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The Water of Kane: And Other Legends of the Hawaiian Islands
Book by Pukui, Mary K., Curtis, Caroline
213 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2019
Mary Kawena Puku'i deserves an incredible amount of credit as a lexicographer and folklorist for the Hawaiian language in the dark days between the fall of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s when the language was nearing death as a living tongue. In this particular book she collected a number of pre-contact folk tales from her own oral heritage and that which was previously published in Hawaiian newspapers in the 1800s with the authorial assistance of the children's writer Caroline Curtis.
The tales are written for a young adult audience, slightly older than the companion book "Tales of the Menehune", and are selected to appeal to that age group with stories of adventure and romance each in its own turn. While aimed at young adults, it's still very readable to a grown audience, and given it's publisher it's likely to be a bit more available for purchase than other more complete and unexpurgated collections of Hawaiian mythology (which I don't recommend for children or teens due to adult themes and sexual content). I would not rely on this as a guide to or in depth discussion on Hawaiian mythology, culture or folklore, but it does not aspire to be, it's a collection of illustrated tales to be read as is.
Four out of Five stars
The tales are written for a young adult audience, slightly older than the companion book "Tales of the Menehune", and are selected to appeal to that age group with stories of adventure and romance each in its own turn. While aimed at young adults, it's still very readable to a grown audience, and given it's publisher it's likely to be a bit more available for purchase than other more complete and unexpurgated collections of Hawaiian mythology (which I don't recommend for children or teens due to adult themes and sexual content). I would not rely on this as a guide to or in depth discussion on Hawaiian mythology, culture or folklore, but it does not aspire to be, it's a collection of illustrated tales to be read as is.
Four out of Five stars
September 18, 2022
A nice, well-told set of stories and Hawaiian folktales. I grew up reading Greek and Norse mythologies, so it was fun to find a small window into another culture through these stories.
December 9, 2015
The rich legendry of the Hawaiian Islands is charming and easy to get swept up in. Gods, Heroes, Love, and Magic. It is nice to read a retelling of oral traditions that is not steeped in grim themes of strife and bloodshed. This is folklore that makes you wish you shared a piece of this rich cultural heritage.
February 12, 2013
This is good, but not as good or as well written as The Legends and Myths of Hawai'i.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews