E ui aku ana au ia `oe
Ai hea ka wai a Kane?
Aia i kai, i ka moana
I ke kualau, i ke anuenue.
I ka punohu.
I ka ua koko.
I ka `alewalewa
Aia i laila ka wai a Kane.This question I ask of you
Where pray is the water of Kane?
Yonder at sea, on the ocean
In the ocean’s showers, in the rainbow.
In the low lying rainbow.
In the blood red rain.
Buoyantly floating
There is the water of Kane.Early Hawaiians lived in a universe that was alive with gods and ancestral spirits. Keeping these gods and spirits happy insured a happy and successful life for man. The kapu system governed all behavior, regulating and controlling the Hawaiians’ relationship to the gods, the chiefs and themselves. Regardless of one’s social standing, all activities included elaborate rituals dedicated to any one of the many gods.
Four Major Gods: The Hawaiian pantheon consisted of four major gods: Kane, god of procreation; Ku, the upright male generating power; Lono, god of agriculture, fertility and the harvest; and Kanaloa, god of the ocean.
Functional Roles: Each god assumed many different roles. For each role, they were perceived as particular and distinct gods, and had an epithet or specific name associated with each particular function. For example, the god Ku was Ku`ulakai or Ku of the sea’s abundance when he was the god of fishing. As the god of war he was Kuka`ilimoku of Ku the snatcher of land.
Kinolau: When the gods tangibly manifested themselves on the earth, they took forms called Kinolau, or numerous bodies. As an example, Ku could be found in plant form as the coconut, breadfruit or
`ohi`a lehua tree. He could also be found in an animal form as the caterpillar, worm or the cucumber. Most of Kane’s kinolau were inanimate objects and phenomenon such as lightning, hailstones and rainbows. In these visibly earthy manifestations the gods became a part of day to day life for the Hawaiian.
`Aumakua: Spirits transcended physical life and were found everywhere in the Hawaiian universe. Supernatural power or
Heiau, Places of Worship: Appeals to the gods and ancestral spirits were formally made at heiau or religious places. Here, through prayer, the deity was called, offerings given, and a request made. Offerings were usually one of the manifestations of the deity: coconuts, dog and ulua for Ku forms; pigs, `ama`ama and aholehole fish for Lono forms.
Ou kino e Lono I ka lani,
He ao loa, he ao poko,
He ao ki`ei, he ao halo,
He ao Ho`opua i ka lani.Your bodies O Lono are in the heavens,
A long cloud, a short cloud,
A watchful cloud, that overlooks,
And blossoms in the heavens.Ancestral Spirit Heiau: `Aumakua or ancestral spirits were appealed to at small altars usually within a mua or men’s house. High chiefs and rulers had a mua within their household grounds; commoners often shared a mua. Some paramount ruling families had a special form of ancestral heiau, a hale poki, such as Hale o Keawe at Honaunau, Hawai`i Island. In these small thatched houses the remains of members of a ruling line were kept.
Occupational Heiau: Specialized crafts such as fishing, hula, farming, canoe building, and medicinal healing all had heiau where the appropriate gods could be approached.
Ko`a or Fishing Shrines were dedicated to Ku`ulakai, his wife, and to family `aumakua associated with fishing success. The shrines were usually small stone platforms or enclosures along the shore with an upright god stone often present. Among the offerings were fragments of branch coral and sea urchins.
At Heiau Ho`ulu `Ai farmers worshipped the god Lono to insure a good harvest. These shrines could be simple or larger more elaborate structures.
Luakini: the highest gods were approached by the ruler at major national temples called luakini. Here appeals were made for national success in war, in agriculture, for peace, and to end famine. The luakini were huge stone platforms, enclosures or pavings, often surrounded by a wooden fence surmounted with images or skulls. Several houses stored sacred images, drums, and other ritual objects. These houses also served as temporary living quarters for the priests. Here, too, was an `anu`u, or tall pole tower, conceived by many as a conduit to the heavens and the deity.
Although appeals to a god or ancestral spirit were made at heiau where deities were often represented by images or stones, the deities appeared constantly in the many forms of nature. The gods and ancestors were constantly present and visible in many manifestations and played a key role in everyday life.
excerpt from introduction
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