HWST 270: Resources
Nā Puke (Books)
Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-Lore by
Call Number: GR110.H38 F67Fragments of Hawaiian History by
Call Number: DU407.I4Ka Poʻe Kahiko The People of Old by
Call Number: DU624.5 .K3Unwritten Literature of Hawaii: the sacred songs of the hula by
Call Number: PL6448 .E6 1965The Works of the People of Old Na Hana a ka Poʻe Kahiko by
Call Number: DU624.65 .K35
Hawaiian Legends Index
Search here to locate myths and legends indexed in 77 books.
ʻImi iā One Search (Searching in One Search)
Use Primo Guided Search to search for books and media (videos, DVDs & CDs) on your topic.
When searching in Primo or any other databases, it is important to find the appropriate keywords (and these can vary by database). Depending on your research topic, you may want to try different keywords to see what works best. To help get you started, below is a list of recommended keywords for researching legends about a specific akua (or kupua) or stories about a particular place.
Searching by Akua or Kupua
If you're looking for a specific akua or kupua, try keyword searching (trying various spellings)
There are a few akua you can search for by subject in Primo Search (see examples below). However, most akua are mentioned within more general texts, so doing a general keyword search is usually best.
Searching by Place/Geography
If searching for the legends of a particular place, use the following subject headings and the name of the place or island.
- Mythology
- Legends
- Folklore
- Cosmology
- Cosmogony
- Folk literature
- Origin
- Tales
- Oral tradition
- History
Remember to try different keywords and combinations of keywords in your searches to expand or narrow your results.
Ulukau: The Hawaiian Electronic Library
Ulukau.org includes digitized books on Hawaiian culture, history, and language.
The books in Ulukau are divided into 5 categories:
- Special Features
- Beginners
- Intermediate
- General
- Reference
Note: The Intermediate & General categories will probably be the most useful for your assignment.
ʻImi Nūpepa (Searching Newspapers)
Use the following databases to search for Hawaiian newspapers available online.
Papakilo Database - Search Newspapers
This is a digital collection of historic Hawaiian Newspapers. This collection contains 11,934 issues comprising 58,612 pages and 379,918 articles.
Kīpuka Database This is a geographical information system (GIS) that utilizes the latest mapping technologies to provide a window into native Hawaiian land, culture and history. A Help Tutorial is available to help you better navigate the database.
Hoʻolaupaʻi (nupepa.org) This is a collection of historic Hawaiian-language newspapers published between 1834 and 1948. The newspaper images can be retrieved by word search, title, or date.
Nā Puke Wehewehe (Dictionaries)
Use Hawaiian Dictionaries online to look up Hawaiian words.
Or, check out the following dictionaries from the Library:
Hawaiian Dictionary by
Call Number: PL6446 .P795 1991
Citing Sources
Citations can feel tedious sometimes but it is important to cite the sources you use in your research. Not to worry, there are resources to help you... Review the Citing Sources guide to get started with citation basics and style guides.