He aha la ka moʻolelo ʻŌiwi? He mea Hawaiʻi ʻoiaʻiʻo? He aha ka ʻono a nā mea waiwai o nā moʻolelo? No ke aha mākou e mālama? ʻO wai nā mea kākau kaulana, a i aloha ʻia?
What is Hawaiian literature? Is it truly a Hawaiian thing? What is the delicious and rich elements of the literature? Why should we care? Who are the famous and beloved writers?
These are just a few questions we’ll consider and reflect on throughout this course. Since western concepts of literacy were first introduced to Hawaiʻi in the early nineteenth century, Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Hawaiians) have continually engaged in and celebrated the development and production of moʻolelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian literary arts. Hawaiian literature is born from oral cultural practices such as the composition and performance of moʻokūʻauhau (genealogies), mele (chant, song, and other poetry), and moʻolelo (prose narratives). Hawaiian literature is more than personal expression—it documents history, cultural practices, world views, imagination, the vibrancy and diversity of Hawaiian culture, encounters with colonialism, grappling with settler colonialism, as well as aloha ʻāina—cultural, political, and social activism. Moreover, Hawaiian literature was one of the few forms of artistic representation in which Kanaka ʻŌiwi could communicate with each other during a time when oppressive missionary-imposed laws forbade hula, and public discourse in the newspapers were censored. From the mid-19th to mid-20th century, Hawaiian literature—especially literature published in the Hawaiian language newspapers—were the political messengers of the time, subtly conveying messages of resistance to a savvy native publication through the revered practice of kaona (underlying metaphorical messages).
This course explores selected works of Hawaiian literature within cultural, socio-political, historical, and literary contexts. Texts are primarily written in or translated into English, so no prior experience with Hawaiian language is required for this course, although students with such background are more than welcome to utilize it. We will examine the diversity of literary themes across traditional genres, such as mele (chant, poetry) as well as look at the transition from oral tradition to written literature alongside the shift from Hawaiian language to HCE (Hawaiʻi Creole English) and English. We will also study major and traditional themes, such as mālama and aloha ‘āina (importance of land), and forms, such as mo‘okū‘auhau and ko‘ihonua (genealogies). In addition, we will discuss how Hawaiian literature formed and how it has changed over time.
The goals of the course are to familiarize students with a range of literary work by Kanaka ʻŌiwi writers across the generations, and learn to read these texts as cultural, political, and historical productions as well as literary texts; to identify and apply indigenous and other critical theories to the reading of these texts; and to develop a more complex understandings of the dynamics of cultural translation between the practices and aesthetic concerns of Hawaiian literature in conversation with Pacific and other literatures.
NOTE: This course has an OC (oral communication) Focus designation, and fulfills the English major historical breadth requirement for 1700-1898.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Regular attendance and class participation through discussions and in-class assignments; hoʻolauna (verbal introduction of self to class); lead a class discussion on an assigned reading (LCDR); an oral group (panel) presentation; “experience art” by attending at least one poetry reading, play, performance, or talk during the semester that is relevant to this course and write or record a response to that experience; attend a library research workshop and create a “Mana Moʻolelo” digital humanities project entry; quizzes on reading, a final project and project presentation.
POSSIBLE TEXTS:
Baker, Hailiʻōpua. “My Boy He Play Ball” (2015)
Brown, Marie Alohalani. Ka Poʻe Moʻo Akua, Hawaiian Reptilian Deities (2022)
Kahakuwila, Kristiana. This is Paradise: Short Stories (2013)
Kaʻōpio, Matthew Kaleialiʻi. Written in the Sky (2005)
Maunakea, Malia. Lei and the Fire Goddess (2023)
Other readings and handouts will be posted on Laulima.