Mele Koihonua: A Hawaiian Epistemology

• In Event: Indigenous Self-Determination and the Power of Educational Research

Abstract

Mo`oleo (historical accounts), especially those cosmogonic in nature, form the foundation for a Kanaka (Native Hawaiian) geography, illuminating the genealogical connection that Kānaka (Native Hawaiians) share with the `āina (land; that which feeds). Mele ko`ihonua (cosmogonic genealogies) are crucial to understanding a Kanaka worldview, and through these cosmogonic genealogies we learn of the formation of the `āina, the first living organisms, and the birth of the akua (gods) and the people. These oral traditions are historical accounts that provide modern scholars with insights regarding traditional culture, thereby revealing the connection that Kānaka living in traditional times had with their environment.

Author

• Katrina-Ann R. Kapā‘anaokalāokeola Oliveira, University of Hawaii - Manoa