The stories of Kauai's ruling chiefs were passed from generation to generation in songs and narratives recited by trained storytellers either formally at the high chief's court or informally at family gatherings. Their chronology was ordered by a ruler's genealogy, which, in the case of the pua alii (flower of royalty), was illustrious and far reaching and could be traced to one of the four great gods of Polynesia--Kane, Ku, Lono, and Kanaloa. In these legends, Hawaiians of old sought answers to the questions Who are we? Who are our ancestors and where do they come from? What lessons can...

The stories of Kauai's ruling chiefs were passed from generation to generation in songs and narratives recited by trained storytellers either formally at the high chief's court or informally at family gatherings. Their chronology was ordered by a ruler's genealogy, which, in the case of the pua alii (flower of royalty), was illustrious and far reaching and could be traced to one of the four great gods of Polynesia--Kane, Ku, Lono, and Kanaloa. In these legends, Hawaiians of old sought answers to the questions Who are we? Who are our ancestors and where do they come from? What lessons can...