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LEGENDS

These legends, collected in the late 1950s, are typical of the longevity and vitality of the indigenous folklore of the Hawaiians and of the introduced folklore of the immigrants. The hidden fibers of a culture are the folklore and legends of the various people that inhabit a locality for any length of time. The fibers interweave, and the resultant fabric is rich in color and design. After time, the fabric is most difficult to unwind. This is the state of "Hawaiian" folklore today.

They were collected  by Richard Paglinawan and William K. Kikuchi, who were enrolled in Dr. Luomala's class in Folklore and Mythology (Anth 269) at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Both of us were influenced by Dr. Luomala's teaching and her great efforts in helping us. Our lives were touched and forever changed by our stewardship under Dr. Katherine Luomala. We dedicate this issue of AAOK to her memory .

Shark Tales

The two stories of sharks are ancient Hawaiian stories usually found among native Hawaiian informants. They believe that a person who has a shark as its guardian spirit ('aumakua) will never be harmed by these creatures. They manifest their association with sharks by having parts of their body as shark forms such as a mouth on their back, shark-like eyes, and physical capabilities of the shark such as phenomenal swimming abilities or an ability to change into a shark when in the water. The shark's association with humans could also be traced to the Hawaiians feeding and caring for sharks. Therefore, certain sharks were considered to be guardians and protectors of the Hawaiians.

Shark Baby

Shark Man of Waimea

QQ Valley

Fireballs