The
Hawaiian Chant of Creation
This is the begining of the two thousand line creation chant called
Kumulipo. The Kumulipo is the sacred creation chant of a family of
Hawaiian ali'i, or ruling chiefs. When Captain James Cook first landed
at Kealakekua, Hawaii he was greeted with food, water, and at a ceremony
this chant was recited by two Hawaiian kahuna. In later years Queen
Liliuokalani identified this chant as a cosmogonic and genealogical
prayer, the Kumulipo. This prayer chant, which belonged to her family,
traced the family's divine origin by genealogical pairs through great
rulers, heroes, and primary gods back to the first spark of life in
the
universe
HE KUMULIPO
NO KA'I'IMAMAO
A IA ALAPAI WAHINE
O ke au i kahuli wela ka honua
O ke au i kahuli lole ka lani
O ke au i kuka'iaka ka la
E ho'omalamalama i ka la
O ke au i Makali'i ka po
O ka Walewale ho'okumu honua ia
O ke kumu o ka lipo
O ke kumu o ka Po i po ai
O ka Lipolipo, o ka lipolipo
O ka lipo o ka La, o ka lipo o ka Po
Po wale ho-i
At the time that turned the heat of
the earth
At the time that the heavens turned
and changed
At the time that the light of the sun
was subdued
To cause light to break forth
At the time of the night of Makali'i
Then began the slime which established
the earth
The source of deepest darkness
Of the depths of darkness, of the depths
of darkness
Of the darkness of the sun, in the
depth of night, It is night
So night is born.
More on the Kumulipo can be found in Honua Books. "The
Kumulipo: A
Hawaiian
Creation Chant" by Martha Beckwith is an excellant source and a
must read if you are trying to unravel the mysteries of creation from
the Hawaiian point of view.
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