Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 12, 1 December 1989 — Book Review [ARTICLE]

Book Review

By Keone Nunes

The sub-title to "The Water of Life" is "A Jungian Journey Through Hawaiian Myth." Although I am not a student of Jungian philosophy I do know Hawaiian myths, I've read Hawaiian myths, I've worked with Hawaiian myths. Believe me, this is not a book on Hawaiian myths. There are several things about the book that disturb me. First, the interpretations and compari-

sons between the Hawaiian stories and Jungian philosophy are based on English translations of the stories. Interpretation from one language to another is a difficult task in itself , but to base one's arguments on someone else's interpretation is dangerous. The author should have looked at the original stories in the Hawaiian language to get an idea of the true meaning of the story. Many