Hawaiian Folklore
When I think of Hawaii the first thing that comes to mind are hula skirts, luaus, and tikis, but there is so much more to Hawaiian folklore than that. As I researched Hawaiian folklore, I grew a fonder interest for Hawaiian culture. Hawaii has always been my ideal vacation spot, but now I feel as though visiting Hawaii for all the culture would be amazing. As a child, I watched plenty of shows that portrayed Hawaiians as superstitious, storytelling people. As I did the research for this assignment, I read so many folk tales, legends, and superstitions; as I went through this course, I also realized that all cultures have a great deal of folklore. My Hispanic culture probably has just as much folklore as any other culture. Researching Hawaiian folklore, gave me so much information and like you said, it is too much to include in this paper. The three main types of folklore that I enjoyed the most, which I will discuss below, are the legends, music, and folk medicine.
The first type of Hawaiian folklore that I would like to discuss, are legends. Sandy Schlosser, a well-known folklorist, gives her own version of many legends. One of the Hawaiian legends retold by Schlosser that I found very interesting, was the tale of “The King of Sharks”. Schlosser’s retelling of “The King of Sharks” went something like this; One day the king of the sharks saw a beautiful human girl by the shore and fell in love with her. He then changed himself into human form in order to approach the girl in the village. He dressed up as a chief using the traditional feather cape. The people of the village were excited to see a chief visiting their village. They had a feast and the king of the sharks decided to ask the human girl to marry him....
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...r education about healing and medicine. Once a person was ill and was ready to see a practitioner, they would travel to one of the specified healing spots. Hawaiians believed that the mind and body are in-sync which meant that both parts of a human being had to get treated in order to be completely healed. Once an ill person arrived to the healing spots, they underwent a great amount of prayers to cleanse the body and mind of anything negative before beginning any type of medicinal practice. These kinds of treatments still take place in current times in centers like the Hawaiian Health Care Center (Native Hawaiian Healing). I personally believe strongly in education and the Hawaiians did too. This quality of Hawaiian folk medicine is something that is respectable, because they think highly of education. In some ancient cultures, there is no respect for education.
Captain James Cook and his crew came to Hawaii in 1778. Bringing along many diseases such as, syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis.(Blaisdell, p.44) Native Hawaiians were not immune to these diseases, they were unable to be cured therefore died and a massive depopulation occurred. An estimated 500,000 Hawaiians were living in Hawaii before Western Contact, and in 1878 less than 45,000 Hawaiians remained.(Trask, p.10). With the rapid decrease of Hawaiians, also came the fact that their culture was in danger.
It is important to consider that the Hmong had their own way of spiritual beliefs and religious healing practices. However, after the community decided to exclude Lia from the applications and advantages of modern medicine, the condition of the young girl worsened (Parish, 2004, p. 131). It was not at all wrong to humanize medicine, but apparently, as a multi-cultural community, the Hmong people became too ignorant and indignant over the applications and benefits of modern medicine applications. Staying firm over their religious affiliations and conduct, the maximum effect of healing became misaligned and ineffective. This was the misunderstanding that should be cleared in the story. There would have been probable results if the Hmong community chose to collaborate with the modern society without needing to disregard or compromise their own values and religious affiliations and
Scientists have recently discovered links to the Kiowa and Aztec religions. For example both tribes worshiped a stone image, Taimay, and both tribes followed a pictographic calendar. The language that the Kiowa spoke can be traced back to the Uto-Aztecan language like Latin and English. The Kiowa languages also have connections to the Bannocks, Comanche’s, Paragons, Paiutes, Pima, Shoshones, and Utes. The Kiowa and Aztec preformed many dances of praise including the Sun Dance. However, the Kiowa also had many unique dances including the Scalp, Corning, Feather, and Ghost praising nature and life. Each dance was preformed to celebrate different achievements. For example, the scalp dance was preformed when men returned ...
When comparing the healing philosophy that underpins healing practices of the indigenous tribes it’s evident that all cultures share similar beliefs.
The Laguna Pueblo tradition of storytelling doesn 't just create a shared culture for the members of the community. Sharing stories also develop the idea of the community to include previous generations and the natural world around them.
By analyzing the Kawaiisu, a Great Basin Native tribe, I want to explore cultural wonders and observe their society as I compare an aspect of interest with that of another culture in the world, the Chuuk. Comparing different societies of the world will allow me to successfully learn about the Kawaiisu people in a more detailed and open minded manner. Populations all around the world throughout time have had different views and traditions of beliefs. Through this project, I hope to unravel and gain an understanding of different perspectives and ways of life.
Gilbert Wergowske, P. L. (2001, October 1). Health and Health Care of Elders from Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Backgrounds. Retrieved April 26, 2014, from Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics: http://www.stanford.edu/group/ethnoger/
This section will give provide a detailed look into native Taino people and how their culture impacted their spirituality, health, medicine, etc. This section will also go into how European invasion introduced organized religion and medicine to the Taino people. The male chiefs called caciques who got advice from healers/priests called boutiques governed Taino society. The bouquets were usually extolled for the healing powers and ability to speak with then gods. Therefore, when there was a severe illness, people looked for them for help. Moreover, the indigenous people relied heavily on traditional herbs to treat different diseases in the
Religious ceremonies, sorcery, and myths are all prevalent in traditional Hopi culture. These ceremonies are believed to produce rainfall, promote fertility, bring luck in hunting and warfare, or assist the sun in moving from winter to the summer (Brandt, 1954: 18). The Hopi also believe in the supernatural and in afterlife. They have sorcerers who are said to have two hearts, one derived from an animal, which gives them powers, and the other a human heart. Myths are reality to the Hopi; they are both spiritual and practical. (Brandt, 1954: 32)
Illness was treated in many ways but the main goal was to achieve a sense of balance and harmony.(p82). Applications of herbs and roots, spiritual intervention, and community wide ritual and ceremonies were all therapeutic practices.(p71). “It was the healer who held the keys to the supernatural and natural worlds and who interpreted signs, diagnosed disease and provided medicines from the grassland, woodland, and parkland pharmacopoeia.”(p18). The healers knowledge of herbs and roots and ways to administer and diagnose had been passed down from generation to generation.(p85). Healers stood as an advantage for the Aboriginal people. “Trust and a personal relationships would naturally build between the patient and the healer.”(p77). This must have ...
Native American oral tradition are stories that are passed down from generation to generation. Instead of being written down, they are transmitted orally through Native language. Their oral traditions record the culture, beliefs and history of the Native Americans. Oral traditions reflect the belief that the natural world has humans and animals as well as respecting speech as a powerful literary form. They also provide explainations about the world and its orgins and teach moral lessons while conveying practical information. In addition to all of this, Native American oral traditions can change. An example of oral tradition is shown in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Towards the end of the book Junior is describing a lake
Folklore is a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation that includes Legends, Myths and Fairy tales. Legends are a semi-true story, which has been passed on from a person to another person that has an important meaning. Myths are a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon. A Fairytale is a children's story about magical which they have imaginary beings and lands. Hispanic Folklore is the traditional is mostly about beliefs, legends, customs and stories of the community of the hispanic culture. Hispanic or latino culture encompasses the traditions, language, religious beliefs and practices, legends, music and history.
Queen Emma improved the health needs of ancient Hawaiians during a time of Hawaiian population decline. Diseases brought from foreigners...
The Polynesian peoples have a lifestyle quite different than that of any other culture, as living on an island requires a level of flexible adaptability in order to cope with such a different, sometimes difficult environment. We see the way diverse cultures build their lives around their circumstances and how they respect them in their cultural myths and stories. The Polynesian legends emphasize the physical environment that they live in. They are quite different than any other region in the world, but the beauty and individuality of the Polynesian culture is prominent as seen in their mythology.
In “The Beach of Falesa,” the protagonist Wiltshire asserts that the native Kanakas have a natural predisposition for superstitious beliefs. As he explores Case’s “devil’s bush,” Wiltshire tells the reader, “Any poor Kanaka brought up here in the dark, with the harp...