ʻUʻuku ka Uku ke ʻUʻu Ka ʻUku: Researching and Writing the "Great Hawaiian Novel"

• In Event: Accepting Educational Responsibility: Reaffirming the Roles of Indigenous Languages and Practices

Abstract

This paper will present excerpts from my novel (a work in progress) that examine some of the elements that I believe constitute a Hawaiian novel. As noted above, these elements include
• the narrator/storyteller speaking directly to the reader in the first person,
• a focus on culturally relevant detail as opposed to heavy description of meaningless aspects of the context that are not information germane to the uncovering of the mystery,
• repetitive mention of important information that might be considered redundant from an English perspective,
• proverbial expressions (both traditional and newly coined) that appear in the dialogue and have unveil important information, and
• the use of passive constructions common in Hawaiian stories of the past.

Author

• Kerry Laiana Wong, University of Hawaii - Manoa