This is the last of Westervelt’s six books of Hawaiian lore. Starting inmythological times, and retelling some of the migration legends, the bookprimarily focuses on the period of European contact, Hawaiian Historical Legends is of interest for anyone studying encounters between cultures, particularly where one of the cultures has a technological advantage. Thecore of the book is set against the background of consolidation ofpolitical authority in the islands (which was already underway beforecontact), the fall of the old tapu-bound absolute rule of the chiefs andthe priests, and finally the emergence of modern Hawaiian civil culture. Ofparticular interest are Westervelt’s speculations on early contacts, notonly between the Hawaiians and the Europeans, but other Pacific rimcultures such as the Chinese, Japanese and Native Americans.
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