Legends grow out of humankind’s propensity to explain the world around them, and make a distinction between themselves and nature. The Hawaiian culture brought forth a myriad of legends, many of which bear strong similarities to those of other island groups in the Pacific. These legends laid a basis for religion, government and science. Families traced genealogical lineages back to the gods and goddesses of legend. And two very strong concepts of Hawaiian religion were upheld by these legends.
One is Mana, a spiritual power that infuses people and objects, in differing amounts. Royalty, of course, possessed more mana than the common man. It was thought that contact between people or objects of differing amounts of mana would have detrimental effects on the weaker of the two.
The second was the Kapu system, which was basically a set of laws for every aspect of Hawaiian life. Penalties for violating these laws were harsh, and often resulted in death. Chiefs and priests used this system in government, which led to an abuse of power. This system was abolished soon after the death of Kamehameha the Great in 1819.
Many legends are about heroes or heroines that are the secret offspring of a royal chief. They often overcome their enemies by having great skill in fighting, games, or riddling. Other protagonists have been portrayed as demigods, able to change shape. Hawaiian legends are full of dog men, shark men, rat men, bird men, and hog men. Sometimes, they are born as an inanimate object such as rope. Many times, they are cared for by relatives other than their parents.
Legends, of course, explain how life came to be. The Hawaiians acknowledged many gods and supreme beings on various levels, representing every object, facet of life, and aspect of nature. However, four gods are particularly distinguished and these include Kane, the father of living creatures; Ku, the god of war; Kanaloa, the god of the land of departed spirits; and Lono, the god of growing things. Kane, Ku and Lono are considered to have created the heavens, earth, the sun, moon, stars, spirits, mankind, and basically everything in existence. Kanaloa was the chief of the spirits, who did not want to act as servants and messengers to mankind as the gods intended, and revolted. As a result, these spirits were cast down, and Kanaloa became the ruler of the Underworld, called Po.
Other prominent gods and goddesses include the patrons of the activities that permeated Hawaiian life. Hina, who presided over women&rsquos labors; Laka, goddess of hula; and Kuula, the god of fisherman. There is also Pele, who presided over volcanoes and had a tumultuous relationship with Kamapuaa, the hog god, and deity, who enjoyed special protection from the gods.
There are gods, lesser gods, sorcery gods, guardian gods, children of the gods who possessed supernatural powers, personal gods, and of course, ancestors that looked after their living families. Every part of ancient Hawaiian life was touched by their religion, duties, and traditions. Legends provide us a window into the past, into an ancient culture and way of life. Much of these stories were lost as the ancient Hawaiian were a culture that passed on their history, beliefs and genealogy orally. However, what has been preserved has been a rich resource for us today in learning and understanding a lifestyle that has long since evolved in the modern world.
