The Kumulipo: Hawaiian Creation Chant
The Kumulipo is the sacred Hawaiian creation chant, a genealogical epic tracing the universe from its primordial origins. It begins in total darkness (Po) with the birth of coral, seaweed, and the first sea creatures. The chant follows the emergence of life from ocean to land, from the humblest plants to animals and finally humans. The chant connects the Hawaiian chiefly lineage directly to the gods, establishing mana through unbroken descent from the primal darkness. The Kumulipo was famously chanted in full at the birth of Kamehameha the Great, and later translated by Queen Liliuokalani. It