of Hawaiian Literature
Content, Goals, Requirements:
This course explores the foundations of Hawaiian literature, “mai ka pō mai” (from antiquity to the present) and “mai nā kūpuna mai” (from the ancestors to contemporary writers).
Texts will be primarily written in or translated into English. In part, we will
examine how “Ka Palapala” (literature) was established, looking first at its
oral roots, and then how it transitioned from solely oral and performative to
becoming interwoven and transmitted on paper. We will read and discuss
traditional genres of poetry (chant, song, and genealogy), moʻolelo or
“hi/story” (oral and written) and dance (choreographed poetry, or poetry in
motion) prior to foreign interference, and how that changed with the
introduction of ‘ike palapala (i.e. reading and writing) in the 1820s-1830s. We
will look at the transition from oral tradition to written literature, as well
as the shift from Hawaiian language to English, paying attention to both the
interplay between these factors, and how western influence has changed Hawaiian
literary expression. We will also study major and traditional genres such as
wahi pana (celebrated places), themes, such as pono (justice), kuleana
(responsibility and consequences), mālama ʻāina (importance of land), and aloha
no nā aliʻi (cherishing of the chiefs), and forms, such as moʻokūʻauhau and
koʻihonua (genealogies). Throughout, we will discuss how Hawaiian literature formed,
the importance of culture and how it has changed over time. In addition to reading, viewing, and
discussing the primary texts, we will also consider recent research pointing to
parallel concerns with those of other Indigenous writers comparative development
and perspectives such as other Oceanic and Native American literatures. While
the focus of study and discussion will revolve around the primary texts by
Kanaka Maoli writers, selected critical work from other cultures are relevant
in order to compare and understand similar processes underway in the cultural
translation of emerging literatures in other parts of Oceania and North
America.
Student Leaning Outcomes:
–familiarization with a
substantial range of Kanaka Maoli literary texts and an understanding of the
development of the field and major periods, authors, and genres;
–ability to identify and
apply indigenous literary theories and methodologies and engage in critical
discussion in reading and interpreting these texts;
–develop a more complex
understanding of the dynamics of cultural translation between the practices and
aesthetic concerns of traditional forms of oral and written expression and
those of contemporary western-based or western-influenced literature;
–demonstrate advanced
critical analysis in written and oral formats.
Assignments:
Regular written responses on
Laulima to assigned readings, an annotated bibliography, 2 short
research-based, written assignments, oral presentation on a text, final
research project, library research workshop.
Possible Texts (Tentative List):
Altiery, Mason. The Last Village in Kona.
Frazier, Frances, trans. The True Story of Kaluaiko‘olau.
Hale‘ole, S. N. Lā‘ieikawai, ed. by Dennis Kawaharada,
Richard Hamasaki.
Holt, John Dominis. Waimea Summer; On Being Hawaiian.
ho‘omanawanui, ku‘ualoha,
ed. ‘Ōiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal4.
ho‘omanawanui, ku‘ualoha. Voices of Fire: Reweaving the Literary Lei
of Pele and Hi‘iaka.
Kahakauwila, Kristina. This is Paradise: Stories.
Kaopio, Matthew. Written in the Sky.
King, Thomas. The Truth about Stories.
Kovach, Margaret. Indigenous Methodologies.
Warrior, Robert et. al. Reasoning Together.