From Luakini to Luakini

"From Luakini to Luakini: The use of traditional Hawaiian religious vocabulary in the Hawaiian translation of the Bible"
Dr. Jeff Kapali Lyon

Abstract: Much of the vocabulary used in traditional Hawaiian religion has been preserved in the translation of the Bible into Hawaiian, including the term Luakini, the great human sacrifice Heiau of the high chiefs.

This lecture will overview the history of religious change in Hawai'i from 1819-1839 as well as the translation of the Bible into Hawaiian, and then look specifically at how traditional religious vocabulary was used within in this monumental literary production, the co-operative effort of both missionary translators and Hawaiians expert in traditional religious language.

Dr. Lyon earned his doctorate in Near Eastern languages from UCLA. He is proficient in Hebrew and Greek as well as Aramaic, Syriac, and other languages of early Christianity. He currently teaches Hawaiian at UH Hilo and at the Nawahi Hawaiian language emersion school. He is currently editing and translating the Hawaiian text of David Malo's "Ka Moolelo Hawaii" "Hawaiian Antiquities."

Event Sponsor
Department of Religion, UH Manoa

More Information
John Charlot, 956-6848, charlot@hawaii.edu

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