From:    John Shklov

To:      Rich Harper                              Msg #10, 27-Feb-88 02:41

Subject: Hawaiian Myths



Just some loose info re Hawaii/Hawaiian mythology etc...The Hawaiians of old

had no written language so everything had to memorized and passed down from

teacher to pupil.  Comparing chants from different parts of the pacific show

amazingly little change took place in this word of mouth process. Some

cultures seperated by thousands of years (carbon-dating gives clues as to

when migrations took place) have almost identical chants!(recorded when

whitey came on the scene )  All knowledge was passed this way..as a result

they were a culture of specialists.  Each kahuna specialized in a specific

aspect of knowledge, be it medicine for healing or for killing or fishing

methodology or warfare.  They believed in a highself a midself and a low

self much as in Hinduism.  Different Gods represented different aspects of

life and had power over different times of the year and different activities.

For example Ku, was the God of war and represented the forces of death.

 Lono

represented the agricultural cycles and the power of life and renewal.

 In themind of the Hawaiian these were just two aspects of the same

totality.



Hawaiians had a VERY structured society and a set of rules that MUST be

obeyed or one risked death or some worse punishment...eyeball gouging,

torture etc..The upper classes got better food and after many generations

of superior victuals and intermarriage they became significantly larger and

stronger.  These upper classes ruled by force and superior warfare skills.

One of the special areas of knowledge that the Alii or upper classes

concentrated upon was the skills and technology of war.  They passed these

skills down to their men children.  Women were disfranchised and although

the bloodlines were passed thru the women they didn't even get to eat at

the same mat as men.



The Hawaiian mythology got mixed in with western mythology when the

missionryscame to bring their word to the PAGANS.  As a result even today

there are

many misconceptions as to what the real beliefs were"pre-contact"as they

say.   For example, heres a funny story that illustrates that fact;

 When

Fordandder was interviewing Hawaiians last century he asked who built"that"

structure and who built "those" walls etc.  Tiring of his repeated queries

the chief answered "oh it was the mana-hune"(litterally translated it means

the "people with little mana or power") Fordenander seized on this response

and said "little People", how big were they?  were they small? etc etc....

ignorant xtian missionaries. pleasures right under the noses of theiribeThe





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 * Origin: Kauai1 - Aloha (Opus 1:12/4)