► The Human God of Kamehameha

Honolulu Star Bulletin. June 22, 1953 - Tales About Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor 

THE HUMAN GOD OF KAMEHAMEHA

HIDDEN ALII, No. 6

     An important position in the preiesthood of old Hawaii on the Big Island was that of Kamohoalii, the priest who took the part of a human god in religious ceremonies.

     He became a human god in the minds of the Hawaians because his duty included the enforcement of kapus (taboos) which regulated worship of the great gods.

     It was much easier for Kamohoalii to decree the death penalty if the peoplethought of him as a god in human form. Death was a punishment for all those who broke the rules and regulations daown by the priesthood as the proper worship of the gods.

NAKED GOD
     To further the idea of his godhood, the Hawaiian priests had Kamohoa(m)alii take part in temple ceremonies naked. He only wore the garments of a priest only when traveling with the king. Nakedness was the symbold of modesty and by going naked, Kamahoalii showed is respect for the god he represented.

     Kamohoalii had many important fundctions to perform. He took part in the opening cermonies which opened the opelu fishing season and those which closed the opelu season and opened the aku fishing season.

     At the end of the month, when the moon disappeared for a night, he hid in a darkened house as the symbol of the dying moon renewing its life by spending the night with the great god Kane, giver of life. He spent the night praying life into the moon.

     During the harvest festival (Makahiki), he traveled with the banner of the god Lono and enforced the kapus for this god and incidentally helped gather the taxes.

PRIVILEDGES OF A GOD
     Wherever he went, Kamohoalii was preceeded by his own heralds whe carried his tabu stick which had the white feathers of the white haupu bird attached to one end.

     Being a god, Kamohoalii was allowed priviledges no other men possesed. He could eat with alii women without breaking his sanctity or harming them.

     But, the greatest of ll his privledges was the law which allowed him to break all kapus without offending.  For instance, when other male members of the alii were shut up for for four to 10 days at a time in a house within the temple to take part in a ceremony, he could that kapu without suffering the penalty of death.

     It was the priviledge that leads to our story of the hidden alii.

Next: Moopu I

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Source: https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-300-43958-0-84/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic

► Molokai's Iliili-Opae: A Lono Temple - 16

Honolulu Star Bulletin. Friday, February 1, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor   

     So great was the consternation caused bu the destruction of Iliili-opae Heiau at Mapulehu that generations went by before the temple was again put to use.

     Those priests of Ku who had not been killed in the downpour which destroyed the temple fled in fear to other islands.

     The people of Molokai nodded their heads and said,  " You see Lono was offended by the number of sacrifices required. He has decreed that men are sacred to him."

     So, in time, the people forgot their horror and since they needed a special heiau to Lono at each annual Makahiki (harvest festival), they rebuilt the heiau.

     Kaalauohua was the name of the king who gathered up the stones of the old temple and rebuilt it.

DEDICATED TO LONO

     Instead of dedicated the entire structure to Ku, he dedicated it to Lono, god of peace and fertility.

     Lono's lama house was again located at the east corner of the heiau platform, where it was accessible to the farmer.

     A platform, 268 feet in length and 85 feet wide, with terraces on three sides, was salvaged and again made the home of Ku.

     Instead of holding sacrificial services at the Ku kapu a  sacrifice was made once a month on the night of Kane (24th of the month).

     Drums were beaten to call the people to the temple. Common men knelt in ranks outside and about the temple. Women hid in the hills where they were not seen.

ALL COULD SEE

     There was no wall about the temple, so all could look upon the ceremony. The sacrifice was carried in alive and tied to a scaffold and strangled.

     At the conclusion of the ceremony, the sacrifice was burnt in a pit at the southeast corner of the temple.

     Services to Lono were carried on at almost any time and anyone could attend (except women).

     The farmer brought his first fruits to an outer wall of the Lono temple where they were received by an underling priest.

SAYS PRAYER

     The priest said a prayer over them.

     In his prayer was correctly said without faltering or without a mistaken word, the first fruits were accepted and taken into the inner temple where they were laid before Lono.

     The farmer went away happy. The acceptance of his offering brought him a blessing and he knew that his next crop would be bountiful.

NEXT: Molokai Mana