The Saturday Star-Bulletin, June 6, 1959 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"
Haole "Seekers of the truth" who come to Daddy (David K.) Bray for knowledge of the old religion of Hawaii are interested to know just how the kahuna learned his skill.
Daddy Bray explains that a skilled kahuna selects a few intelligent or gifted students and orally instructs them in what he knows.
The skilled instructor becomes a Haku, one who rules others. His students obey implicitly and never question his teachings.
LIKE TEMPLE
The Hale Wanana in which the students and their Haku sit is built much like a temple. It has a sacred post at one end and a shallow fireplace in the middle. The fireplace is lined with stones.
Haku and students sit about the fireplace.
The teachings of the Haku are secret. Ths secrecy had led to the belief that the Kahuna Haku had occult knowledge which would "unlock the secrets of the universe."
That is why the "huna" in the word kahuna means "hidden" or "secret."
The real reason behind the secrecy is that the professional man of ancient Hawaii had no laws to protect him. He could not pass an examination and receive a certificate for his learning.
His learning was shown in his work.
Too often the student who had learned a little went out into the world and practised sorcery, saying he had learned it from such and such a teacher.
The secrecy helped protect the teacher from such people.
CERTIFICATE
When the Kahu felt a student had completed his training, he gave the student a "certificate" in a little ceremony.
The certificate was a small stone (perhaps it came from the fireplace) which the Kahuna Kahu handed the pupil.
In this ceremony, the pupil stood to the left of the Kahu. The Kahu placed his left hand of the pupil's head. He raised his right hand to the rising sun and he prayed to Kane, the giver of life and intelligence, that the student might go forth armed with spiritual knowledge.
NEXT: Rituals
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