ʻO ka lipo o ka lā, ʻo ka lipo o ka pō : cosmogonic kaona in contemporary Kanaka Maoli literature

Abstract

Our creation mo'olelo (literature and histories) and moʻokūʻauhau (genealogies) are more than stories explaining Kanaka Maoli perspectives on the creation of the universe, our islands and humankind; rather, they record knowledge and a deep history to which only Kānaka Maoli, the indigenous people of this land, can lay claim. Through contemporary kaona references, these moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau continue to teach important cultural values and theories, to guide us and offer lessons that can be applied within our present colonial context. The scope of this dissertation is to examine how contemporary Kanaka Maoli literature employs kaona references to our creation mo'olelo and mo'okū'auhau. While there are several moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau that can be considered cosmogonic, or depicting creation, I focus on the three that are referenced most often in our contemporary literature--the Kumulipo, the moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau of Papa and Wākea, and the moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau of Pele and Hiʻiaka. Following historical and cultural background for these moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau, I offer critical literary analyses of selected works by contemporary Kanaka Maoli writers. Specifically, I examine works by John Dominis Holt, Imaikalani Kalahele, Sage Uʻilani Takehiro, and Jamaica Osorio for their kaona references to the Kumulipo; works by Victoria Nālani Kneubuhl, Māhealani Perez-Wendt, Matthew Kaopio, Kent Kekoa Sentinella, and Kai Gaspar for their kaona references to the moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau of Papa and Wākea; and the poetry of Haunani-Kay Trask for her kaona references to the moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau of Pele and Hiʻiaka. In selecting these various writers and their works, I intend to highlight the diversity of styles, genres and lifestyles of contemporary Kanaka Maoli literature and the complexity with which our contemporary writers create their works and insist on Kanaka Maoli identity and sovereignty within the colonized space. This dissertation concludes by emphasizing the strong political and pedagogical value of these cosmogonic moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau, as is evident through the many instances of contemporary kaona references I examine. I assert that these moʻolelo and moʻokūʻauhau they may guide us as strong theories for decolonization, articulating distinctly Kanaka Maoli perspectives of native governance, indigeneity and resistance.