The epic tale of Hi‘iakaikapoliopele

In an effort to raise the awareness of the Hawaiian indigenous literary tradition, the Awaiaulu Literature Project has donated “The Epic Tale of Hi‘iakaikapoliopele,” a dual Hawaiian/English language set, to libraries in every state and continent around the world.

Project director Puakea Nogelmeier’s goal was to make resources on Hawai‘i — which were dense in content and beautiful in form — available to everyone. He accomplishes this through his captivating narration and profound cultural knowledge highlighting Hi‘iaka’s role as a healer, a source of inspiration, and icon of the hula traditions. This set embodies the classic stories, chants and dances of Pele, Hi‘iaka, Kane and Ku. 

You can view these dual Hawaiian/English language sets at HPU Libraries.

To learn more about this amazing literary initiative, check out: The Honolulu Star-Advertiser story (subscription required) and Awaiaulu's site