The Kumulipo

by Liliuokalani

The Kumulipo (1897) is a traditional chant translated by Lili‘uokalani. Published in 1897, the translation was written in the aftermath of Lili‘uokalani’s attempt to appeal on behalf of her people to President Grover Cleveland, a personal friend. Although she inspired Cleveland to demand her reinstatement, the United States Congress published the Morgan Report in 1894, which denied U.S. involvement in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Kumulipo , written during the Queen’s imprisonment in Iolani Palace, is a genealogical and historical epic that describes the creation of the cosmos and the emergence of humans, plants, and animals from “the slime which established the earth.” “At the time that turned the heat of the earth, / At the time when the heavens turned and changed, / At the time when the light of the sun was subdued / To cause light to break forth, / At the time of the night of Makalii (winter) / Then began the slime which established the earth, / The source of deepest darkness.” Traditionally recited during the makahiki season to celebrate the god Lono, the chant was passed down through Hawaiian oral tradition and contains the history of their people and the emergence of life from chaos. A testament to Lili‘uokalani’s intellect and skill as a poet and songwriter, her translation of The Kumulipo is also an artifact of colonization, produced while the Queen was living in captivity in her own palace. Although her attempt to advocate for Hawaiian sovereignty and the restoration of the monarchy was unsuccessful, Lili‘uokalani, Hawaii’s first and only queen, has been recognized as a beloved monarch who never stopped fighting for the rights of her people. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lili‘uokalani’s The Kumulipo is a classic of Hawaiian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2021

About the author

From 1891, Lydia Kamakaeha Paki Liliuokalani ruled and governed as the last queen of the Hawaiian Islands to 1893.

Liliʻuokalani was born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha. She reigned as the last monarch and only regnant of the kingdom. She was also known as Lydia Kamakaʻeha Pākī, with the chosen royal name of Liliʻuokalani, and her married name was Lydia K. Dominis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili%CA...

Reviews

[vdspreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend reading this with the lecture that Lilikalā Kame`eleihiaw & Hironui Bouit.

https://youtu.be/iXnale7Lqo8?si=8q4qG...

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating introduction to Hawaiian history and lore! The editor provides enough background information to facilitate the fuller understanding of Queen Liliuokalani’s own Introduction to her translation of this creation story. According to Liliuokalani, “connecting the earlier kings of ancient history with the monarchs latest upon the throne this chant is a contribution to the history of the Hawaiian Islands, and it is the only record of its kind in existence it seemed to me worthy of preservation in convenient form” (p. 12). Her preservation efforts took on even greater importance given that the work was completed while she was a political prisoner of the U.S. government, held under house arrest in her own palace after she wrested power from American businessmen and confiscated their large plantations on the islands in a bold, last-ditch exercise of Hawaiian sovereignty.

The text itself is difficult, given the numerous vowels of the multisyllabic Hawaiian words, but sung as a chant by native speakers this creation story would probably sound like ocean waves rhythmically washing upon the shores of the Hawaiian people’s beloved Papahānaumokuākea.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this version of The Kumolipo while sitting under a framed picture of Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha, Queen Liliʻuokalani, while in Pink’s Champagne Bar on the Pride of America on a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. And that sentence sums up the bizarre experience of learning about Hawaii from Norwegian cruisers! I highlighted so many lines because I had no background as to how Hawaiians conceptualized their own history and culture, who they were and where they came from. To read this version, snippets perhaps from a larger text, I’m not sure, is to be immersed in the past while also in the present moment for Lili’uokalani, imprisoned with the lives of her people and her nation in the balance. And she writes. The shivers for all of this.