Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 7, 1 July 1988 — Book Review [ARTICLE]

Book Review

Hawaiian Myths of Earth, Sea and Sky By Vivian L. Thompson Uniuersify of Hawaii Press $8.50 paperback This is a republication of the 1966 edition by the author. It is a eolleehon of traditional myths re-told for children. There are some fine illustrations. However, in light of today's understanding and awareness of Hawaiian culture this book falls very short of answering the needs of teaching that eulture. The text still retains the old spelling and name explanations whieh were used in the 1960s, such as Mo-o instead of Mo'o or Great-Stone-Man instead of the Hawaiian name. As the proper spelling and greater appreciation of Hawaiian culture is being taught in the schools, cultural groups and other learning centers, this type of re-printing serves very little purposes if it is not updated to reflect the changes that have occurred in the Hawaiian eommunity. The telling of traditional stories and myths is extremely important for younger people to leam and know. The tales re-told by Caroline Curtis through the Kamehameha Press in the early 1960s like this book were important sources for youngsters to leam from, especially when read to them. But times have changed and it is becoming more evident that the inclusion, not the exclusion, of Hawaiian language is required for cultural transmission to younger people. Otherwise these texts would not serve the Hawaiian people, whose traditions these belong to. — Maleolm Naea Chun