Hawaiian mythology includes animism and polytheism, with Lono and Pele as notable deities. The Hawaiian Islands were settled by Polynesians who brought their religions. Traditional religions were discouraged or outlawed during colonization, but some aspects survived. Mana is a primary concept, and the Kumulipo is a sacred text. Hula dancing was originally a prayer to spirits and gods like Pele. European explorers arrived in the late 1700s, and Captain James Cook was originally believed to be the god Lono. Some concepts from Hawaiian mythology have influenced world culture, such as mana and the hula dance.
Hawaiian mythology refers to the traditional beliefs of the native Hawaiian people. These beliefs resemble those of other South Pacific cultures, as Polynesian and Tahitian explorers were the first settlers of Hawaii. Hawaiian mythology includes animism, the belief that inanimate objects and places contain spirits, and polytheism, the reverence for a large pantheon of gods. Among these deities are Lono, a god of fertility, and Pele, the famous spirit of volcanoes. Though discouraged by the ruling classes during the colonization era, some elements of this native religion, such as hula dancing, have survived to the present day.
Precise dates are not known, but the Hawaiian Islands are thought to have first been settled between AD 400 and 1000. These settlers, from other Polynesian islands, brought their religions with them and established new traditions over the following centuries locals. Shortly after European explorers arrived in the late 1700s, the warring tribes of Hawaii were united into a single kingdom. Under pressure from business interests and Christian missionaries, traditional religions were discouraged or outlawed well into the 20th century. As with many indigenous traditions around the world, however, some aspects of the faith were kept alive in secret until they could be practiced openly in more progressive times.
A primary concept in Hawaiian mythology is mana, a spiritual force that inhabits most people, inanimate objects, and even some revered words. The Hawaiian creation myth is codified in the Kumulipo, a sacred text that describes how creatures of the Earth, mankind, and even the gods were born from a primordial darkness. The Kumulipo contains a genealogy relating the gods to early Hawaiian chieftains, bestowing a kind of divinity on mankind. Spiritual leaders called kahunas supervised religious practices. These included harvest festivals, severe punishments for violations of tradition, and the occasional human sacrifice.
An important deity was Lono, a peaceful fertility god who descended to Earth on a rainbow. One of the best-known figures in Hawaiian mythology is Pele, the volcano goddess. Hula dancing, a famous Hawaiian tradition, was originally a prayer to spirits and gods like Pele. Volcanic eruptions were considered signs of Pele’s displeasure. In the early 1800s, a Hawaiian queen offered a Christian prayer at the brink of a volcano; when Pele didn’t punish her with eruption, many islanders lost faith in the old ways.
The first European explorer to arrive in Hawaii, Captain James Cook, was originally believed to be the god Lono. In the 20th century, notorious journalist Hunter S. Thompson claimed to be a reincarnation of Lono during a visit to Hawaii, but the natives didn’t enjoy it. Other concepts from Hawaiian mythology, such as mana, have influenced world culture. The Force, a spiritual concept in the Star Wars film saga, looks a lot like the idea; role-playing games and fantasy fiction also use the name and concept of mana. The hula dance has become a popular representation of Hawaiian culture for the tourist trade, and for some dancers it retains its original spiritual significance.
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