ʻAi Noa

ʻAi Noa

The ʻAi Noa (Hawaiian: literally free eating),[1] 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 islands, had just died; his son Liholiho succeeded him (and was later known as King Kamehameha II). He came to power amid scenes of grief and licence.

The usual strict rules of the Hawaiian religion and social system, known as kapu, were in abeyance during the usual mourning period. Women ate pork and bananas; people had sexual intercourse with whatever they pleased; routine life was completely overthrown. When a new high chief came to power, he usually re-imposed the kapu.

Liholiho did attempt to reestablish the kapu, but he was opposed by his mother, Keōpūolani, and the other wives of Kamehameha, notably Kaʻahumanu, the powerful Maui chiefess. He took refuge in his canoe and after sailing about aimlessly for two days on the west coast of the Big Island of Hawaiiʻi, he landed and ate the feast of dogmeat (ordinarily reserved for women) that the chiefesses had prepared for him. Messengers were then sent over the islands announcing that eating was free and the kapu had fallen. The downfall of the old religion was further hastened by the arrival of Christian missionaries a few months later.

References

Primary sources

  • Dibble, Sheldon. History of the Sandwich Islands, Lahainaluna, 1843
  • Kamakau, Samuel M. Ruling Chiefs of Hawai'i, Kamehameha Schools Press, 1961 (translation and reprint of nineteenth century newspaper columns)

Secondary sources

  • Daws, Gavan -- Shoal of Time, University of Hawaii Press, 1968
  • Kuykendall, R. -- Hawaiian Kingdom, Vol. 1, University of Hawaii Press, 1938



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Noa — may refer to: Contents 1 Name 2 People 3 Characters 4 Places 5 Concepts …   Wikipedia

  • Noa bank —   noa bank Staat Deutschland Sitz Frankfurt am Main Rechtsform …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Noa'h (parasha) — Noa h (נח – Héb. il consolera francisé en Noé) est le troisième mot (èlè toldot No ah voici les générations de Noé ) et premier mot distinctif de la parasha et la seconde parasha (section hebdomadaire) du cycle annuel de lecture de la Torah. Elle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Noa James — Birth name Jamie Wilson Also known as The Intelligent Elegant Elephant Born December 31, 1984 (1984 12 31) (age 26) Queens, New York, U.S. Origin …   Wikipedia

  • Noa Nadruku — Personal information Born 19 September 1967 (1967 09 19) (age 44) Namatakula, Fiji Playing information Height 174 cm Weight 98 kg …   Wikipedia

  • Noa Tishby — Born Noa Tishby May 22, 1977 (1977 05 22) (age 34) Tel Aviv, Israel Occupation Actress Spouse Andrew Günsberg (2008–present) …   Wikipedia

  • Noa — bezeichnet einen Kurznamen von Achinoam Nini, einer israelischen Musikerin noa bank, ein deutsches Geldinstitut USS Noa (DD343), Zerstörer der US Navy (Stapellauf 1918) eine Progressive Rock Band aus Nantes aus den 70er Jahren des 20.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Noa Kalokuokamaile — DeGuair (born 1981) is related to the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He is styled as Prince with the title Kalokuokamaile III. Contents 1 Life 2 Family tree 3 References …   Wikipedia

  • Noa —  Pour l’article homophone, voir Noah. Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. NOA peut faire référence à : NOA Audio Solutions, une entreprise autrichienne, fabriquant du soft et …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Noa Kiepenheuer — Noa (Elisabeth) Kiepenheuer (* 24. Februar 1893; † 7. November 1971) war eine deutsche Übersetzerin und Verlegerin. Unter dem Pseudonym Matthias Holnstein veröffentlichte sie Erzählungen. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werke 3 Web …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Noa Hotels Club Nergis Beach — (Мармарис,Турция) Категория отеля: 4 звездочный отель Адрес: Kemal Seyf …   Каталог отелей

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”