The Kumulipo is the Hawaiian creation story. It is analogous to the Judeo­-Christian book of Genesis in the Bible, or the Poetic Edda, the collection of ancient Norse poems that tells the story of the primordial being Ymir.

Knowledge of the Kumulipo was suppressed after Queen Ka‘ahumanu embraced Christianity in the 1820s, but the Kumulipo and much other knowledge was preserved in secret. King David Kalakaua defied the enemies of the Hawaiian people in the 1880s by publicly reviving traditional cultural practices and the Kumulipo was restored to its proper place in public consciousness.

Now, Kulaniakea, a nonprofit educational organization that provides multigenerational, dual-language educational materials, aims to brings the story to readers of all ages. Released in December, this new printing of “Kumulipo” focuses on the first part of the 2,000-line chant.

The Kumulipo teaches the importance of balance between all things — between male and female, between life on the land and life in the sea — and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. The concepts are timeless, and “Kumulipo” is a beautiful introduction.

The Hawaiian text is as published by Kalakaua and the Hale Naua, the society he created in the 1880s to revive traditional Hawaiian culture and advance knowledge of modern science.

The English translation was written by his sister, the future Queen Lili‘uokalani.

The illustrations are by Doug Po‘oloa Tolentino, whose research included finding pictures of plants that are mentioned in the chant but which are now extinct.

To learn more or to buy the paperback book ($14.95) and its accompanying coloring book ($8), go to kulaniakea.org.