Virginia Boucher

Cindy Rouzer

Soc1DE1

Las Positas College

26 May, 2006

Religion

Kahunas and Christianity

(Warren, Pele Rising) <http://www.jimwarren.com/fine_34_pelerising.html>

        Before western influence was felt in the islands, there were a collection of gods and goddesses who were honored by the Hawaiian culture. Many of these gods and goddesses were based on natural forces, such as the powerful volcano or ocean deities.

The leaders of the religious ceremonies also held conversations with the deities and were guided directly by them to assure the followers complied with the desires of the gods.

The religious leaders of this time were known as kahuna.  Some practiced the dark art and have been credited with the ability to place curses and even to “pray someone to death”.  These kahuna were known as kahuna ana’ana, “the most evil of several orders of black magicians […].” (Rodman, 3).  Other orders of the kahuna class practiced the white arts and could remove curses and heal.  They were known as kahuna lapa’au.

With the introduction of Christianity by the missionaries, most people believe the kahuna no longer exist.  There are contemporary Hawaiians who would dispute this belief.  “Now, as in ancient times, the kahuna must of necessity take refuge in the dictum stated by the Rosicrucians: Learn to know all, but keep thyself unknown” (Rodman, 4).

A priest in contemplation before the service begins(Goldsberry, 3)

With the massive assaults launched against their cultural beliefs by the missionaries, and the foreign traders acquiring the land and resources of the islands, many Hawaiians held fast to their beliefs that the any illness or injury was the work of a kahuna despite their “conversion” to Christianity.  The kahuna belief system was well entrenched in the culture and not easily displaced, despite the preaching against superstition.

Closely linked with the leadership of religion is the leadership in law.  Indeed, in many cases it is impossible to delineate where one leaves off in religion and enters the realm of law.  In many cases, the enforcement of the will of a god was held to be law.  The entire system of kapu (forbidden) was said to be from the gods, although many of the kapu places were choice bits of land where resources of fresh water and plentiful food were available.  These areas were kapu to those not of kahuna or chief stature.  This would be a prime point in the sociological theory of Conflict, as would the land and resource grabbing of the Anglo-Saxon traders and missionaries.

From a Functionalist perspective, one could state that the kahuna system of religion filled the need of the people by providing explanation for natural phenomena (volcanic eruptions and storms) that couldn’t be explained adequately otherwise.  For example, the volcano goddess (Pele) is angry because the sacrifices we’ve offered are not enough.  We must sooth her with better offerings or a new temple so she will not destroy our crops.

The arrival of the missionaries with their competing symbols of power, the cross, the Bible and the ceremonies, filled a void.  This void was created when the island leaders began to ignore bits of the kapu laws that they disagreed with.  This created an absence of structure in the lives of ordinary Hawaiians and they found something in Christianity with which to replace kapu.  This speaks strongly to the Interactionist view.