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Without question, Martha Warren Beckwith's Hawaiian Mythology is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on the indigenous culture of Hawai'i before annexation. Bringing together three decades of research; the book guides readers through variant narratives and core motifs, exploring every significant theme and deity within native Hawaiian folklore.
About the author
Martha Warren Beckwith (1871—1959) was an American folklorist and ethnographer. Born in Wellesley Heights, Massachusetts, Beckwith attended Mount Holyoke College before graduating with a Master’s degree in anthropology from Columbia University in 1906. In 1920, having earned her PhD, she became the chair of Vassar College’s Folklore program. Specializing in Hawaiian, Jamaican, and Native American cultures, Beckwith published numerous collections of proverbs, folk stories, myths, and ethnographies from her extensive research, often conducted with renowned ethnomusicologist Helen H. Roberts.
Summary
Having studied under famed ethnographer Franz Boas at Columbia University, Martha Warren Beckwith dedicated her career to recording and contextualizing the traditions of people from around the world. Specializing in Jamaican, Hawaiian, Sioux, and Mandan-Hidatsa cultures, she published widely acclaimed works of folklore and ethnography through her interviews with native storytellers around the world. Hawaiian Mythology—her most recognized work—is a highly celebrated, monumental study that brings together three decades of exhaustive research of indigenous Hawaiian folklore, culture, and society. Setting itself apart from more conventional collections of folklore, Hawaiian Mythology does not concern itself with simply translating or retelling popular Hawaiian myths; instead, Beckwith presents variant narratives and core folklore motifs, guiding the reader through every significant theme and deity in Hawaiian mythology. Without question, it is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on the indigenous culture of Hawai’i and her people before annexation; and is widely considered to be an authoritative text on Hawaiian folklore as it is known today.This edition of Martha Warren Beckwith’s Hawaiian Mythology is a classic of anthropological literature reimagined for modern readers.
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