Ancient Hawaii

1
Ancient Hawaii

• A world forever lost when waves of changed
  crashed against the shores

2
The Discoverers of Hawaii

• Came from Polynesia
• By water
• In double canoes
• Their name is not known
• Hawaiian traditions originated
• Centuries later
• From others who came to rule them

3
The Land

• Land was immortal and humans mortal
• Owning land was beyond imagination
• Attitude was one of territorial custody

4
The Land

• 1840 Kamehameha I
• Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii
• Declared his father the founder of the kingdom
• Land was not his private property
• Belonged to the chiefs and people in common

5
The Land

• 1848 land ownership instituted
• Ownership awarded to loyal supporters
• Divided into districts or ahuapuaa

6
Chiefs

• Oral history kept
• Annals of the chiefs or alii
• Not by time but by generations

7
Chiefs

• Right to rule
• Based on seniority
• Came from great spirits by mana
• Similar to divine right
• When necessary resulted in brother and sister
  marriages

8
Mana and Rank

• Authority based on
• Inherited mana--seniority
• Acquired manapersonal talents and accomplishments

9
Mana and Rank

• Misbehavior resulted in
• Being ignored
• No food
• No place to sleep
• Especially good for children who misbehaved
• Family disputes resolved by hoopo-nopono
• Guided through stages of confession, remorse,
  repentance and reconciliation

10
Kahuna

• Cultural counterparts of priests of Mediaeval
  Europe
• Knowledge kept secret to protect mana
• Temples called heiau

11
Kahuna

• When necessary
• Offered gifts of a mans life (sacrifice)
• Killing not part of the ritual
• Could be an enemy slain in battle
• Only healthy men with no deformities

12
Kahuna

• Puuhonua
• Sanctuaries where refugees could find safety
• Most recognized today is Honaunau in Kona
• By 1819 ruling chiefs abandoned mana/kapu system
• Not influenced by Christian missionaries

13
Kahuna

• Hawaiians believed Europeans to
• Have a more powerful god
• Have greater protection from disease
• Pressured Liholiho (Kamehameha II) to abolish the
  kapu system

14
The Power of Words

• Kahunas were living libraries
• Stories memorized
• Helps to explain why so much is lost
• Words believed to have mana
• Written words incompatible with belief that
  knowledge was power

15
The Power of Words

• View changed in 1820
• Missionaries published a reader in Hawaiian
• Queen Kaahumanu learned to read in five days
• By 1834 majority of the population was literate

16
Warfare

• Surfing called the sport of kings
• Supreme sport of kings was warfare
• Used sling stones from a distance
• Spears used at closer distance
• Daggers and clubs used in close fighting
• Bows and arrows were not used as weapons

17
Warfare

• Women accompanied husbands into battle
• Kamehameha I was first to bring all islands under
  one rule
• Competitive games were substitutes for warfare

18
Commoners (Makaainana)

• Planters
• Artisans
• Fishermen
• Hunters

• Gatherers
• Performers
• Healers
• Sailors

• Provided chiefs with food, craftwork and labor
• Accepted differences of station as natural than
  cultural
• Men did heavy work and cooked
• Women cared for children and made kapa, matting
  and cordage

19
Food

• Men and women ate separately
• Some food forbidden to women
• Pork
• Some fish
• All types of bananas
• Food cooked in imu

20
The Ancient Landscape

• Homes built in clusters
• Agriculture was extensive

21
Planting

• Common crops included
• Banana
• Taro
• Breadfruit
• Gourds
• Women raised
• Sweet potato
• Sugar cane
• Coconut palms

22
Fishing

• Men fished at sea from canoes
• Used traps, nets, spears and hooks
• Women fished in streams for smaller fish
• Children learned to catch fish by hand

23
Kapa

• Made from bark of mulberry trees
• Used for clothes, blankets, and gift wrap
• Designs produced with embossed beater
• Dyes included
• Yellow (tumeric)
• Purple (berries and lime
• Black (sea urchin)

24
Canoes

• Began with voyaging canoes
• Double hulled
• Used no metal in construction
• Single hulled canoes used for
• Fishing
• Surfing
• Racing

25
Performing Arts

• Dancers wore
• Garments of kapa
• Garlands of ferns and flowers
• Instruments included
• Drums
• Gourds decorated with feathers
• Coconut shells
• Chanters told
• Stories
• Chants

26

• All images used by consent of the artist, Herb
  Kane.