Central Pacific
Hawaiian Islands
A discovery gateway for Maui stories as presented in a historical Hawaiian compilation. Polynesian Maui traditions vary widely by island group and community.
Hawaiian Maui cycle (historical collection)Culture-hero narrative
Māui Slows the Sun
Westervelt's Hawaiian compilation preserves a Maui episode in which the culture hero confronts the Sun so that daylight will better serve human work.
Read the entry →Hawaiian Maui cycle (historical collection)Island-origin narrative
Māui Fishes Up Islands
In Maui traditions gathered by Westervelt, extraordinary fishing becomes a way to explain the emergence and arrangement of islands within a heroic ancestral landscape.
Read the entry →Place records are discovery aids. Traditions can span regions, languages, migrations, and modern political borders.