Moe‘uhane, the Hawaiian word for dream, means “soul sleep.” While sleeping, Hawaiians of old believed they communicated with ‘aumākua, their ancestral guardians, and this important relationship was sustained through dreaming. During “soul sleep,” people received messages of guidance from the gods; romantic relationships blossomed; prophecies were made; cures were revealed. Dreams provided inspiration, conveying songs and dances that were remembered and performed upon waking. Specialists interpreted dreams, which were referred to and analyzed whenever important decisions were to be made.

Having no written language, Hawaiians passed their history and life lessons down in the form of legends, which were committed to memory and told and retold. And within these stories are a multitude of dreams—as in a famous legend of goddess Pele, who travels in a dream to meet and entrance the high chief Lohi‘au. Dreams continue to play an important role in modern Hawaiian culture and are considered by some to have as powerful an influence today as in ancient times. In this companion volume to her award-winning Hawaiian Legends of the Guardian Spirits, artist Caren Loebel-Fried retells and illuminates nine dream stories from Hawai‘i’s past that are sure to please readers young and old, kama‘aina and malihini, alike.

Caren Kealaokapualehua Loebel-Fried is a storyteller and second-generation carver who learned the ancient art of block printing from her mother. Her stories have appeared in Parabola, and she regularly illustrates for Parabola, Tikkun, and other publications. She spends her time with her husband and son in Volcano, Hawai‘i, and in New Jersey.

“Dreams are the beginning. They are the seed of our ambition, the source of our inspiration, and the impetus for our creations. The book you hold in your hands is the manifestation of Caren Loebel-Fried’s dream to share the mana‘o of traditional Hawaiians on the amorphous world of dreams.” —from the Foreword by Keola Beamer

Also by Caren Loebel-Fried

Winner of the 2003 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards for Excellence in Illustration and in Children’s Hawaiian Culture

"Hawaiian Legends of the Guardian Spirits is unique indeed as it retells legends in an entirely new way. Perhaps most noteworthy of all are the 60 woodcuts, some in color, that are spread throughout the book. This work deserves the attention of Hawaiian collectors who savor the spiritual aspects of life in the islands and the role it still plays in the lives of many.” —The Molokai Dispatch