Unwritten Literature of Hawaii is Nathaniel Bright Emerson’s pioneering study of the sacred songs and chanted poetry of the hula, the traditional dance of the Hawaiian people. Emerson gathered and translated the oli and mele connected with the hula, preserving a body of oral literature and music.
The book sets the songs within the religious and cultural traditions of old Hawaii, explaining the ceremonies, gods, and lore to which they belong. As one of the earliest serious efforts to record this endangered heritage, it remains an essential source for Hawaiian culture and ethnomusicology. Emerson’s careful work safeguarded an irreplaceable tradition of sacred song, poetry, and dance.