O Na Kumu Akua

May 17, 2018

O Na Kumu Akua a Pau

 In this naturalistic worldview of our post - enlightenment culture, the idea of gods and goddesses, spirits, and shapeshifters are only held in fairy tales, myths, and children stories.  The modern western man has found himself comfortable in this matrix of the natural unguided process of science and nothing else.  There is no room for what we cannot see with our natural eyes.  There is no sacred (connection with God or gods), only the secular ( whatever club they chose to be a part of, and the “cult”ure attitudes and behaviors). 

 In many indigenous world views the world is saturated and highly active with spirits.  There is a yet another layer to what we can see with our natural eyes, the realm of the sacred.  In this realm there are powers, principalities, and forces manifested by free agents with unimaginable qualities (Iʻo, Kane, Ku, Lono, Kanaloa, Wakea, Papa, Pele etc.).  With many of the world tribes (such as the Babylonians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Sumerians, and even the greek philosophers)  and upon thousands of thousands of years many of the worlds tribes have come to known these forces, ideals,and powers and may have even found ways to harness, collaborate, and maybe even work with these unseen agents.  

  In Christianity,  most evangelical theology regarding Godʻs sovereignty and angels, these principalities and unseen forces are just extensions of Godʻs will.  As if these agents were just divine robots, extensions of this kind of god.  These gods, spirits, angels, whatever you call them are static beings without the choice of making their own will come to pass.  Some sects of christianity would even go so far as to say not only this is true, but that all of humanity shares this same kind of static, zombie like, notion of a highly controlling dictatorship.  In other words we are all robots, mechanically programed, made to do the bidding of a cold distant creator.  But is this true?

 In the Hebrew bible in the book of Daniel chapter 10.  We see interactions with angels/ spirit beings taken on human forms who are either cooperating with the will of God or battling against it.  In this chapter we see the “guardian” Michael battling the god of Persia and soon awaiting the god of Greece.  There is a kind of warfare that the natural eye cannot see.  It was an assumption in the Hebrew culture of the existence of other godʻs.  And that each supernatural being like humans had free will choice to participate or wage war against each other.  Here a different perspective is seen.  One where the world we live in is as dynamic as the personalities of the individual himself as well as this free will is extended to the unseen forces and “gods” as well.  

 We see more examples within scripture of free agents choosing their own will such as the Behemoth, Leviathan, Yam (in the Psalms), Rahab, “the serpent of the air”, satan, etc.  It would not be a far assumption to take this idea and project it to the different cultures and ancient stories of other gods, goddesses, and supernatural agents.

 In Hawaiʻi there is a pantheon of gods and goddesses (akua), guardian spirits (ʻaumakua), wandering spirits (huakaʻi pō), and a deep connection to the Kupuna ( ancestors and aliʻi).  It is a life of rich and deep connection to the ʻāina and the moʻolelo in which is passed down from generation to generation.  The awareness of the activity of the spirit world was woven into every activity through pule, oli, and aloha ʻāina.  Just as Daniel was able to familiarize himself with the guardians of the geographical territories the Hawaiian people (like many indigenous people groups) were able to recognize the imprints of these gods and goddesses.  Not only there was an awareness to this reality, Hawaiianʻs took it a step further through the Aliʻi.  Aliʻi were manifested gods on earth.  They were the representation of the powers and authorities that were required to maintain Pono (ballance).  Some Aliʻi were so sacred that if even their shadow were casted on you the consequence would be death.  The spiritual world was not even hinted as a joke to the Hawaiian people.  Much care, attention, and sacrifice was given that they would be in harmony with all of creation (seen and unseen).   

 With the coming of the Calvinistic Christians to Hawaiʻi in 1819, came many positive and negative impacts.  With Calvinistic Christians from the ABCFM  leaning more to a hellenistic Aristotelian view as God as an Infinite in power, knowledge, and size (omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent etc.), God became less personal and relational and more abstract and authoritative.  And all gods and goddesses were reduced to evil and wicked in the eyes of the uncultured missionaries.  With this hellenistic christianity hints of Gnosticism became yet another invasive species.  The idea of the physical being evil and only the “spiritual” is good, came many destruction of the sacred sites, places, and geographical locations.  Another school of thought that came with the missionaries were the “Apatheia” of Stocisim.  Where in Hawaiian worldview you are an active agent with the gods, the school of greek thought that influenced these missionaries came the idea of “gods providence”.  That whatever happened you could not change it, it is the natural, unstoppable will of god.  

 Here we start to see the sterilization of religion and spirituality and the split between the sacred and the secular.  Does one leave the complex dynamic interconnected spiritual world for a more straightforward, academic, greek focused religion?  While both alternatives donʻt seem very outdated these were some of the very questions the people of the past (and present) have to answer deep within.  Is it easier to stay objective and passive?  Yes.  It seems better to not event mention these types of topics at all.  But is it beneficial to for the spirit of a man to see beyond himself and into the realm of the unknown?  Yes, but only with guidance and council from the spirit of wisdom and the guardians entrusted to keep pono in their respective territories.

 

HWN Studies 107 ESSAY #2

Sam Peralta

HWN 107

   
 With the first European arrival in 1778 came an introduction to the western worldview.  A worldview very different than the particular conception of the world, or a philosophy of life as the Hawaiian people.  At the start of the 18th century the “Age of Enlightenment” became the dominant view in which much of Europe and the American people have come to known.   The Enlightenment included a range of ideas centered on reason as the primary source of authority and legitimacy and came to advance ideals like liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government and separation of church and state.  During this “Age of Discovery” period in Europe and America, there were many catalyst that gave these explorers/ voyagers this sense of mission, “calling”, and or duty to “Manifest destiny”.  

“Historian William E. Weeks has noted that three key themes were usually touched upon by advocates of manifest destiny: 1) The virtue of the American people and their institutions; 2) The mission to spread these institutions, thereby redeeming and remaking the world in the image of the United States;  3) The destiny under God to do this work”.  These ideas were willing to become manifested by the people who held them, all that was needed was the places to do so.

 Landing in the 18th and 19th century to Hawaii was not only this type of worldview but things like free ranging livestock, diseases/ sicknesses (which brought losses of human life at the highest levels), and diversion of malama ‘aina to more commercial activities all contributed to the shaking of the core of the Hawaiian worldview which was directly related to the relationship of the ‘aina.  For example because of the commercial venture of sandalwood harvesting and production many of the daily cultural practices were put aside.  Large amounts of sandalwood would take the places of natural resources in which provided nurishment, quality of living, and a relationship to the ‘aina.  Another example would be the types of material goods that was brought in.  The concept of exchanging paper for more choice options such as alcohol, trinkets, and gun powder became a temptation, bartering no longer was the common norm but longing of these foreign material items became a disruption to the social fabric of the Hawaiian people.  With new diseases, desires, and delicacies the people of Hawaii was dealt with even greater pressures and tensions in an ever increasing, changing, and what one could perceive as unstable environment.  With the death of Kamehameha in 1819, Hawaii was now in an ever increasing fragile state.  The lifting of the “Ai kapu” and the time period of the “Ai noa” was now instated by Kamehameha’s son Liholiho.  During this time frame the Ali’i called for a breaking of the “Ai kapu” by presenting an act of defiance to the ancient traditional ways.  This sparked a chain of events that leave some of the Hawaiian people in total trust of their Ali’i nui and the unseen forces and others willing to sacrifice their very lives against this act of negligence.  Within less than a year another universe of ideas are introduced to the Hawaiian people by the ABCFM Calvinist Missionaries.  With ever increasing change these new sets of ideas in politics, economy, spirituality, religion, and tradition bring in new challenges that Hawaiian people had to navigate though.  Learning to read and write english and hawaiian was a great advancement for Hawaii.  This gave great insight to both cultures and an open door to the world and even the next.  But in the back drop of this story, businessman, pharisees, and, schemers continued to investigate ways on how to suppress, steal, and destroy this relationship the people of Hawaii had with their Akua, aumakua, kupuna, and ‘aina.  Here we start to see the denigration of the Hawaiian beliefs and practices, the regulating of the Hawaiian language, and harmful prejudices.  Education systems become english speaking only schools, businesses and churches strive for land ownership, and the replacement of natural land resource managements for exportation of commercial use.  The western mindset becomes a bully in the home lands of the Hawaiian people using its political manipulation for its own selfish gain in the name of “providence”. 

 Ancient cultural practices kept Hawaiians connected to their comlex value system.  It was a way to live in the sacred and to be aware of the unseen.  With oppression facing the Hawaiian way of living, and the forces of colonialism in act, Hawaii was at constant threat by hungry land owners.  These ingredients all added up to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893.

Sources:

Changes in Society and Plant Use After 1820

Brief Chronology of Post-contact Hawai’i

Bud Clark Philosophy 101

Kiope Raymond HWN 107

Video: Act of War