Cultural Influences on Myths: Legend of the Menehune People

Cultural Influences on Myths Legend of the Menehune People inventionMyths, existence narratives almost early history (Barker, 2014, p.4) explains mixer occurrences which involves supernatural events. When it comes to myths, plenty can be very opinionated when deciding if the myth is neat or not. Some mess believe it because it is a narration they fork out been told while growing up or simply because it sounds fantastical, other people choose not to believe it until there is consequence of whatever it is they brook been told. It has become the responsibility of affectionate scientists, namely Archaeologists and Anthropologists to uncover the truth approximately these myths. One of the most infamous myths in how-do-you-do involves the Menehune people and the structures that argon believed to build been built by theme.The legend of the Menehune people takes different versions in Martha Warren Beckwiths book, helloan Mythology (1940, pp.227-37). According to Brien Foers ter (2000, pp.15-20) the term Menehune is just a tale which was altered and confused with the factual accounts of the Manahune, the first settlers of the island who were lower in social status comp ard to the Tahitians. The Menehune people however are believed to squander been small calculate beings with a height of 15 to 90 centimetres that humpd on Kauai before the Polynesian settlers and lived in caves and valleys (Mugner, 2013). Just as all other myth, the legend of the Menehune differs when it comes to the visible description of the Menehune, according to Eberhart (2002, p.326) they were well dressed, well-built and tomentumy beings, compared to Mailly (1998) the Menehune had straight long hair that covered their undressed bodies. This is just minor differences between sources on the Menehune people. What umpteen of the sources do agree on is that these beings enjoyed bananas, fish and starch. Even though they were mischievous beings who liked playing games, diving, danc ing, making music and singing, they were good at shopping center as they were known for shooting magical arrows at people who were infuriated, aspiration up emotions of love instead. What makes the legend of the Menehune famous is that they were believed to have been exceptional craftsmen, extremely strong, fast and noc mouldal (Eberhart, 2002, p.236). The Menehune have allegedly constructed houses, fishponds, ditches, roads and temples all in one night and if by chance these structures were not complete by sunrise, they would desert the structure. The most famous structures said to have been built by the Menehune is the Alekoko Fishpond, Kikiaolo Ditches, Necker Island Structures, Pa o ka Menehune breakwater and the Ulupo heiau (Foerster, 2000, pp.15-20) (Paul, 2007). Even though the pond is no longer in use today for fishing, instead it is a wetland for jeopardize birds. Archaeologists estimate the pond to be over a thousand geezerhood old (Foster, 2008, p.193).the Kikiaolo d itches were built use the same stone used in the Alekoko pond, the ditches lead water to other ponds for irrigation (Foster, 2008, p.203). Necker Island has to be the most spoken about archaeologic site in hullo, compared to the other two islands which surround Necker that could have supported a persistent population, the conditions on Necker Island suggest that a permanent population could not be sustained but there is proof of activity on the island (Kirch, 1997, pp.94-98).There has always been conflict between in classation and culture, acquisition being a field whereby something can be prove or disproved, culture on the other hand is something that has been embedded in us, and culture is a way of life. Just like any other myth, the Menehune myth is believed by some and not by others. There is not much scientific evidence to prove that the Menehune did exist besides the archaeological sites that are said to have been built by the Menehune, but archaeologists are not one on e hundred percent certain about this. Individuals that are in favour of this myth usually have biases for this notion, heathenishly it power be that this was a tale that they have grown up with being told which have led them to believe that that the Menehune did in actual fact exist. Others index believe it for the sake of believing it this can also be understanded as a social factor which contributes to the bias. For those that do not believe the myth, they vile their opinion on lack of evidence most of the time. Its no lie that how we perceive the world is namely ground on our social and cultural biases (Boundless, 2014) to make something more favourable in the world we live in but this can be seen as a task in some scientific fields such as archaeology and anthropology, because the world today is not the same as it was a hundred years ago, even fifty years ago, there is a major(ip) difference in how history is viewed. Scientific theories are in taper to prove or disprove a notion and if a researcher is bias towards a specific notion, it is reflected in their work which in turn doesnt provide the desired outcome. In context of the Menehune myth, researchers ultimate finale is to find out if they did or still do exist, they would do this by listening to the local population and their narratives about the Menehune, This can be seen as bias because locals tell researchers what they have heard and what they have been told as variance of folklore, this affects how researchers conduct their investigation.It would be incorrect to say that scientific theories are based on what people believe in, but looking at it logically, what people believe in form the basis of scientific theories, which then form a broader picture to conduct scientific research to prove or disprove the theory, so in essence, acquaintance is not a unserviceable way of looking at the world, but one must consider how people view the worth culturally. The world is viewed in many ways, erudition is just an added way of looking at the world, and the all difference is that perception has authenticated justification. This is accomplished through repetitive testing, observation and investigations. erudition answers unsolved mysteries, prevents the present generation from making past mistakes to create a let on future and most importantly provides a better understanding of humanity. Science might not solve all our problems but it most decidedly is a start. The one quality that any person needs to have when evaluating a scientific theory, is that they need to be open minded because science has endless possibilities.ConclusionJudging from the above mentioned, it is easy to see that science plays a valuable role in society today, it does not only uncover the truth but new discoveries are made using science. One must not forget however that social and cultural biases also play an important role in society and when it comes to issues regarding myths of any kind, there will always be two sides to the story, the truth that hasnt been uncovered yet and the tales that have been told over the many centuries and the Menehune myth is farthermost from the truth,Works CitedBarker, G., 2014. What is a myth? Britannica Educational Publishing.Beckwith, M.W., 1940. Hawaiian Mythology. Hawaii University of Hawaii Press.Boundless, 2014. cultural influences on perception. Online getable at https//www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/sensation-and-perception-5/advanced-topics-in-perception-40/cultural-influences-on-perception-174-12709/ Accessed 14 skirt 2015.Eberhart, G.M., 2002. Mysterious Creatures A Guide to Cryptozoology. ABC-CLIO.Foerster, B., 2000. The Real History Of Hawaii From Origins To The destroy Of The Monarchy. Lulu.com.Foster, J., 2008. Frommers Kauai. 3rd ed. John Wiley Sons.Kirch, P.V., 1997. Feathered Gods and Fishhooks An Introduction to Hawaiian Archaeology and Prehistory. Hawaii University of Hawaii Pres s.Mailly, H.D., 1998. Menehune. Online Available at http//www.pantheon.org/articles/m/menehune.html Accessed 13 March 2015.Mugner, S., 2013. Sean Mugner. Online Available at http//seanmunger.com/2013/12/01/the-menehune-of-ancient-hawaii-did-they-reaally-exist/ Accessed 14 march 2015.Paul, P., 2007. Were there menehune in Hawaii? Online Available at http//ahistoryofmigration.blogspot.com/2007/07/were-there-menehune-in-hawaii.html Accessed 14 march 2015.