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Ancient Hawaiian Civilization: A Series of Lectures Delivered at the Kamehameha Schools
Ancient Hawaiian Civilization takes us back to Hawaii's stone age, when there wasn't an alphabet, numbering system, or other civilized distinctions as we know them. Still rules of living, modes, and customs permitted large numbers of people to live healthfully and happily throughout the islands.This fascinating history of Hawaii is must reading for anyone who has been, wants to go, or lives in America 's 50th State. This book authoritatively introduces the general reader to what was once a golden era of Hawaiian history and culture, the time when the islands were strictly Hawaiian Hawaii. Though the islands are almost completely westernized today, many facets from this golden age remain to make America's 50th State a living laboratory for the cultural and social study of racial migration and assimilation. This volume represents the knowledge and experience of no less than 16 scholars.The combined areas of specialization by no less than 16 authors have been carefully selected and grouped to make up this volume. Together, the authors comprise a truly formidable forum of Hawaiian thought and learning. Ethnologists, geologists, zoologists, and medical doctors are but a few of the areas of specialization represented in these pages.
- GenresHistory
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 1989
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April 30, 2025
This book didn't live up to its promise. some chapters were better than others - what I don't understand is why they didn't update / replace chapters they knew to be wrong or which perpetuate outdated, incorrect information.
They point out in the preface that the chapter on religion contains material blatantly made up (the concept of a one true god that was kept secret by the kahunas) and yet they keep that info, without inline commentary, in the main text. If you know it's wrong, but for some reason think it worth preserving the original text, use footnotes!
These kinds of things make it hard to trust the content of the book, and that's before you try to suss out the historical motives and biases of the material that remains. How very convenient that the chapter on land rights points out that the native Hawaiians were screwed by a system they didn't understand, without also highlighting who pressured that system into existence and who took advantage of it.
There was also a little too much of "well we don't know, but here's how another Polynesian culture does it". Don't get me wrong, I love learning about my Polynesian peers, comparison is fine. But there was like a whole chapter on ceremony, I think, that said "we don't know anything about what Hawaiians did or had" then proceeds to show what other Polynesians did, and they're all so widely different or in complete anthesis to one another - its a book for kids, at least explicitly conclude that there appears to be a wide range and no common ground in this particular topic.
Anyway, this book just makes me wish modern experts would create a new book with the breadth of topics covered, so I could point to that as a reference.
They point out in the preface that the chapter on religion contains material blatantly made up (the concept of a one true god that was kept secret by the kahunas) and yet they keep that info, without inline commentary, in the main text. If you know it's wrong, but for some reason think it worth preserving the original text, use footnotes!
These kinds of things make it hard to trust the content of the book, and that's before you try to suss out the historical motives and biases of the material that remains. How very convenient that the chapter on land rights points out that the native Hawaiians were screwed by a system they didn't understand, without also highlighting who pressured that system into existence and who took advantage of it.
There was also a little too much of "well we don't know, but here's how another Polynesian culture does it". Don't get me wrong, I love learning about my Polynesian peers, comparison is fine. But there was like a whole chapter on ceremony, I think, that said "we don't know anything about what Hawaiians did or had" then proceeds to show what other Polynesians did, and they're all so widely different or in complete anthesis to one another - its a book for kids, at least explicitly conclude that there appears to be a wide range and no common ground in this particular topic.
Anyway, this book just makes me wish modern experts would create a new book with the breadth of topics covered, so I could point to that as a reference.
Displaying 1 of 1 review