Long ago, Kalā (the sun) raced across the sky as he pleased, leaving the land and its people with short days and long, dark nights. Among those suffering from the lack of daylight was the goddess Hina, mother of the demigod Māui. In order to make things pono (right), Māui summons all his courage and travels to the highest summit of Haleakalā, where he confronts the mighty Kalā.
For additional “Why Māui Snared the Sun” content including the graphic novel and science curriculum, go to the PREL website for E Hoʻomau here: http://ehoomau.prel.org/animation
E Ho‘omau! (To preserve; to learn from the past and perpetuate the good) is a curriculum development project funded under the Native Hawaiian Education Program of the U.S. Department of Education. It begins with the creation of three high quality animated versions of traditional Hawaiian legends, designed to be engaging and culturally appropriate. These are complemented by standards-based written materials and teacher training activities to strengthen language arts and science achievement for Native Hawaiian 4th graders. E Ho‘omau! addresses the need to improve the literacy skills of students of Hawaiian ancestry by integrating evidence-based educational approaches with a visually-rich learning system based on Hawaiian legends. The idea is to elevate student motivation and enhance self-confidence while providing meaningful learning opportunities.
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