Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 6, 1 June 2006 — Ka Moolelo Hawaii: The History of Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka Moolelo Hawaii: The History of Hawaiʻi

By students of Lahainaluna Seminary Edited by Rev. Sheldon Dibble Hawaiian Historical Society; soft cover $30; clothbound $60

Ka Moolelo Hawaii: The History of Hawai'i is a facsimile reprint of the first history of Hawai'i written in Hawaiian. The original/sTa Moolelo Hawaii, printed in 1838, was authored by ten students at Lahainaluna Seminary, the most notable of whom was historian David Malo, then 43 years old. The students gathered oral histories from elders and chiefs, then their instructor, Rev. Sheldon Dibble, compiled and edited the texts into a single history, whieh included a biography of Kamehameha and details of the sandalwood trade. Ka Moolelo Hawaii was translated into English several times, and Malo expanded on it in the 1840s with his own book of the same title. While some scholars criticize Ka Moolelo Hawaii for bearing missionary biases, others appreciate it its historical significance.