Title: Lineage

General Information about Item:

• Genre and sub genre: Customary and verbal folklore: custom and (family) tale
• Language: Hawaiian/English
• Country: USA

Informant Data:

• Collected from myself: Marlo Mundon ’20 from the Big Island of Hawaii in 2009 from peers

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: In traditional ceremonies or formal settings it is customary to tell the hosts who you are and your family history.
• Cultural Context: Knowing one’s family history is very important to the Hawaiians and it’s a long standing but dying tradition to have your full lineage memorized. This is a dying tradition, as many of the older generation denounced their heritage during the overthrow, Christianization, and illegal status of practicing Hawaiian culture.

Item:

• Each family member at an age of maturity is taught all the names of their family members and ancestors, tracing all the way back to the creators Papa and Wakea. This is a strictly oral tradition, much like an epic in length and pattern but without the music.

Collector: Marlo Mundon