Hawaiian Flood Myth

The Story of Nuu & other Hawaiian Things

Fawziyyah Kabala

Hawaiian Flood Summary

Nuu was a man of the thirteenth
generation on Earth. He was a
good man, but the people in his
time had turned to evil. So his
god, Kane, told him to build a ark,
so as to escape the flood to arrive.
Kane entered the ark with his wife,
three sons, and males and females
of all breathing things. Afterwards,
the Earth was covered with water
from the flood. After the flood was over, Nuu left the ark on a
mountain overlooking a beautiful valley. The gods entered the ark
and told Nuu that he, his family, and the animals should go and
continue life on land. As a token of his gratitude, Nuu sacrificed pig,
coconuts, and awa to the moon, which he thought was the god
Kane.
Kane came down on a rainbow to reprimand Nuu for sacrificing to
the moon instead of to Kane. Kane then left, but he left the rainbow
back as a sign of forgiveness.

St
ate
Flo
we
r

Honolulu

State bird

FYI on Hawaii
Historical and cultural overview of Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands

were discovered by
mistake by James
Cook, a British
captain who was
trying to find the
Northwest Passage
between England &
Asia.

Hawaiian Discovery

The lei tradition was

introduced to the
Hawaiian Islands by
the early Polynesian
voyagers. They wore
them to beautify
themselves and
differentiate
themselves from
other people/ tribes.
It was also used to
signify a peace
agreement between
opposing chiefs. For
example, the chiefs
would intertwine the
green Maile vine as a
symbol of peace.

The Famous Lei

A very important part

of Hawaiian culture is
the hula. It is not
simply just a dance. It
is also a symbol of
Hawaii itself, a land of
beauty, grace, and
spirituality. The hula is
also part of their
religion, because it is
believed to be first
performed by a god or
goddess. Therefore,
the dance is considered
more as a sacred ritual
rather than as a form
of entertainment.
Overtime, though, it
became part of
celebrations.

Hawaiian Hula

Hawaiian architecture
is more than just
buildings. It reflects
the history of the
islands from antiquity
through the kingdom
era, from its territorial
years to statehood.
For example the Iolani
Palace, pictured left. It
was originally built to
be the royal residence
of the rulers of Hawaii,
from the Kamehameha
Dynasty under
Kamehameha III to
Queen
Liliuokalani (18451893)

Hawaiian Architecture

Gilgamesh flood myth

Hawaii, Genesis, and Gilgamesh

Comparing and contrasting their flood stories

Genesis

They both had

Hawaiian
People

who had become

evil.
People saved by entering a
boat.
The main characters bring
there sons, wives, and
animals.
The main characters offer
sacrifices to the gods.
The flood covers the entire
earth.

Hebrew & Hawaiian Flood Myth

Gilgamesh

They both had

Hawaiian
Multiple gods
People saved by an ark
The reason for the flood
was a punishment
The main character bring
family and animals
The main characters
sacrifice after being saved.

Gilgamesh & Hawaiian Flood Myth

Genesis

Hawaiian

Single

Multiple

god
Sacrificed to God
directly
Had no reason to be
forgiven
No specific name for
God
God didnt enter the
ark.

gods
Sacrificed to god
through the moon
The rainbow was a
symbol of forgiveness
God was named Kane
Gods entered the ark

Genesis & Hawaiian Flood Myth

Gilgamesh

Hawaiian

Was

Eventually

made immortal
Lived in the river after
the flood
A god was mad people
survived
Had no reason to be
forgiven
No brother-in-law

died
Lived on island after
flood
God expected people to
survive
The rainbow was a
symbol of forgiveness
Had a brother-in-law
who didnt enter the ark

Gilgamesh & Hawaiian Flood Myth

t io n
c
u
estr ion
d

d
o
tect ers
o
o
l
f
r
gs
p
n
e
i
n
h
e

n
i
T
rk e s

or b ss
a
i
r
e
l
e
h
T e peop sup givene
r
s
Th e god/ ow - fo
Th e rainb
Th

Archetypes

This myth shows that people who sin

could be wiped out and easily replaced if
the God/s wanted to replace them. The
rainbow left behind are a symbol of
forgiveness, just like the leis.

The Flood Myth on Culture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hawaii- this is reliable because it has a bibliography

https://www.google.com/
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Celtic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_architecture