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This is Queen Liliuokalani's translation of the Hawaiian Creation chant, the Kumulipo.
She translated this while under house arrest at Iolani Palace, and it was subsequently published in 1897.
This is an extremely rare book which was republished (in a very scarce edition)
by Pueo Press in 1978.

The Kumulipo's composition is attributed to one of Liliuokalani's eighteenth century ancestors, Keaulumoku, just prior to European contact.
It is a sophisticated epic which describes the origin of species in terms that Darwin would appreciate.
The Kumulipo moves from the emergence of sea creatures, to insects, land plants, animals, and eventually human beings.
It describes a complicated web of interrelationships between various plants and animals.
The most massive part of the chant is a genealogy which enumerates thousands of ancestors of the Hawaiian royal family.

The Kumulipo is also available at this site in the 1951 translation of Martha Warren Beckwith, with comprehensive analysis and the complete Hawaiian text.
However Liliuokalani's version is of some historical significance.
The last Queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani was extremely literate, and steeped in Hawaiian tradition.
She was the author of the well-known Hawaiian anthem, Aloha 'Oe as well as a Hawaiian history book, Hawai'i's Story by Hawai'i's Queen.

Title Page

Introduction

The First Era

Second Era

The Third Era

The Fourth Era

The Fifth Era

The Sixth Era

The Seventh Era

The Eighth Era

The Ninth Era

The Tenth Era

The Eleventh Era

The Twelfth Era

A Branch of the Twelfth Era

The Fourteenth Era

The Fifteenth Era

The Sixteenth Era

Kalakaua And Liliuokalani's Genealogy

celestial intelligencer| celestial intelligencer
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