► The Kahuna and His Polynesian Gods

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Wednesday,June 10, 1959 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"

     Haole "seekers of the truth" who came to Daddy (David K.) Bray for enlightenment are often surprised to learn that the old Hawaiians had religious differences just as we have today.

     Each of the four great gods of Hawaii had their "school" of priests and followers. The schools were like the division among our Catholic,  Episcopalean, Unitarian and Congregationalists.

     In addition there were many independent Kahunas who set up their own schools, much like today's cultists.

KANE CREATOR
     All ancient schools acknowledged Kane as the creator and giver of life. They acknowledged Ku-nui-akea as the architect and builder, the god who was the builder and destroyer at the same time.

     Lono-nui-akea, was the god of fertility - he who dwelt in the rain clouds and was a messenger between earth and Kane.

     Kanaloa was the god of the ocean and sustainer of life; important because "it is from the ocean that come life."

     These four were the high gods. Dwelling on earth were thousands of other gods of whom, Pele, the volcano, and Haumea, the earth goddess, were the more important.

     During the nineteenth century, after the coming of Christianity, there arose a group among the Hawaiians who claimed that their ancestors had worshipped a supreme god named Io. They produced  an ancient prayer to prove their contention.

     Daddy Bray is one of those who believes in Io.

     In accepting the Bible, practically all nineteenth century Hawaiians thought of Kane as "god the father", Ku as the "Holy Ghost" and Lono as "Christ".

     Kanaloa was consigned to hell by these people.

     Because of this identification of the old gods with the Trinity in the Bible, you often hear Hawaiians of today say "We had the truth long before the white man brought us the Bible."

     In addition to all these gods, the Hawaiians had personal saints whom they called aumakua. The aumakua were definitely ancestors who regularly visited their earth children to give them assistance. 

     The aumakua of the day were those who had lived on earth and helped with early matters. The aumakua of the night was a "Heavenly force."

NEXT: Reincarnation