Hawaiian religion
Encyclopedia
Hawaiian religion is the term used to describe the folk
religious
beliefs and practises of the Hawaiian people
. It is unrelated to, though commonly confused with, the philosophy of Huna.
Hawaiian religion originated amongst the Tahiti
ans and other Pacific islanders
who landed in Hawaii
between 500 and 1300 AD. Today, Hawaiian religious practices are protected by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act
.
Hawaiian religion is polytheistic
, believing in many deities, and is also animistic
in that it is based on a belief that spirits are found in non-human beings and objects such as animals, the waves, and the sky.
, with four deities most prominent: Kāne
, Kū
, Lono
and Kanaloa
. Other notable deities include Laka
, Kihawahine, Haumea, Papahanaumoku
, and, most famously, Pele. In addition, each family is considered to have one or more family guardian
s known as ʻaumakua
.
One breakdown of the Hawaiian pantheon
consists of the following groups:
Another breakdown consists of three major groups:
, an epic chant
linking the alii
, or Hawaiian royalty, to the gods. The Kumulipo is divided into two sections: night, or pō, and day, or ao, with the former corresponding to divinity and the latter corresponding to mankind
. After the birth of Kii, the man, and Lailai, the woman, the man succeeds at seducing and reproducing with the woman before the god Kāne has a chance, thereby making the divine lineage of the gods younger than and thus subservient to the lineage of man. This, in turn, illustrates the transition of mankind from being symbols for the gods (the literal meaning of kii) into the keeper of these symbols in the form of idols and the like.
who served as mediums
for the purpose of communicating with the gods. Kahuna often served as healers as well, discussing with the gods the best way to heal their patients.
They also talked with the spirit
s. Kahuna Kūpaiulu of Maui in 1867 described a counter-sorcery
ritual to heal someone ill due to hoopiopio, another’s evil thoughts. He said a kapa (cloth) was shaken. Prayers were said.
Then, "If the evil spirit suddenly appears (puoho) and possesses
the patient, then he or she can be immediately saved by the conversation between the practitioner and that spirit."
Pukui and others believed kahuna did not have mystical transcendent
experiences as described in other religions. Although a person who was possessed (noho) would go into a trance
-like state, it was not an ecstatic experience but simply a communion with the known spirits.
Kapu refers to a system of taboo
s designed to separate the spiritually pure from the potentially unclean. Thought to have arrived with Pāao, a priest or chief from Tahiti who arrived in Hawaii sometime around 1200 AD, the kapu imposed a series of restrictions on daily life. Prohibitions included:
Hawaiian tradition shows that Aikapu was an idea led by the kahuna in order for Wākea, the sky father, to get alone with his daughter, Hoohokukalani without his wahine, or wife, Papa, the earth mother, noticing. The spiritually pure or laa, meaning "sacred" and unclean or haumia were to be separated. Aikapu included:
Other Kapus included Mālama Āina, meaning "caring of the land" and Niaupio. Tradition says that mālama āina originated from the first child of Wākea and Hoohokukalani being deformed so they buried him in the ground and what sprouted became the first kalo, also known as taro. The Hawaiian islands are all children of Papa, Wākea and Hoohokukalani so basically meaning that they are older siblings of the Hawaiian cheifs.. Second child of Wākea and Hoohokukalani became the first Ali Nui, or "Grand Cheif". This came to be called Niaupio, the cheifly incest to create the "godly child".
Punishments for breaking the kapu could include death, although if one could escape to a puuhonua
, a city of refuge, they could be saved. Kāhuna nui mandated long periods when the entire village must have absolute silence. No baby could cry, dog howl, or rooster crow, on pain of death.
Human sacrifice was not uncommon.
The kapu system remained in place until 1819 (see below).
Prayer was an essential part of Hawaiian life, employed when building a house, making a canoe, and giving lomilomi massage
. Hawaiians addressed prayers to various gods depending on the situation. When healers picked herbs for medicine, they usually prayed to Kū and Hina, male and female, right and left, upright and supine. The people worshiped Lono
during Makahiki season and Kū
during times of war.
Histories from the 19th century describe prayer throughout the day, with specific prayers associated with mundane activities such as sleeping, eating, drinking, and traveling. However, it has been suggested that the activity of prayer differed from the subservient styles of prayer often seen in the Western world.
Heiau, served as focal points for prayer in Hawaii. Offerings, sacrifice
s, and prayers were offered at these temples, the thousands of koa (shrine
s), a multitude of wahi pana (sacred places), and at small kuahu (altars) in individual homes.
, there is significant evidence that the islands were settled no later than 800 AD and immigration continued to about 1300 AD. Settlers came from the Marquesas
, Samoa
, Easter Island
, and greater Polynesia
. At some point a significant influx of Tahiti
an settlers landed in the Hawaiian islands, bringing with them their religious beliefs
.
Early Hawaiian religion resembled other Polynesian religions in that it was largely focused on natural forces such as the tide
s, the sky, and volcanic activity
as well as man's dependence on nature for subsistence. The major early gods reflected these characteristics, as the early Hawaiians worshiped Kāne
(the god of the sky and creation), Kū
(the god of war and male pursuits), Lono
(the god of peace, rain, and fertility) and Kanaloa
(the god of the ocean).
, spread among eight islands, with waves of immigration over hundreds of years from various parts of the South Pacific
, religious practices evolved over time and from place to place in different ways.
Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui
, who was raised in Ka‘ū, Hawaii, maintained that the early Hawaiian gods were benign. One Molokai
tradition follows this line of thought. Author and researcher Pali Jae Lee writes: "During these ancient times, the only 'religion' was one of family and oneness with all things. The people were in tune with nature, plants, trees, animals, the ‘āina, and each other. They respected all things and took care of all things. All was pono
."
"In the dominant current of Western thought there is a fundamental separation between humanity and divinity. ... In many other cultures, however, such differences between human and divine do not exist. Some peoples have no concept of a ‘Supreme Being’ or ‘Creator God’ who is by nature ‘other than’ his creation. They do, however, claim to experience a spirit world in which beings more powerful than they are concerned for them and can be called upon for help."
"Along with ancestors and gods, spirits are part of the family of Hawaiians. "There are many kinds of spirits that help for good and many that aid in evil. Some lie and deceive, and some are truthful ... It is a wonderful thing how the spirits (‘uhane) of the dead and the ‘angels’ (anela) of the ‘aumākua can possess living persons. Nothing is impossible to god-spirits, akua."
In 1819, Kamehameha the Great died. In the aftermath, two of his wives, Kaahumanu and Keōpūolani, then the two most powerful people in the kingdom, conferred with the kahuna nui, Hewahewa. They convinced young Liholiho, Kamehameha II, to overthrow
the kapu system. They ordered
the people to burn the wooden statues and tear down the rock temples.
Without a the hierarchical system of religion in place, some abandoned the old gods, and others continued with cultural traditions of worshiping, them, especially their family ‘aumākua.
Missionaries
arrived in 1820, and most of the alii converted to Christianity
, including Kaahumanu and Keōpūolani, but it took 11 years for Kaahumanu to proclaim laws against ancient religious practices. “Worshipping of idols such as sticks, stones, sharks, dead bones, ancient gods and all untrue gods is prohibited. There is one God alone, Jehovah. He is the God to worship. The hula is forbidden, the chant (olioli), the song of pleasure (mele), foul speech, and bathing by women in public places. The planting of ‘awa is prohibited. Neither chiefs nor commoners are to drink ‘awa.” (Kamakau, 1992, p. 298-301)
Note: ‘awa is Hawaiian for kava
.
Although traditional Hawaiian religion was outlawed, a number of traditions typically associated with it survived by integration, practicing in hiding, or practicing in rural communities in the islands. Surviving traditions include the worship of family ancestral gods or aumākua, veneration of iwi or bones, and preservation of sacred places or wahi pana. Hula
was outlawed at one time as a religious practice but today is performed in both spiritual and secular contexts.
Traditional beliefs have also played a role in the politics
of post-Contact Hawaii. In the 1970s the Hawaiian religion experienced a resurgence during the Hawaiian Renaissance
. In 1976, the members of a group "Protect Kahoolawe Ohana" filed suit in federal court over the use of Kahoolawe
by the United States Navy
for target practice
. Charging that the practice disturbed important cultural and religious sites Aluli et al. V. Brown forced the Navy to survey and protect important sites, perform conservation activities, and allow limited access to the island for religious purposes. Similarly, outrage over the unearthing of 1,000 graves dating back to 850 AD during the construction of a Ritz-Carlton
hotel on Maui
in 1988 resulted in the redesign and relocation of the hotel inland as well as the appointment of the site as a state historic place.
Along with the surviving traditions, some Hawaiians practice Christianized versions
of old traditions. Others practice it as a co-religion
.
New Thought
author Max Freedom Long
claimed his philosophy of Huna was Hawaiian religion, and although some aspects of his books report on authentic Hawaiian practices, he did not describe traditional Hawaiian religion.
Folk religion
Folk religion consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of an organized religion, but outside of official doctrine and practices...
religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
beliefs and practises of the Hawaiian people
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
. It is unrelated to, though commonly confused with, the philosophy of Huna.
Hawaiian religion originated amongst the Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
ans and other Pacific islanders
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
who landed in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
between 500 and 1300 AD. Today, Hawaiian religious practices are protected by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act
American Indian Religious Freedom Act
The American Indian Religious Freedom Act, Public Law No. 95-341, 92 Stat. 469 , codified at , is a United States federal law and a joint resolution of Congress that was passed in 1978. It was enacted to protect and preserve the traditional religious rights and cultural practices of American...
.
Hawaiian religion is polytheistic
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
, believing in many deities, and is also animistic
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
in that it is based on a belief that spirits are found in non-human beings and objects such as animals, the waves, and the sky.
Deities
Hawaiian religion is polytheisticPolytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
, with four deities most prominent: Kāne
Kāne
In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the four major Hawaiian deities, along with Kanaloa, Kū, and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and gives life associated with dawn, sun and sky...
, Kū
Kū
In Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
, Lono
Lono
In Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
and Kanaloa
Kanaloa
In the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also the name of an extinct volcano in Hawaii. In legends and chants Kāne and Kanaloa are portrayed as complementary powers...
. Other notable deities include Laka
Laka
In Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of a popular hero from Polynesian mythology....
, Kihawahine, Haumea, Papahanaumoku
Papahanaumoku
Papahanaumoku , or Pāpā, is the name of the Kanaka Maoli creator goddess in Hawaiian mythology. Together with her husband Wakea Pāpā is the ancestor of all people and Kalo, and mother of islands as the Kanaka Maoli manifestation of Mother Earth...
, and, most famously, Pele. In addition, each family is considered to have one or more family guardian
Household deity
A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in pagan religions as well as in folklore across many parts of the world....
s known as ʻaumakua
Aumakua
In Hawaiian mythology, an aumakua is a family god, often a deified ancestor. The Hawaiian plural of aumakua is nā aumākua , although in English the plural is usually aumakuas. Nā aumākua frequently manifested as animals such as sharks or owls. Nā aumākua were worshipped at localities where they...
.
One breakdown of the Hawaiian pantheon
Pantheon (gods)
A pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
consists of the following groups:
- the four gods (ka hā) – Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
- the forty male gods or aspects of Kāne (ke kanahā)
- the four Hundred gods and goddesses (ka lau)
- the great Multitude of gods and goddesses (ke kini akua)
- the spirits (na unihipili)
- the guardians (na aumākua)
Another breakdown consists of three major groups:
- the four gods, or akua: Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
- many lesser gods, or kupua, each associated with certain professions
- family gods, aumakua, associated with particular families
Mythology
One Hawaiian creation myth is embodied in the KumulipoKumulipo
In ancient Hawaiian mythology, the Kumulipo is a chant in the Hawaiian language telling a creation story. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty.-Creation chant:Many cultures have their own beliefs on how the earth came to be created...
, an epic chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
linking the alii
Ali'i
Alii is a word in the Polynesian language denoting chiefly status in ancient Hawaii and the Samoa Islands. A similar word with the same concept is found in other Polynesian societies. In the Cook Islands, an ariki is a high chief and the House of Ariki is a parliamentary house...
, or Hawaiian royalty, to the gods. The Kumulipo is divided into two sections: night, or pō, and day, or ao, with the former corresponding to divinity and the latter corresponding to mankind
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
. After the birth of Kii, the man, and Lailai, the woman, the man succeeds at seducing and reproducing with the woman before the god Kāne has a chance, thereby making the divine lineage of the gods younger than and thus subservient to the lineage of man. This, in turn, illustrates the transition of mankind from being symbols for the gods (the literal meaning of kii) into the keeper of these symbols in the form of idols and the like.
Kahuna and Kapu
The kahuna were the rough equivalent of shamansShamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
who served as mediums
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
for the purpose of communicating with the gods. Kahuna often served as healers as well, discussing with the gods the best way to heal their patients.
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
s. Kahuna Kūpaiulu of Maui in 1867 described a counter-sorcery
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
ritual to heal someone ill due to hoopiopio, another’s evil thoughts. He said a kapa (cloth) was shaken. Prayers were said.
Then, "If the evil spirit suddenly appears (puoho) and possesses
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
the patient, then he or she can be immediately saved by the conversation between the practitioner and that spirit."
Pukui and others believed kahuna did not have mystical transcendent
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
experiences as described in other religions. Although a person who was possessed (noho) would go into a trance
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
-like state, it was not an ecstatic experience but simply a communion with the known spirits.
Kapu refers to a system of taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
s designed to separate the spiritually pure from the potentially unclean. Thought to have arrived with Pāao, a priest or chief from Tahiti who arrived in Hawaii sometime around 1200 AD, the kapu imposed a series of restrictions on daily life. Prohibitions included:
- The separation of men and women during mealtimes (a restriction known as aikapu)
- Restrictions on the gathering and preparation of food
- Women separated from the community during their menses
- Restrictions on looking at, touching, or being in close proximity with chiefs and individuals of known spiritual power
- Restrictions on overfishingOverfishingOverfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
Hawaiian tradition shows that Aikapu was an idea led by the kahuna in order for Wākea, the sky father, to get alone with his daughter, Hoohokukalani without his wahine, or wife, Papa, the earth mother, noticing. The spiritually pure or laa, meaning "sacred" and unclean or haumia were to be separated. Aikapu included:
- The use of a different ovens to cook the food of male and female
- Different eating places
- Woman were forbidden to eat pig, coconut, banana, and certain red foods because of their male symbolism.
Other Kapus included Mālama Āina, meaning "caring of the land" and Niaupio. Tradition says that mālama āina originated from the first child of Wākea and Hoohokukalani being deformed so they buried him in the ground and what sprouted became the first kalo, also known as taro. The Hawaiian islands are all children of Papa, Wākea and Hoohokukalani so basically meaning that they are older siblings of the Hawaiian cheifs.. Second child of Wākea and Hoohokukalani became the first Ali Nui, or "Grand Cheif". This came to be called Niaupio, the cheifly incest to create the "godly child".
Punishments for breaking the kapu could include death, although if one could escape to a puuhonua
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
Puuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located on the west coast of the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The historical park preserves the site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu could avoid certain...
, a city of refuge, they could be saved. Kāhuna nui mandated long periods when the entire village must have absolute silence. No baby could cry, dog howl, or rooster crow, on pain of death.
Human sacrifice was not uncommon.
The kapu system remained in place until 1819 (see below).
Prayer and heiau
Lomilomi massage
Lomilomi, meaning "masseur, masseuse" in the Hawaiian language, is the word used today to describe Hawaiian massage, traditionally called lomi, meaning "to rub, press, squeeze, massage; to work in and out, as the claws of a contented cat"...
. Hawaiians addressed prayers to various gods depending on the situation. When healers picked herbs for medicine, they usually prayed to Kū and Hina, male and female, right and left, upright and supine. The people worshiped Lono
Lono
In Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
during Makahiki season and Kū
Kū
In Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
during times of war.
Histories from the 19th century describe prayer throughout the day, with specific prayers associated with mundane activities such as sleeping, eating, drinking, and traveling. However, it has been suggested that the activity of prayer differed from the subservient styles of prayer often seen in the Western world.
Heiau, served as focal points for prayer in Hawaii. Offerings, sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
s, and prayers were offered at these temples, the thousands of koa (shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s), a multitude of wahi pana (sacred places), and at small kuahu (altars) in individual homes.
Origins
Although it is unclear when settlers first came to the Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, there is significant evidence that the islands were settled no later than 800 AD and immigration continued to about 1300 AD. Settlers came from the Marquesas
Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
, and greater Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. At some point a significant influx of Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
an settlers landed in the Hawaiian islands, bringing with them their religious beliefs
Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
.
Early Hawaiian religion resembled other Polynesian religions in that it was largely focused on natural forces such as the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s, the sky, and volcanic activity
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
as well as man's dependence on nature for subsistence. The major early gods reflected these characteristics, as the early Hawaiians worshiped Kāne
Kane Milohai
In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne-milo-hai is the brother of Kamohoalii, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka and Hiiaka by Haumea. He is a minor figure in Hawaiian mythology, figuring most prominently in the story of Pele's journey along the island chain to Hawaii, and may be seen as a terrestrial counterpart to his...
(the god of the sky and creation), Kū
Kū
In Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
(the god of war and male pursuits), Lono
Lono
In Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
(the god of peace, rain, and fertility) and Kanaloa
Kanaloa
In the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also the name of an extinct volcano in Hawaii. In legends and chants Kāne and Kanaloa are portrayed as complementary powers...
(the god of the ocean).
Early Hawaiian religion
As an indigenous cultureIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, spread among eight islands, with waves of immigration over hundreds of years from various parts of the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, religious practices evolved over time and from place to place in different ways.
Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui
Mary Kawena Pukui
Mary Abigail Kawenaulaokalaniahiiakaikapoliopelekawahineaihonuaināleilehuaapele Wiggin Pukui , known as Kawena, was a Hawaiian scholar, dancer, composer, and educator.-Life:...
, who was raised in Ka‘ū, Hawaii, maintained that the early Hawaiian gods were benign. One Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
tradition follows this line of thought. Author and researcher Pali Jae Lee writes: "During these ancient times, the only 'religion' was one of family and oneness with all things. The people were in tune with nature, plants, trees, animals, the ‘āina, and each other. They respected all things and took care of all things. All was pono
Pono
Pono is a Hawaiian word commonly rendered as "righteousness". For instance, the Hawaii state motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono or "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"....
."
"In the dominant current of Western thought there is a fundamental separation between humanity and divinity. ... In many other cultures, however, such differences between human and divine do not exist. Some peoples have no concept of a ‘Supreme Being’ or ‘Creator God’ who is by nature ‘other than’ his creation. They do, however, claim to experience a spirit world in which beings more powerful than they are concerned for them and can be called upon for help."
"Along with ancestors and gods, spirits are part of the family of Hawaiians. "There are many kinds of spirits that help for good and many that aid in evil. Some lie and deceive, and some are truthful ... It is a wonderful thing how the spirits (‘uhane) of the dead and the ‘angels’ (anela) of the ‘aumākua can possess living persons. Nothing is impossible to god-spirits, akua."
Contemporary
'Ai Noa
The Ai Noa , was a period of taboo-breaking which convulsed the Hawaiian Islands in 1819. Women were allowed to eat forbidden food and to eat with men; the priests were no longer to offer human sacrifices; the many prohibitions surrounding the high chiefs were relaxed.Kamehameha I, the conqueror of...
the kapu system. They ordered
Keaoua Kekuaokalani
Keaoua Kekua-o-kalani was a nephew of Kamehameha I, the chief from the Big Island of Hawaii who had unified the Hawaiian islands. He was the son of Kamehameha's half brother Kealiimaikai and Kamehameha's half-sister Kiilaweau. After Kamehameha died in 1819, Keaoua rebelled against Kamehameha's...
the people to burn the wooden statues and tear down the rock temples.
Without a the hierarchical system of religion in place, some abandoned the old gods, and others continued with cultural traditions of worshiping, them, especially their family ‘aumākua.
Missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
arrived in 1820, and most of the alii converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, including Kaahumanu and Keōpūolani, but it took 11 years for Kaahumanu to proclaim laws against ancient religious practices. “Worshipping of idols such as sticks, stones, sharks, dead bones, ancient gods and all untrue gods is prohibited. There is one God alone, Jehovah. He is the God to worship. The hula is forbidden, the chant (olioli), the song of pleasure (mele), foul speech, and bathing by women in public places. The planting of ‘awa is prohibited. Neither chiefs nor commoners are to drink ‘awa.” (Kamakau, 1992, p. 298-301)
Note: ‘awa is Hawaiian for kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
.
Although traditional Hawaiian religion was outlawed, a number of traditions typically associated with it survived by integration, practicing in hiding, or practicing in rural communities in the islands. Surviving traditions include the worship of family ancestral gods or aumākua, veneration of iwi or bones, and preservation of sacred places or wahi pana. Hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
was outlawed at one time as a religious practice but today is performed in both spiritual and secular contexts.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
of post-Contact Hawaii. In the 1970s the Hawaiian religion experienced a resurgence during the Hawaiian Renaissance
Hawaiian Renaissance
The First and Second Hawaiian Renaissance was the Hawaiian resurgence of a distinct cultural identity that draws upon traditional kānaka maoli culture, with a significant divergence from the tourism-based "culture" which Hawaii was previously known for worldwide .-First Hawaiian...
. In 1976, the members of a group "Protect Kahoolawe Ohana" filed suit in federal court over the use of Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about seven miles southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lanai, and it is long by wide, with a total land area of . The highest point on Kahoolawe is the crater of Lua Makika at the...
by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for target practice
Target practice
Target practice refers to any exercise in which projectiles are fired at a specified target, usually to improve the aim of the person or persons firing the weapon....
. Charging that the practice disturbed important cultural and religious sites Aluli et al. V. Brown forced the Navy to survey and protect important sites, perform conservation activities, and allow limited access to the island for religious purposes. Similarly, outrage over the unearthing of 1,000 graves dating back to 850 AD during the construction of a Ritz-Carlton
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...
hotel on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
in 1988 resulted in the redesign and relocation of the hotel inland as well as the appointment of the site as a state historic place.
Along with the surviving traditions, some Hawaiians practice Christianized versions
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
of old traditions. Others practice it as a co-religion
Religious pluralism
Religious pluralism is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of various religions, and is used in a number of related ways:* As the name of the worldview according to which one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus that at least some truths and true values...
.
New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
author Max Freedom Long
Max Freedom Long
Max Freedom Long was an American teacher and New Thought philosopher.-Early career:Shortly after graduating from UCLA in 1917, Long moved to the island of Hawaii to teach in elementary schools. When he arrived, he claimed that some Native Hawaiians were practicing what he called magic...
claimed his philosophy of Huna was Hawaiian religion, and although some aspects of his books report on authentic Hawaiian practices, he did not describe traditional Hawaiian religion.