GODS

Pō: timeless night, a deep darkness

Ao: the light of infinite wisdom

The coming together of light and darkness, an embrace of opposites, the universe is given form and life.  And of this union were the great spirits born. 

Every aspect of life was carried out in accordance with deeply implanted beliefs that each object in the universe was possessed of spirit.  Every significant undertaking began & culminated with appropriate rituals,   Events in the life of an individual from birth to death were celebrated with prayers and feasts which honored the family gods.  These gods and guardians were relatives, more sacred and powerful then any living person.  These gods were the source of all power and mana.

Kane – procreator reigned over all.  Provider of sunlight, fresh water & the life substances in nature.  As Kanenuiakea he is the maker of heaven, earth and all the living things that fill them.  As Kanehoalani he rules the heavens. The name Kane means male.

Ku – patron of all works concerning men. Under many guises and names, representing the male generating powers.  Protocols and ritual in his honor were the most demanding, including the uplifting mohai (human offering), performed on the luakini heiau.  Hina (also Haumea in some manifestations), wife of Ku is the supreme female spirit.  Ku means upright.

Lono – god of agriculture, peace, fertility and healing.  All natural phenomena as the winds, rains, clouds and anuenue (rainbow) are manifestations of Lono.  Offerings at the māpele (heiau dedicated to Lono) consisted largely of agricultural products.

Kanaloa – lord of the sea and all within and on it.

These deities, collectively called akua, helped the people in a particular profession or were associated with natural phenomenon.  As assistants of sorts, were the kini akua (40,000), or spirits in all living things.

The aumakua are family or ancestral gods.  The people believe that the spiritual essence was not destroyed by death but merely removed from the body to dwell in the timeless expanse of Pō – the spirit world.  On a very personal level, consisting of renowned family members from the past, humans of extraordinary existence, whose spirits could take earthly forms called kinolau, and were called upon by the living for guidance in their daily lives.  These gods were invoked for everyday tasks of fishing, planting, building, eating and playing.

As a general interpretation of the people’s relationship with these spirits, it can be said that all elements of life were descended from the primordial.  Man and all of nature alike.  As a consequence, the original creative spirits are their natural ancestors, as well as the progenitors of all living things.  Thus making man and nature related by a common ancestry.  It is only natural then, that the kanaka maoli (people) view the spirits of the seas, rain, mountains, forests, and all other living things as natural as opposed to supernatural.  Religion and law were one.  The resulting lifestyle explains how the Polynesians of these Islands existed in as near perfect a balance with nature that man has attained.