This is a collection of stories from ancient Hawai'i collected by Fornander and Thrum. If you are familiar with Hawaiian stories, some will be familiar, like the prowess of Maui and his brothers, and the story of the giant pig god, Kamapua'a. Journey around O'ahu through these ancient stories.
My thoughts:
This book is similar to the book on fishing traditions in that some of the characters are the same, like 'Ai'ai, who went around the islands and taught people to fish and maintain a healthy stock of fish.
As someone born and raised on O'ahu, I'm familiar with many of the places, but the old stories, like the story of Kamapua'a and the story of the cannibal king, as well as the siblings who ran away from an evil step mother and created the springs at Punahou make this island feel magical, and sacred, as if despite the concrete and freeway noise, the old ones still breathe in this wahi pana (sacred place).
University of Hawaii Press/140 pages/2nd edition (2002)
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