ALOHA KAKOU to all visitors who have found this webpage.

E KOMO MAI!
 

The purpose of this website is to publish the record that has been passed down to me of what is believed to be the genealogical lineage of my mother's maternal family - her Kaimana-Paele side.

It is my belief that my great aunt Fanny Kalikookamaile Kaimana-Paele Karratti, submitted handwritten pages of the Kaimana-Paele genealogical lineage to the Temple Ordinance Books of the Mormon Church from January of 1920 to May of 1922.  Photocopies of these pages have been passed down to me which show the Kaimana-Paele line as it was submitted to the Mormon Church for baptism and endowment.

I have pretty much entered the names and data from these hand-written sheets exactly (as best I could) as recorded by Great Aunt Fanny.  I didn't want to second-guess her information, though there do appear to be some noticeable discrepancies throughout the pages.

Her handwriting, though very beautiful, may have caused me to mistake an "a" for an "o" and I ask my ancestor's forgiveness if I have misspelled any of their names.

The Family Names

If I interpret these pages correctly, the list almost exclusively follows the first-born son for each generation, then the name of the wife of this first-born son, and then the subsequent name of this couples' first-born son - thus the pattern repeats.  I can just imagine the number of children's names left out of the lineage because they happened to be born 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on.  It seems that the first-born is the only name recorded in the lineage - with the exception of a few cases for which I have no explanation.

The First Seven Names

The first name listed is Kane.  According to the definitions in the HAWAIIAN DICTIONARY (Pukui and Elbert), "kane" has many definitions. One is that it simply means a "man" or a "male".  Another definition is that it is the "name of one of the four leading Hawaiian gods".

Perhaps in Hawaiian genealogy, this is like saying that the progenitor of the Kaimana-Paele lineage is "Adam" as in the biblical reference to "Adam and Eve".  Or perhaps, all Hawaiian families (through the ancient beliefs in the Kumulipo) should be able to trace the beginnings of their ohana back to one of the Hawaiian gods.

The Dates

One of the things that caught my eye immediately on these handwritten sheets was the attempt to date the family line - and without judgment, I have simply transferred the information to this website.  I can neither confirm nor argue against any of these dates, nor do I know what criteria were used to arrive at them.  I never had the opportunity to speak to my Great Aunt Fanny, so I don't have a provenance for this long handwritten list of Hawaiian names.

Perhaps this chant was recited by one of my ancestors to a visiting Missionary, who in turn, wrote down what he or she heard for cultural preservation.

Many of the earth's older cultures memorized and recited their genealogies from one generation to the next as a means of recording family lines and preserving the knowledge of them for their posterity, as writing was not yet available to them.

I hope to learn more about this genealogical form and then come back and update this website with either better information or at least a bit more scholarly speculation.

As our Hawaiian culture's kupuna grow older, I worry that much of their great knowledge may pass with them.  So it seemed to me, it is better to simply post this genealogical mo'o kupuna now as written, invite commentary from website visitors, and do my genealogical research on a continuing basis.

I have searched the web for information about Hawaiian oral genealogy, and have come up short.  I have been told there are books out there on the subject and that there are experts on Hawaiian oral genealogy.

Hopefully, those people will find this website and contact me with any study guides, research resources, personal experiences, family stories, and suggestions of recommended individuals to contact who may help me to understand these carefully handwritten pages that have been passed down to me.

Mahalo for visiting this website.  I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Me ke Aloha,

Stephanie Lani Truitt

(Daughter of Nathalie Marie Lindsey Kaimana-Paele Truitt)

May 20, 2004