The first step in researching Hawaiian Mythology is looking for books that have been written about your chosen topic. Luckily, we have an excellent online index called the Hawaiian Legends Index that can help you find all kinds of books about your topic.
To begin:
1. Go to the online Hawaiian Legends Index
2. If you know your topic, start with a "subject search"
3. If you don't know your topic, start with a "subject browse"
The library also has a printed version of the Hawaiian Legends Index.
This is the opening page of the book, Ka Mo'olelo o Lā'ieikawai by S.N. Haleole published in 1863. This book is very important for Hawaiian myths and legends because it had the first legend ever published in a book. In this "olelo hoakaka" or introduction, the author Haleole writes how excited he was to publish this book, the first of its kind for Hawaiians, about Hawaiians, and by Hawaiians. This book radically transformed the publishing landscape of Hawaiian myths and legends, opening the doors for more Hawaiian Legends to be published in books and in periodicals.
Photo credit: Kapena Shim
Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-Lore
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Hawaiian Historical Legends
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Legends of Hawaii
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Nanaue the Shark Man and Other Hawaiian Shark Stories
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Pele and Hiiaka: A Myth from Hawaii
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The Water of Kane
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Hawaiian Dictionary
Hawaiian Legends in English: An Annotated Bibliography
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Ka Mo'olelo o La'ieikawai
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Legendary Hawai'i and the Politics of Place: Tradition, Translation, and Tourism
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Handbook of Polynesian Mythology
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Voices on the wind: Polynesian myths and chants
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Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology
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Windward Community College Library
