Ancient Hawaiians had a fully oral culture, passing down stories, songs, and traditions directly from generation to generation, and for a large part, maintain that oral tradition today. One drawback to maintaining a largely oral culture is all that is lost due to the changing of time and the evolution of culture and introduction of new influences. Since the arrival of Captain Cook in the Hawaiian Islands in the 1700s, much has changed. Hawaiians are no longer primarily an oral culture, and much of what was not preserved and documented after 1700 has been lost due to various factors such as the outlawing of religious practices and the practice of speaking English only prior to the Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s.

Keeping this in mind, this storytime kit will mix the telling of traditional folk tales with contemporary songs, since many of the songs and chants left from Ancient Hawaiians are not appropriate for children to sing and must be chanted in the correct context. Although these songs are considered contemporary, they often reveal much of Ancient Hawaiian culture values and beliefs, such as the importance of the land and sea and family.

Surfer, the Bar is helping to keep this tradition alive with regular Talk Story sessions. We look forward to many more. Here’s one surfer’s especially wont want to miss.