HAWAIIAN CULTURE & HISTORY

Religion and Traditions of Hawai’i

RELIGION OF THE ISLANDS

Native Hawaiian religion was much like those observed in other Pacific Island cultures

Hawaiians trace their ancestry to some deity which becomes that family’s patron god

Today there are many religions practiced in the islands due to the intermixing of various cultures

THERE ARE FOUR MAIN GODS

Kane god of living creatures Ku god of war Kanaloa god of the sea and spirit world Po Lono god of fertility and land

CONCEPTS IN HAWAIIAN LIFESTYLE

Mana spiritual energy All people and

objects can possess mana

Amount of mana is variable

Kauwu “untouchables”

CONCEPTS IN HAWAIIAN LIFESTYLE

Kapu System laws of the gods Rules for every aspect

of life with severe punishments for law breakers

Abolished after the death of Kamehameha I in 1819

EXAMPLES OF KAPU

Men and women can not eat together Women cannot eat certain foods including

banana, coconut and pork When fishermen were lashing their hooks,

everyone in the community must be quiet No one was allowed to touch any personal items

of the ali’i including his/her shadow During the summer the aku fish could not be

eaten

CONCEPTS IN HAWAIIAN LIFESTYLE

Aina Respect for the land The land is a gift to

be taken care of by man

CONCEPTS IN HAWAIIAN LIFESTYLE

Ohana Family is an

important aspect in hawaiian culture

Sharing what you have and dividing labor was how communities survived in ancient Hawaii

Still important today

HEIAU: HAWAIIAN TEMPLES There are mainly two

types of heiau Massive platforms Walled structures These were places of

worship as well as used for human sacrifice. The mana of the sacrifice was supposed to help ensure victory

PU’UHONUA O HANAUNAU

A place of refuge Provided asylum to

breakers of Kapu Reaching the

pu’uhonua and being blessed by the priest absolved you of your crime

This specific one is a reconstruction that we will visit on the western side of the island

KAHUNA

The kahuna were the priests that ran the heiau and communed with the gods

They knew all the necessary prayers and were in charge of incantations while the ali’i only mouthed the words

BIRTHING CEREMONY

Only an ali’i birth was met with grand celebration

32 chiefs were present to welcome the future ali’i with drums

Kukaniloko were special stones lined up for the woman to rest on

Commoners could not be present

HO’AO: WEDDING CEREMONIES

The bride is brought to the ceremony in a canoe

The conch is blown to announce the ceremony

A kahuna will do a chant as the bride moves to meet her groom

Leis are exchanged A torch bearer is present

to bring light into your new life

BURIAL RITUALS The death of a

Hawaiian was a tragic event where the person’s relatives would publically display their grief, often through physical harm to their body

Burial practices differed depending on the island and the person’s rank

The Big Island is known to have burial caves

HULA

The hula began as more than a dance; it was a way to celebrate or honor a hero as well as tell a story

Today there are two types of hula in practice Auana modern Kahiko traditional

MODERN DAY RELIGIONS

Today Christianity is one of the major religions of the islands after the Catholic missionaries were the first to come to the islands

Almost all other religions are present including Judaism, Islam, Mormonism and Pagan worship.

RESOURCES

To-hawaii.com Nativehawaii.com Bigisland.org Hawaii-guide.info MythicHawaii.com Aloha-Hawaii.com Nps.org