a more rememorable person if you help people out and be there

hero.
Wrap Up
The trends I found in my legends, myths, and fairy tales was that in some of the stories they were somewhat similar and I would have not thought that any of them would have been similar. In some of the legends, myths, and fairytales I knew that some of them would not be similar and be very different from one another.
My folklore demonstrated the dreams/values of the culture by fascinating customs, music, legends, traditions and values. Hawaii's cultural environment is the result of layer upon layer of various cultural groups. The culture of Hawaii is one of the strongest remaining in the world, and certainly within the United States.
The universal values presented in the Hawaiian culture is The Hawaiian gods were like great chiefs from far lands who visited among the people, entering their daily lives sometimes as humans or animals, sometimes taking residence in a stone or wooden idol. As years passed, the families of gods grew and included the trickster Maui, who snared the sun, and fiery Pele of the volcano.
If the Hawaiian culture continues to use their folklore and it keeps going from generation to generation the Hawaiian culture will be remembered and keep people interested.