Shaman (Artwork)
Kahuna. Shamans in Hawaiian Culture. The Knowledge
Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined in the Pukui & Elbert (1986) as a "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession.
Forty different types of kahuna are listed in the book, Tales from the Night Rainbow. Kamakau lists more than 20 in the healing professions alone, including for example Kahuna la'au lapa'au, an expert in herbal medicine and kahuna haha, an expert in diagnosing illnesses.
With the revival of the Hawaiian culture beginning in the 1970s, some native Hawaiian cultural practitioners call themselves kahuna today. Others, particularly devout Christians, disdain the term. The word has been given an esoteric or secret meaning by modern followers of Max Freedom Long and Huna to emphasise a priestly or shamanic standing.
Legal status of Kahuna
Many myths have grown up around kahuna. One is that kahuna were outlawed after the white man came to Hawai'i. For the purpose of this discussion, it is useful to divide kahuna into 3 categories: "craft" kahuna, such as kalai wa'a, an expert canoe maker, and ho'okele, an expert navigator; "sorcerers" including kahuna 'ana'ana; and healers.
Craft kahuna were never prohibited; however, during the decline of native Hawaiian culture many died out and did not pass on their wisdom to new students. As an example, when the Hōkūle‘a was built to be sailed to the South Pacific to prove the voyaging capabilities of the ancient Hawaiians, master navigator Mau Piailug from Satawal was brought to Hawai'i to teach the Hawaiians navigation, as no Hawaiians could be found who still had this knowledge.
It is often said that the missionaries came to Hawai'i in 1820 and made kahuna practices illegal. In the 100 years after the missionaries arrived: all kahuna practices were legal until 1831, some were illegal until 1863, all were legal until 1887, then some illegal until 1919. Since 1919, all have been legal, except sorcery which was decriminalized in 1972.
The first Christian missionaries arrived in 1820. The most powerful person in the nation, Ka‘ahumanu, did not convert until 1825. But it was not until 11 years after missionaries arrived that she proclaimed laws against hula, chant, ‘awa (kava), and Hawaiian religion. (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs, p. 298-301)
As both healing and sorcery were based in prayer to the ancient gods, the kāhuna went underground for the next 30 years. During that same time, as a result of the high death rate among Hawaiians from introduced diseases, some died before they were able to pass on their wisdom. But many others quietly kept the traditions alive within their families.
King Kamehameha V came to power in 1863. He disdained the law and encouraged the revival of native practices. (Chai) Many kahuna who had been quietly practicing came forward. On Maui, a group of eight Hawaiians founded the 'Ahahui La'au Lapa'au in 1866. They were not only kahuna, several were also members of the Hawai'i Legislature. They interviewed twenty-one kahuna to compile a complete resource of prayers and remedies for the Legislative record. (These interviews have been republished in the book, Must We Wait in Despair? by Malcolm Naea Chun.)
In response to this and other initiatives, in 1868 the Legislature established a Hawaiian Board of Health to license kahuna la'au lapa'au. Kahuna practices including lomilomi massage and la'au kahea healing remained legal for the next twenty years. But the following year, "sorcery" was made illegal, and it remained illegal until 1972.
Both Kamehameha V and his successor, King Kalakaua, invited kahuna to come to Honolulu to share their wisdom. They compiled oral and written histories and documented the prayers, chants, hulas, and remedies for healings. Kalakaua convened groups of kahuna to consult with each other to preserve their heritage. This and many other moves by Kalakaua outraged the Christian residents. In 1887 they forced the “Bayonet Constitution” upon the King. The Legislature outlawed all kahuna practices, including "praying to cure," a law in effect for the next thirty-two years.
In 1919 the Legislature passed a law once again licensing kahuna la'au lapa'au to practice, and since then it has been legal to practice herbal medicine. The Legislature repealed the anti-sorcery laws in 1972 (well before the federal government’s American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978) and since then all forms of practice are legal.
In 2001, a licensing law was put in place which allows native practitioners to be certified by Papa Ola Lokahi and the community health centers (not the State). Some have come forward to be licensed, while others refuse to participate in what they see as fundamentally a Western process. (Chai)
While all this legal maneuvering has been going on, many traditional practitioners have continued to practice as they and their ancestors have always done.
Non-Hawaiian uses.
Interesting to note that the word for priest, Kahuna, is reminiscent of the Hebrew word for priest: Kohen. The use of the term in reference to surfing can be traced back to the 1959 film Gidget, in which "The Big Kahuna", played by Cliff Robertson, was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket Bingo, where the "Big Kahuna" was the best surfer on the beach. Eventually, it was adopted into general surfing culture. Hawaiian surfing master Duke Kahanamoku may have been referred to as the "Big Kahuna" but rejected the term as he knew the original meaning of the word.
Types of Kahuna
Kahuna:
Keeper of the Secret or Sacred Knowledge. Master Teacher. Specialist in one or more fields. Early form of Scientist.
Kahuna Kupua A'o:
Kahuna of the Order of Kane or High Priest. Master Teacher of Enlightenment or the Art of Self Realization. This priesthood class was banned under penalty of death after the Ali'i invasion. Elements survived and secretly preserved the knowledge of their ancestors until the day it could once again "Fly around the world as if on wings of a bird!"
Kanuna 'Ana'ana:
Specialist at praying enemies to death. A Sorcerer. A malevolent person who gives his/her power to the dark side. Banned in the pre-ali'i culture, this priesthood class became popular after the Ali'i invasion.
Kahuna Haha:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in diagnosing illness by touch.
Kahuna Ha'i'olelo:
A Kahuna of the Order of Ku who specializes in moving energy through speaking and/or chanting. Preacher.
Kahuna Hana Aloha
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in making Love Potions with herbs, prayers, and even hypnosis.
Kahuna Ho'ohanau:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in delivering babies. Midwife.
Kahuna Ho'opi'opi'o:
A Kahuna of the Order of Kane who specializes in counteracting sorcery by sending back any life-taking energy to the Kahuna 'Ana'ana who sent it. This usually resulted in the Kahuna 'Ana'ana being killed.
Kahuna Ho'omanamana:
A Kahuna of the Order of Ku who specializes in restoring spiritual connections. A Spiritualist or Medium.
Kahuna Ho'oulu'ai:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in agriculture.
Kahuna Kalai:
A Kahuna of the Order of Ku who specializes in carving and sculpting. Can recognize the spirit inside the raw material that wants to be given form.
Kahuna Ki'i:
A form of ali'i kahuna. A priest who was the caretaker of the Images used by Ali'i kings. This person wrapped, oiled and stored the images; and carried them ahead of the Chief in battle.
Kahuna Kilokilo:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in reading clouds and omens in the skies.
Kahuna Kilolani:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in astronomy and reading omens in the stars.
Kahuna Kilo Lima:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in reading signs on a persons body like hands, eyes, etc.
Kahuna Kilo Moana:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in oceanography.
Kahuna La'au Lapa'au:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in medicine using herbal preparation, food, and other forms of natural therapies. Similar to a modern naturopath.
Kahuna Lapa'au:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in the general practice of medicine. Similar to a family doctor of today.
Kahuna Lawai'a:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in fishing.
Kahuna Lena:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in diagnosing by sight.
Kahuna Lomilomi:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in bodywork to restore balance in the body so mana (life energy) can flow properly. True lomilomi is a spiritual practice combined with a form of bodywork.
Kahuna Nui:
A form of ali'i kahuna. An ali'i High Priest, who is a counselor to the High Chief.
Kahuna O'o:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in surgery.
Kahuna Pa'ao'ao:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in children's medicine. Similar to a modern pediatrician.
Kahuna Pale Keiki
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in using herbs, diet, and other physical and spiritual therapies to insure a healthy birth. Similar to a modern obstetrician.
Kahuna Po'o:
A form of ali'i kahuna. An ali'i High Priest, who took the place of Kahuna of the Order of Kane after the ali'i invasion and genocide.
Kahuna Po'i Uhane:
A form of ali'i kahuna. Spirit catcher who subjects spirits to servitude. These people would work to enslave the spirits of those captured in battle before execution.
Kahuna Pule
A Kahuna of the Order of Kane who is a specialist at meditation and making prayers.
Kahuna Wa'a:
Kahuna of the Order of Lono who specializes in canoe building. To select the tree the Kahuna waits for a woodpecker at early dawn. If the woodpecker pecks the tree it is rejected and another tree is selected. After cutting and finishing, the Kahuna launches the canoe with special rituals and offerings to insure that the journeys made with the canoe will be safe and productive. The Kahuna who carves the canoe stays closely affiliated with it throughout life to insure it is treated in a sacred manner.
Kahuna Kumu Hula:
Kahuna of the Order of Ku who specializes in moving energy through the sacred dance of Hula. The Kumu is the recognized master of some branch of hula.
Kahuna Kumu Oli
Kahuna of the Order of Ku who specializes in moving energy through a form of chant that was not danced to. The Kumu is the recognized master of some form or style of chant.
http://www.hunawisdom.com/type_of_kahuna
Thank you to Wikipedia and Huna Wisdom for these excerpts.
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