Epic Of Kawelo Available In Bookstores Now

The story of a larger-than-life historical figure is now captured in Bishop Museum Press’s latest Hawaiian language release, “Ka Mo‘olelo Hiwahiwa o Kawelo, The Legendary Epic of Kawelo.”

Told by Ho‘olumāhiehie and edited by contemporary Native Hawaiian scholar Hiapo Perreira, this work examines Kawelo’s adventures as a youngster up to his battle for rule of the island of Kaua‘i.  Ho‘oulumāhiehie masterfully weaves ha‘ako‘iko‘i (formal) and kauhale (informal) styles of langauge, utilizing oratorical expressions, exhaustive explanations, precise terminology, and conventional discourse - an addition to the corpus of Kawelo literature that is unparalleled in scope, depth, and literary artistry.

This book joins several other recent and forthcoming Hawaiian language publications that draw on and interpret materials from the Hawaiian language newspaper archives in an effort to forward this important work. In his introduction to Kawelo, Perreira identifies both the challenge and the promise inherent in this endeavor:

“Whenever engaged in some kind of cultural discourse about this practice or that, a conscious and genuine effort should be made to realize the actual attributes that embody a specific practice as Hawaiian. How can that be accomplished? By immersing one’s self day by day in the enormous wealth of Hawaiian literature it allows one to become more acquainted with the trains of thought that form a traditional Hawaiian perspective.”

Ka Mo‘olelo Hiwahiwa o Kawelo
Ho‘oulumāhiehie; edited by Hiapokeikikāne Kichie Perreira
444 pages
Hardcover Edition $24.95
Softcover Edition $14.95

Ka Mo‘olelo Hiwahiwa o Kawelo is the latest volume in the “Legacy of Excellence” series produced through the Bishop Museum’s Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program (NHCAP), which is devoted to generating an appreciation of Native Hawaiian traditions, art and laguage.

Ka Mo‘olelo Hiwahiwa o Kawelo is now available at Bishop Museum’s Shop Pacifica and other fine booksellers throughout the islands.  For information on all of Bishop Press publications, please visit http://www.bishopmuseum.org/press or call 847-3511.  Bishop Museum Press is Hawai‘i’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere.

-pau-