Written down in Hawaiian by S. N. Haleole in the 1860s from traditional sources, this romance follows Laieikawai, a princess of such sacred beauty that she is hidden away from birth and courted by chiefs from every island. Martha Warren Beckwith’s English translation is introduced by a full study of Polynesian myth, the demigod as hero, the earthly paradise and Hawaiian court life.
A rare work of Hawaiian literature, valuable to readers of Pacific myth and storytelling. Download the free EPUB.