Voices of Fire

Reweaving the Literary Lei of Pele and Hi’iaka

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Native American, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Discrimination & Race Relations
Cover of the book Voices of Fire by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui, University of Minnesota Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui ISBN: 9781452941219
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Publication: May 1, 2014
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press Language: English
Author: ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
ISBN: 9781452941219
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Publication: May 1, 2014
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press
Language: English

Stories of the volcano goddess Pele and her youngest sister Hi‘iaka, patron of hula, are most familiar as a form of literary colonialism—first translated by missionary descendants and others, then co-opted by Hollywood and the tourist industry. But far from quaint tales for amusement, the Pele and Hi‘iaka literature published between the 1860s and 1930 carried coded political meaning for the Hawaiian people at a time of great upheaval. Voices of Fire recovers the lost and often-suppressed significance of this literature, restoring it to its primary place in Hawaiian culture.

Ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui takes up mo‘olelo (histories, stories, narratives), mele (poetry, songs), oli (chants), and hula (dances) as they were conveyed by dozens of authors over a tumultuous sixty-eight-year period characterized by population collapse, land alienation, economic exploitation, and military occupation. Her examination shows how the Pele and Hi‘iaka legends acted as a framework for a Native sense of community. Freeing the mo‘olelo and mele from colonial stereotypes and misappropriations, Voices of Fire establishes a literary mo‘okū‘auhau, or genealogy, that provides a view of the ancestral literature in its indigenous contexts.

The first book-length analysis of Pele and Hi‘iaka literature written by a Native Hawaiian scholar, Voices of Fire compellingly lays the groundwork for a larger conversation of Native American literary nationalism.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Stories of the volcano goddess Pele and her youngest sister Hi‘iaka, patron of hula, are most familiar as a form of literary colonialism—first translated by missionary descendants and others, then co-opted by Hollywood and the tourist industry. But far from quaint tales for amusement, the Pele and Hi‘iaka literature published between the 1860s and 1930 carried coded political meaning for the Hawaiian people at a time of great upheaval. Voices of Fire recovers the lost and often-suppressed significance of this literature, restoring it to its primary place in Hawaiian culture.

Ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui takes up mo‘olelo (histories, stories, narratives), mele (poetry, songs), oli (chants), and hula (dances) as they were conveyed by dozens of authors over a tumultuous sixty-eight-year period characterized by population collapse, land alienation, economic exploitation, and military occupation. Her examination shows how the Pele and Hi‘iaka legends acted as a framework for a Native sense of community. Freeing the mo‘olelo and mele from colonial stereotypes and misappropriations, Voices of Fire establishes a literary mo‘okū‘auhau, or genealogy, that provides a view of the ancestral literature in its indigenous contexts.

The first book-length analysis of Pele and Hi‘iaka literature written by a Native Hawaiian scholar, Voices of Fire compellingly lays the groundwork for a larger conversation of Native American literary nationalism.

More books from University of Minnesota Press

Cover of the book Program Earth by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book The Fall of the King by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Mothers United by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Bronze Screen by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Everybody's Heard about the Bird by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Blackwater Ben by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Creole Indigeneity by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book The Crusade for Forgotten Souls by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book The Right to Be Cold by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Loving Animals by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Superhumanity by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Desis Divided by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book A Measure of Success by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Lewd Looks by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
Cover of the book Sex and Harm in the Age of Consent by ku'ualoha ho'omanawanui
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy