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Concept
Hawaiian religion
Summary
Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitians and other Pacific islanders who landed in Hawaii between 500 and 1300 AD. It is polytheistic and animistic, with a belief in many deities and spirits, including the belief that spirits are found in non-human beings and objects such as other animals, the waves, and the sky. It was only during the reign of Kamehameha I that a ruler from Hawaii island attempted to impose a singular "Hawaiian" religion on all the Hawaiian islands that was not Christianity.
Today, Hawaiian religious practices are protected by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Traditional Hawaiian religion is unrelated to the modern New Age practice known as "Huna".
List of figures in the Hawaiian religion
Hawaiian religion is polytheistic, with many deities, most prominently Kāne, Kū, Lono and Kanaloa. Other notable deities include Laka, Kihawahine, Haumea, Papahānaumoku, and, most famously, Pele. In addition, each family is considered to have one or more guardian spirits known as ʻaumakua that protected family.
One breakdown of the Hawaiian pantheon consists of the following groups:
the four gods (ka hā) – Kū, Kāne, Lono, and Kanaloa
the forty male gods or aspects of Kāne (ke kanahā)
the four hundred gods and goddesses (ka lau)
the great multitude of gods and goddesses (ke kini akua)
the spirits (nā unihipili)
the guardians (nā aumākua)
Another breakdown consists of three major groups:
the four gods, or akua: Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
many lesser gods, or kupua, each associated with certain professions
guardian spirits, or aumakua, associated with particular families
Not all ancient Hawaiian believed in deities. Some ancient Hawaiians were atheists, referred to as 'aia'.
One Hawaiian creation myth is embodied in the Kumulipo, an epic chant linking the alii, or Hawaiian royalty, to the gods.
Official source
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