Lono

Last updated
Lono
fertility, agriculture, rainfall, music and peace.
Figure of Lono-71.1879.10.11-DSC00191-black.jpg
Late 18th-century figure of Lono, on display at the Louvre.
Gendermale
Personal information
Born
near the graves of Keawe

In Hawaiian religion, the god Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, music and peace. In one of the many Hawaiian stories of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with rain and food plants. He was one of the four gods (with , Kāne, and Kāne's twin brother Kanaloa) [1] who existed before the world was created. Lono was also the god of peace. In his honor, the great annual festival of the Makahiki was held. During this period (from October through February), war and unnecessary work was kapu (forbidden).

Contents

In Hawaiian weather terminology, the winter Kona storms that bring rain to leeward areas are associated with Lono. Lono brings on the rains and dispenses fertility, and as such was sometimes referred to as Lono-makua (Lono the Provider). Ceremonies went through a monthly and yearly cycle. For 8 months of the year, the luakini (temple) was dedicated to Ku-with strict kapus. Four periods (kapu pule) each month required strict ceremonies. Violators could have their property seized by priests or overlord chiefs, or be sentenced to death for serious breaches. [2]

Lono and Captain Cook

There is some debate to whether Native Hawaiians perceived Captain James Cook as Lono's incarnation, which may have later caused Cook's death (see Third voyage of James Cook). A Hawaiian god or "an ak[ua] is a being of nature. one of immense power, which may be an invisible spirit or a living person." [3] It would not be abnormal for an akua to journey across an ocean, or physically appear, compared to the Judeo-Christian-Islamic god. [4]

In Martha Beckwith's telling Cook was perceived to be the god Lono, It was traditionally held that the god Lono had appeared as a human who then established games and the annual taxing. Before departing to "Kahiki", he promised to return "by sea on the canoes ʻAuwaʻalalua". An unidentified queen identified it as a "Spanish man of war", recalling the alleged arrival of a Spanish galleon. Mary Pukui interpreted this as "very large double canoe", from ʻAu[hau]-waʻa-l[o]a-lua. However, Pukui may have been referring to the Portuguese man o' war, which Hawaiians called ʻAuwaʻalalua. [5]

Noenoe Silva offers the alternate perspective that Cook may not have been perceived as an akua. Instead "Cook may also just have been nicknamed Lono because his ship reminded Kanaka of the mo'olelo, and because 'Cook' was impossible to pronounce." [4]

Other Lonos (different cultures and beliefs)

Better known to the Hawaiian mythology is an earlier Lono-i-ka-makahiki from the ʻUmi line of ruling Hawaii Island aliʻi (i.e., chiefs, royalty). This Lono was born and raised near the graves of Keawe and his descendants, which were near the place of Captain Cook's monument. This Lono may have cultivated the arts of warfare and puns as well as riddle games and spear-dodging games for the Makahiki. [5]

However, it is unlikely either late ruling chiefs on the ʻUmi line was the mythological Lono who departed to Kahiki. Both chiefs were born in Hawaii, and no legend tells of either of them sailing away with a promise to return. A more plausible candidate for the god Lono is the legendary Laʻa-mai-Kahiki (i.e., the "Sacred-one-from-Tahiti), who purportedly lived several centuries earlier.

Laʻa came as a younger member of the Moikeha family of North Tahiti, older members of whom had settled earlier in the Hawaiian archipelago. He brought with him a small hand-drum, and a flute for the hula. Upon his arrival, the locals heard his flute and the rhythm of the new drumbeat, believing it was the god Kupulupulu.

Kupulupulu was worshiped as god of the hula, who also took the form of the flowering lehua tree as well as the god of native fauna that sustained early Polynesian settlers. Especially on Oahu, this Laʻa-mai-kahiki took wives in various districts. Oahu Island was the stronghold of Lono's worship, where many families claimed descent from La'a. He seems to have sailed back to Tahiti at least once before his final departure. This traveler of a great Tahitian family, who appeared like a god, enriched the New Year festivals with games and drama, ultimately influencing the Hawaiians into believing he was a god. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the three major Hawaiian deities, along with Kū and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and gives life associated with dawn, sun and sky. No human sacrifice or laborious ritual was needed in the worship of Kāne. In the Kumuhonua legend, he created Earth, bestowed upon it sea creatures, animals, plants, as well as created man and woman.

In Hawaiian religion, Hiʻiaka is a daughter of Haumea and Kāne.

In Hawaiian mythology, Kaiwa is a trickster god who killed goddess Haumea at Niuhelewai, by catching her in a net obtained from Makali’i. He then killed Lonokaeho, also called Piokeanuenue, king of Ko'olau, by singing an incantation. Kaiwa is known for being extremely powerful and strong, both physically and with magic, and he had many adventures in Hawaiian mythology. He is known for his control over the forces of nature and the weather patterns on the islands.

In Hawaiian mythology, an ʻaumakua is a personal or family god that originated as a deified ancestor, and which takes on physical forms such as spirit vehicles. An 'aumakua may manifest as a shark, owl, bird, octopus, or inanimate objects such as plants or rocks. The word ʻaumakua means ancestor gods and is derived from the Hawaiian words au which means period of time or era, and makua meaning parent, parent generation, or ancestor. Hawaiians believed that deceased family members would transform into ʻaumakua and watch over their descendants with a loving concern for them while also being the judge and jury of their actions.

In Hawaiian religion, the Kumulipo is the creation chant, first recorded by non-Hawaiians in the 18th century. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty and was created in honor of Kalaninuiamamao and passed down orally to his daughter Alapaiwahine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hula</span> Hawaiian traditional dance form

Hula is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (oli) or song (mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Hawaii</span> Period in Hawaiian history

Ancient Hawaiʻi is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification in 1810 of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadically between 400 and 1100 CE by Polynesian long-distance navigators from the Samoan, Marquesas, and Tahiti islands within what is now French Polynesia. In 2010, a study was published based on radiocarbon dating of more reliable samples which suggests that the islands were settled much later, within a short timeframe, in about 1219 to 1266.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makahiki</span> Ancient Hawaiian season of New Year festival

The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion.

Paʻao is a figure from Hawaii. He is most likely a Hawaiian historical character retold through Hawaiian legend. According to Hawaiian tradition and folklore, he is said to have been a high priest from Kahiki, specifically "Wewaʻu" and "ʻUpolu." In Hawaiian prose and chant, the term "Kahiki" is applied in reference to any land outside of Hawaii, the linguistic root is conclusively derived from Tahiti. "Upolu" point to actual places in, Samoa, and Hawaiian scholars and royal commentators consistently claim Paʻao came from Samoa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of the Native Hawaiians</span> Pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Hawaii and its people

The culture of the Native Hawaiians encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms practiced by the original residents of the Hawaiian islands, including their knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits. Humans are estimated to have first inhabited the archipelago between 124 and 1120 AD when it was settled by Polynesians who voyaged to and settled there. Polynesia is made of multiple island groups which extend from Hawaii to New Zealand across the Pacific Ocean. These voyagers developed Hawaiian cuisine, Hawaiian art, and the Native Hawaiian religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heiau</span> Hawaiian temple

A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick, offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure the health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war (luakini).

In Hawaiian mythology, Kapo is a goddess of fertility, sorcery and dark powers. Kapo is also known as Kapo-ʻula-kīnaʻu, where "the epithet ula-kinaʻu is used in allusion to the fact that her attire, red in color, is picked out with black spots. The name Kapo alone is the only by which she is usually known." "Kapo is said to have been born of Papa while she was living up Kalihi valley on Oahu with Wakea, her husband. Some say that she was born from the eyes of Papa. She is of high rank and able to assume many shapes at will." She is the mother of Laka, although some versions have them as the same goddess. She is the sister of Kāne Milohaʻi, Kāmohoaliʻi, Pele, Nāmaka and Hiʻiaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaiian religion</span> Polytheistic, animistic Hawaiian religious beliefs

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 Hawaiʻi 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kū</span> Hawaiian god of war.

In Hawaiian religion, is one of the four great gods. The other three are Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono. Some feathered god images or akua hulu manu are considered to represent Kū. Kū is worshiped under many names, including Kū-ka-ili-moku, the "Snatcher of Land". Rituals for Kūkaʻilimoku included human sacrifice, which was not part of the worship of other gods.

Kahiko-Lua-Mea is a god in Hawaiian mythology, who was once a chief on the Earth and lived in Olalowaia. He is mentioned in the chant Kumulipo and in the Chant of Kūaliʻi.

In Hawaiian mythology, Welaʻahilaninui was a god or the first man, the forefather of Hawaiians. He is mentioned as an ancestor of Hawaiian chiefs in the ancient Hawaiian chant Kumulipo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Native cuisine of Hawaii</span> Traditional Hawaiian cuisine

Native Hawaiian cuisine refers to the traditional Hawaiian foods that predate contact with Europeans and immigration from East and Southeast Asia. The cuisine consisted of a mix of indigenous plants and animals as well as plants and animals introduced by Polynesian voyagers, who became the Native Hawaiians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maweke</span>

According to the Hawaiian chants, Chief Maweke was a chief of the highest known rank who lived in the 11th century. He is described in the legends as a wizard and an Aliʻi of "the blue blood". He was an ancestor of the royalty of the island of Oahu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional Hawaiian games</span>

Pāʻani Hawaiʻi or Pāʻani for short, are Hawaiian play, games, and contests. Most pāʻani Hawaiʻi place pertinence on language and chanting as part of the pāʻani, excepting only lele koali, a Hawaiian swinging game based around either a koali vine or a koali hao. Manaleo “Aunty” Alice in her Ka Leo Hawaiʻi interview stated that an exchange of words and play spans either a few days or a whole week during lele koali. During this time, everybody gathers to socialize, tell stories, play music, and share meals. Pāʻani Hawaiʻi has been compared in anthropological study to Japanese games.

References

  1. The Kumulipō, line 1714
  2. Cordy, Ross "Exalted sits the chief: The ancient History of the Hawai'i Island". Honolulu, HI Mutual Publishing (2000), 61
  3. Herb Kawainui Kāne, in Current Anthropology's forum on Robert Bor-ofsky,"Cook, Lono, Obeyesekere,and Sahlins," Current Anthropology 38,no. 2(April 1997):265, as cited in Silva, Noenoe K.(2004). Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism. Duke University Press Books. p19 ISBN   978-0822333494
  4. 1 2 Silva, Noenoe K.(2004). Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism. Duke University Press Books. p19 ISBN   978-0822333494
  5. 1 2 3 Beckwith, Martha (1951). The Kumulipo: A Hawaiian Creation Chant.