Hawaiian religion

Hawaiian religion is a broad term encompassing a series of traditional beliefs and practices thought to have been passed down by the Tahitians and other Pacific islanders who landed in Hawaiokinai between 500 and 1300 CE.cite book|last=Carroll|first=Bret|title=The Routledge historical atlas of religion in America|publisher=Routledge|date=2000|pages=18-19|isbn=0415921317] Hawaiian religion shares a number of characteristics with animistic religions such as Shintoism 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.fact|date=July 2008 Hawaiian religious practices are protected by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.fact|date=July 2008

Origins

Although it is unclear when settlers first came to the Hawaiian islands, there is significant evidence that the islands were settled no later than 800 CE and immigration continued to about 1300 CE. [cite book|last=Kirch|first=Patrick|coauthors=Roger Curtis Green|title=Hawaiki, Ancestral Polynesia: An Essay in Historical Anthropology|date=2001|pages=80|isbn=052178879X] Settlers came from the Marquesas, Samoa, Easter Island, and greater Polynesia. At some point a significant influx of Tahitian settlers landed in the Hawaiian islands, bringing with them their religious beliefs.fact|date=July 2008

Early Hawaiian religion resembled other Polynesian religions in that it was largely focused on natural forces such as the tides, the sky, and volcanic activity as well as man's dependence on nature for subsistence.fact|date=July 2008 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).

Creation myth

One Hawaiian creation myth is embodied in the "Kumulipo", an epic chant linking the "aliokinai", 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 "Kiokinai", the man, and "Laokinailaokinai", 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 "kiokinai") into the keeper of these symbols in the form of idols and the like. [cite book|last=Valeri|first=Valerio|others=Translated by Paula Wissing|title=Kingship and Sacrifice: Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii|publisher=University of Chicago Press|date=1985|pages=4-8|isbn=0226845605]

Characteristics

Early Hawaiian religion

As an indigenous culture, 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.fact|date=July 2008

Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui, who was raised in Ka‘ū, Hawaii, maintained that the early Hawaiian gods were benign. [cite book |title=Nana i ke Kumu: Look to the Source |last=Pukui |first=Mary Kawena |authorlink=Mary Kawena Pukui |coauthors=E. W. Haertig, Catherine A. Lee |volume=2 |year=1972 |publisher=Hui Hanai |location=Honolulu |isbn=978-0961673826 |pages=122 ] One Molokaokinai 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"." [cite book|last=Lee|first=Pali Jae|title=Hookinaopono|publisher=Lightning Source Inc|date=2007|pages=28|isbn=0967725372]

The Hawaiians saw and talked with spirits as a normal part of life.fact|date=July 2008

"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." [cite book|last=Dudley|first=Michael Kioni|coauthors=Keoni Kealoha Agard|others=Illustrated by Daniel K San Miguel|title=A Hawaiian Nation: Man, Gods and Nature|publisher=Nā Kāne O Ka Malo Press|date=1990|pages=32|isbn=1878751018] "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"." [cite book|last=Kamakau|first=Samuel Manaiakalani|coauthors=Mary Kawena Pukui, Dorothy B . Barrère|others=Translated by Mary Kawena Pukui|title=Ka Poʻe Kahiko: The People of Old|publisher=Bishop Museum Press|date=1964|pages=53-54|isbn=0910240329]

The Hawaiian pantheon

Hawaiian religion is polytheistic, involving the worship of not only the four major gods (Kāne, Kū, Lono and Kanaloa) but also a number of lesser gods such as Laka, Kihawahine, Haumea, Papahanaumoku, and, most famously, Pele. In addition, each family had one or more family guardians known as ʻaumakua.

One breakdown of the Hawaiian pantheon [cite book|last=Gutmanis|first=June|title=Na Pule Kahiko: Ancient Hawaiian Prayers|publisher=Editions Limited|date=1983|pages=4-14|isbn=0960793860] 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 okinaunihipili")
*the Guardians ("na okinaaumākua")

Another breakdown [Kauka, Jay. "Religious Beliefs and Practices."] 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, "okinaaumakua", associated with particular families

"Kahuna" and "Kapu"

The "kahuna" were the rough equivalent of shamans 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.fact|date=July 2008

They also talked with the spirits. Kahuna Kūpaokinaiulu of Maui in 1867 described a counter-sorcery ritual to heal someone ill due to "hookinaopiokinaopiokinao", 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." [cite book|title=Must We Wait in Despair|last=Chun|first=Malcolm Naea|coauthors=okinaAhahui Lāokinaau Lapaokinaau (organization)|publisher=First People's Productions|date=1994|pages=179]

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.fact|date=July 2008

"Kapu" refers to a system of taboos designed to separate the spiritually pure from the potentially unclean. Thought to have arrived with Pāokinaao, a priest or chief from Tahiti who arrived in Hawaiokinai sometime around 1200 CE, [Pukui, Nana i ke Kumu: Look to the Source, Vol. II, 1972,p. 296] the "kapu" imposed a series of restrictions on daily life. Prohibitions included:
* The separation of men and women during mealtimes (a restriction known as "okinaaikapu")fact|date=July 2008
* Restrictions on the gathering and preparation of foodfact|date=July 2008
* Women separated from the community during their mensesfact|date=July 2008
* Restrictions on looking at, touching, or being in close proximity with chiefs and individuals of known spiritual powerfact|date=July 2008
* Restrictions on overfishingfact|date=July 2008

Punishments for breaking the "kapu" could include death, although if one could escape to a "puokinauhonua", a city of refuge, they could be saved.cite web|url=http://hawaii-guide.info/past.and.present/religion/|title=Got Religion?|publisher=Hawaii-guide.info|accessdate=2008-08-18] 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. fact|date=July 2008

Human sacrifice was not uncommon.fact|date=July 2008

The "kapu" system remained in place until 1819 (see below).

Prayer and "heiau"

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.fact|date=July 2008

Histories from the 19th century describe prayer throughout the day, with specific prayers associated with mundane activities such as sleeping, eating, drinking, and traveling. [cite book|last=Kamakau|first=Samuel Manaiakalani|coauthors=Mary Kawena Pukui, Dorothy B. Barrère|title=Tales and Traditions of the People of Old: Na MookinaOlelo a Ka PookinaE Kahiko|publisher=Booklines Hawaii Ltd|date=1993|pages=64|isbn=0930897714] [cite book
author = Kepelino
editor = Martha Warren Beckwith
title = Kepelino's Traditions of Hawaii
publisher = Bishop Museum Press
origdate = 1932
date = 2007
pages = 56
isbn = 1-58178-060-5] 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 Hawaiokinai. Offerings, sacrifices, and prayers were offered at these temples, the thousands of "kookinaa" (shrines), a multitude of "wahi pana" (sacred places), and at small "kuahu" (altars) in individual homes.fact|date=July 2008

Hawaiian religion in modern times

In 1819, Kamehameha the Great died. In the aftermath, two of his wives, Kaokinaahumanu 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.

The state system of religion was dead, but people were free to worship in their own ways. Some abandoned the old gods. Others continued worshiping them, especially their family ‘aumākua. fact|date=July 2008

Missionaries arrived in 1820, and most of the aliokinai converted to Christianity, including Kaokinaahumanu and Keōpūolani, but it took 11 years for Kaokinaahumanu 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)

Although traditional Hawaiian religion was outlawed, a number of traditions typically associated with it survived. They include the worship of family ancestral gods or "okinaaumākua", 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.fact|date=July 2008

Traditional beliefs have also played a role in the politics of post-Contact Hawaiokinai. In 1976, the members of a group "Protect "Kahookinaolawe okinaOhana" filed suit in federal court over the use of Kahookinaolawe 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.cite web|url=http://www.kahoolawe.org/home/?page_id=6|title=Protect Kahookinaolawe okinaOhana >> History|publisher=Protect Kahookinaolawe okinaOhana|accessdate=2008-06-24] Similarly, outrage over the unearthing of 1,000 graves dating back to 850 CE during the construction of a Ritz Carlton hotel on Mauokinai 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.cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070525/ai_n19185564/|title=Booming development in Hawaii disturbs the dead|last=Song|first=Jaymes|date=2007-05-25|publisher=Oakland Tribune (Associated Press)|accessdate=2008-06-24]

Along with the surviving traditions, some Hawaiians practice Christianized versions of old traditions.fact|date=July 2008

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.fact|date=July 2008

References

Further reading and resources

*cite book
last = Beckwith
first = Martha Warren
authorlink = Martha Warren Beckwith
title = The Kumulipo: A Hawaiian Creation Chant
publisher = University of Hawaii Press
origdate = 1951
date = 1981
pages =
url = http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/ku/
isbn = 0824807715
*cite book
last = Malo
first = David
authorlink = David Malo
title = Hawaiian Antiquities
publisher = Bishop Museum Press
origdate = 1951
date = 2005
pages =
url =
isbn = 0-910240-15-9
*cite web
title = Figure Marae 12, Mokumanamana (Necker Island), Hawai'i (1976.194)
work = In Timeline of Art History
publisher = Metropolitan Museum of Art
date = April 2008
url = http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/06/oc/ho_1976.194.htm
accessdate = 2008-06-29
*cite web
title = Stick God (Akua Ka'ai) Hawai'i (1979.206.1625)
work = In Timeline of Art History
publisher = Metropolitan Museum of Art
date = April 2008
url = http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/ocp/ho_1979.206.1625.htm
accessdate = 2008-06-29