Na Pule Kahiko begins with a discussion of prayers and the mul-titude of ancient gods and god-desses, then continues with chants that were a part of daily living, and prayers for a broad range of life events. Including voluminous footnotes that further enrich and amplify the text, this book is a trea-sury of historic knowledge and a glimpse into the society of ka po‘e kahiko, the people of old Hawai‘i.
The content of Na Pule Kahiko owes a lot to author June Gutman-is’ thorough research and diligent organization, benefitting from her collaboration withTheodore Kelsey in his twilight years. Kelsey was a leading authority on Hawaiian lan-guage and culture who lived from 1895-1987. His work has been referenced by almost every major ethnographer. Citations of his con-tributions to this work are abundant within the footnotes. Originally re-leased in 1983, this text is reprinted exactly as first published, with the addition of notes and biographical information, making it a must for any Hawaiian reference collection.
June Gutmanis (1925-1987) was a tenacious researcher of Hawaiian lore. A noted historian and lecturer at Chaminade University, she was the author of numerous articles and several books, including Kahuna La’au Lapa’au: Hawaiian Herbal Medicine. Over many decades, she dedicated herself to perpetuating and sharing the knowledge she collected. She worked as a research consultant for several cultural projects, including the first voyage of the Hokule‘a, and be-lieved strongly in educating people about Hawaii’s history and culture.
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