Marshall Island Legends and Stories

by Daniel A. Kelin II, Nashton Nashon

Marshall Islands Legends and Stories — available Spring 2003 (Pacific Island Studies) Collected and adapted by Daniel A. Kelin II, illustrated by Nashton T. Nashon Offers a timeless collection of legends and stories from native Marshallese storytellers. This easy-to-read and pleasurable book recounts accurate stories enhanced with illustrations by local Marshallese artists.

Genres: Folklore, The World, Fiction, Short Stories

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to rate books of folklore; it seems odd to judge another culture’s traditional stories on my standards for literature or entertainment. But I can only rate from my own perspective, which is affected by factors out of the author’s control. One, I’ve read several books of folklore lately, and may have begun to tire of it a bit; I can say this is neither the best nor the worst such book I’ve recently encountered. Perhaps I imbibed too many somewhat similar, very short stories in too little time, and my interest has waned. Two, I had this through Interlibrary Loan on a tight schedule, which left me feeling obligated to pick it up at times I would otherwise have chosen something else.

That said, this is a perfectly readable collection of folklore that made sense to me as a foreign reader. Which makes sense, because the stories were told to a foreign (Hawai’i-based) author/dramaturge who collected them. The book is sized to fit in with textbooks, and has ultra-wide margins in which definitions and pronunciations are sometimes included. But with large font and illustrations, it is still a quick read. It includes brief biographical sketches (and sometimes photographs) of the storytellers, but to me these were too brief: the barest of bare-bones, without room to for the storytellers’ personalities or life experiences to come alive.

Overall, there’s nothing here that would make me hesitate to recommend the book to those who enjoy folklore. But I prefer books from which I can learn more directly about what people’s lives are like.

[Talyr Lerwill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels weird to rate this one because it is folk lore and tribal stories of the Marshallese people. The stories themselves were interesting and entertaining. The author maybe could’ve presented things differently and with more context and information but it was written quite a while back so that is understandable. Overall, I plan to buy a copy for my home library. 🏝️ 🐢

[Christine Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories used:
The Reef Came to be in Sorrow by Jia Hisaiah and Iban Edwin

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I respect Kelin in his efforts to record these Marshallese stories, this book mostly falls flat for lack of context and explanation. A lot of the stories just don't really make sense to an American audience, but I'm sure if one knew more about Marshallese culture and customs then they would. I wish Kelin had spent a little more time expounding on that. A few underlying themes were hard to miss though - like the frequency of famine (that's just great) and the importance of being obedient. I didn't care for the illustrations. But I have a feeling that I'll appreciate this book a bit more in about a year's time. :)