I just realized it has been ages since I did a blog post here, so this book inspired me to get back in the groove. Ka Poʻ e Moʻ o Akua – Hawaiian Reptilian Water Deities by Marie Alohalani Brown needs to be in your reference works.
The preface, list of Hawaiian terms, and bibliography alone make it worth having and reading. Not only will the reader learn so much of value about akua moʻ o, but also the reader will learn about ʻ aumakua and Hawaiian concepts of familial relationships.
Brown has taken an incredibly complex and multi-layered set of concepts and made them accessible for the discerning student of Hawaiian culture/philosophy/religion. And the bibliography! If you love comprehensive citations, you will love this book! Also, it is well indexed.
Chapters are:
- Moʻ o Akua and Water
- The Moʻ o Akua Form and the Kino Lau Associated with All Moʻ o
- Moʻ o-Specific Kino Lau
- Kinship and Antagonism between the Moʻ o and Pele Clans
- Moʻ o Roles and Functions Past and Present
You need this book.
You can purchase this book at Basically Books in Hilo.