The Kumulipo - Hawaiian story of creation

Consisting of over 2000 lines, the Kumulipo – which translates into “the dark source” – is a mele ko’ihonua, an oli (chant that was not danced to) of genealogy that was originally composed by Keaulumoku, an ancestor of Queen Lili’uokalani in the 1700s (Hare, 2005). Memorized and passed down in oral tradition from generation to generation, the Kumulipo was chanted by the kahuna (priests) at special events, such as the birth of great ali’i (chiefs), and at the festival of the god Lono, the makahiki (Cua, 2005). It is believed that the Kumulipo was chanted at the arrival of Captain Cook in 1776, as he was thought to be the god Lono.

Genealogical chants were performed on rare occasion, and ali’i court chanters were specifically trained to perform these ‘oli perfectly, so that the integrity of the chant remained intact. According to Kelly Cua, Distance Learning Instructor, a select few individuals today have learned to chant the entire Kumulipo from memory. I actually witnessed Samuel Kaleikoa Ka’eo, Hawaiian Philosopher and Professor at Maui Community College, perform the creation chant at a lecture. It was quite impressive.

The chant was eventually penned by King Kalākaua (ruled1874 – 1891), who used the opportunity to trace his lineage back to the gods through the Kumulipo, to prove his chiefly right to the throne. Later, during her house arrest at ‘Iolani Palace, Kalākaua’s sister Queen Lili’uokalani (ruled 1891 – 1893) translated the Kumulipo, which was then published in 1897. “The most massive part of the chant is a genealogy which enumerates thousands of ancestors of the Hawaiian royal family”. (Hare, 2005). The complete Hawaiian text, as well as the Queen’s translation can be found online at http://www.sacred-texts.com .

The Kumulipo is divided into 16 phases covering two time periods. The first is the Time of Pō, the time of night/darkness. During these eight phases, different life forms begin out of primordial slime:
• Phase 1 – stars, reef and reef dwellers, limu (seaweed)
• Phase 2 – fish and forest
• Phase 3 – birds and insects
• Phase 4 – creepers
• Phase 5 – pigs
• Phase 6 – nibblers
• Phase 7 – dogs and bats
• Phase 8 – the first gods are born

The second time period is called the Time of Au, the time of light. During this period the following were born in this order:
• Phase 9 – the first humans
• Phase 10 – more gods born
• Phase 11 – lineage of mo’o (lizard) 800 generations
• Phase 12 – lineage of Wākea (Father Sky)
• Phase 13 – Palikū
• Phase 14 – stars and desire
• Phase 15 – mythical lands and children of Hāloa (son of Wākea)
• Phase 16 – descendents of Māui (demigod who snared the sun)

Kumu hula (master hula teacher) Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, Professor at the University of Hawai’i, National Living Treasure, and daughter of Aunty Edith Kanaka’ole (one of the “keepers of the flame”), wrote a beautiful poem naming the Kumulipo as “the organic inception of all family systems”, articulating the inter-relationship with sky, earth, ocean, land, animals, man and gods.

She describes how the moon cycle “was the principle motivator of the earth”, how the sun and rain nourish the earth, while the wind, oceans and rivers “provided mobility for things and objects incapable of movement”, and how the Hawaiian were most appreciative and respectful, as they understood themselves to be “beneficiaries of this primal cadence and flow with the rhythm of the universe…”


"The KUMULIPO is the reality of our dim past, the foundation for our present and the pathway into the future. It is a cognizant reminder of our ancestors, their intelligence, failure, defeat and conquest. This chant is a gift which encourages the warrior within us to awake to the contests and challenges, which continue to confront us today, by using ancestral intelligence and experiences with our own intelligence. It is the genealogy which connects the Native Hawaiian to land, sky and ocean".
Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele