Moʻolelo or Kaʻao?

Did you know there is another type of story in Hawaiian culture that’s different from moʻolelo? It’s called kaʻao.

So what is kaʻao and how is it different from moʻolelo? Kumu Taiwi Crouch is here to help us answer this question! He also shares his retelling of the legend of Kapoʻi and the Seven Eggs in the video below.

Kumu Taiwi Crouch is a MHC docent, a long-time educator in Hawaiian history, culture, and science (as well as Medieval and Asian history) and was a crew member aboard the Hōkūle‘a, navigating by traditional means to Tahiti, Samoa, and the Marquesas in the mid-1980’s. He further draws from his knowledge as a hula practitioner, member of hālau oli Na Wa‘a Lalani Kahuna o Puʻukoholā, and traditional carver.