A Guide on Hawaiian Taxonomy

Hawaiians had a different way of classifying the physical, natural, and spiritual world, known as "Papakū Makawalu." Papakū Makawalu stems from the 13th wā of the Kumulipo, a cosmogonic creation chant. From the Kumulipo, we learn that this system of classification can be further broken down into three categories: Papahulilani (the space above one's head to where the stars sit), Papahulihonua (the natural earth and its development, transformation, and evolution), and Papahānaumoku (all life from the embryonic state to death). "Papakū" can be defined as any entity within the three categories, whereas "Makawalu" can be defined as a multifaceted experience of viewing a concept from multiple perspectives, by deconstructing and reconstructing these concepts. There is often overlap between the three houses of knowledge. When the three papas converge on a single topic, a comprehensive view is revealed with potentially a fuller understanding because of multiple perspectives. Papakū Makawalu affords researchers a methodology for analyzing details and providing educators with a pedagogy that can be used to teach any subject from many perspectives. The multiplicity of perspectives is, in effect, a very holistic approach to how Hawaiians understood their environment's nuances, socioecology, and natural cycles (Nuʻuhiwa, 2019).