Ke Aloha Aina: Heaha Ia? Mapping Philosophy In Moʻolelo

Abstract

Prior to European incursion the Indigenous archive of the Kanaka ʻŌiwi, moʻolelo was stored in neurons and naʻau, shared and passed from one generation to the next aurally and orally. Aloha ʻĀina, an Indigenous philosophy is embedded within this archive. Aware of efforts to hoʻohaole the populace and thereby reduce the perceived value of moʻolelo, Hawaiʻi ʻImiloa of the 19th and early 20th centuries fervently published moʻolelo in nūpepa in order to preserve these wondrous narratives as a resource for future generations. Understanding instead to hoʻohawaiʻi one must follow the alanui maʻa i ka hele ʻia o ko kākou mau kūpuna, this research utilizes a methodology inspired by the writings of the kūpuna who recorded these moʻolelo. This project seeks to once again breathe life into their written words so that we, the Kanaka ʻŌiwi of the present, can gain a better understanding of Aloha ʻĀina through the careful study of moʻolelo. This dissertation demonstrates the effectiveness of that methodology and records aspects of Aloha ʻĀina which are educationally relevant.