Hawaiian religion

The ruins of Puʻukohola Heiau, a Hawaiian temple (heiau) used as a place of worship and sacrifice.

The Hawaiian religion is a religion. It includes the folk religious beliefs and practises of the Hawaiian people. It started amongst the Tahitians and other Pacific islanders who landed in Hawaiʻi between 500 and 1300 AD. Today, Hawaiian religious practices are protected by law.

Hawaiian religion is animistic. It is based on a belief that spirits are found in non-human beings and objects such as animals, the waves, and the sky.

Hawaiian mythology includes the creation stories and legends about the gods. There are several gods in Hawaiian religion and mythology. The four most important deities are Kāne, Kū, Lono and Kanaloa. The figures in Hawaiian religion consists of several groups. One way of dividing these groups is:

• the four gods (ka hā) – Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
• the forty male gods or aspects of Kāne (ke kanahā)
• the four Hundred gods and goddesses (ka lau)
• the great Multitude of gods and goddesses (ke kini akua)
• the spirits (na ʻunihipili)
• the guardians (na ʻaumākua)

Another way of dividing them is into three major groups:

• the four gods, or akua: Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
• many lesser gods, or kupua, each associated with certain professions
• family gods, ʻaumakua, associated with particular families

Hawaiian Religion Media

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  A depiction of a royal heiau (Hawaiian temple) at Kealakekua Bay, c. 1816

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  Kū, Hawaiian God of war

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  King Kamehameha II

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  Hula being performed during a ceremony at ʻIolani Palace where the Navy returned control of Kahoʻolawe to the State of Hawaiʻi in 2003

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  Offerings presented by Hawaiian religious practitioners at Ulupo Heiau, 2009