The Kumulipo: A Hawaiian Creation Chant

THE Kalakaua text of the Hawaiian genealogical prayer chant known as the "Kumulipo" fills sixty-six pages of a small pamphlet printed in Honolulu in 1889 after a manuscript copy that was then in the ruling King Kalakaua's possession but is now owned by the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. It was given to the Bishop Museum in 1922 from the estate of Prince Kalanianaole, a nephew of the former rulers. The conditions under which the chant is said to have been written and chanted in the past are described in a prose note that is attached to the text and is two pages long. The prose annotation is taken directly from the text, with the exception of the third paragraph, which discusses the connection between the chant and the line of governing chiefs that the Hawaiian monarchy of that era claimed descended from.