WolfTea | Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses

Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses

Io, Keawe, IAO, Kela, Tera: I’o is the unmanifest infinite source of creation. Before time began, I’o was. Then, Io breathed forth Mana which pervades space equally and is in every living thing. Mana gives all living creatures the power to live and be alive. Io sent the Mana across the Po (the darkness), and created Kane, the creator, and creation began. According to Leinani Melville, Io spoke the word Ola into the emptiness of the Po, and commanded the creation into motion. This brought the flaming cross of light, the Kaukahi.

Io was also the first and original Hawaiian God. The 4 major gods, Ku, Lono, Kane and Kanaloa came later. The Hawaiians would later drift away from Io into the Aumakua system, and then to the 4 main gods with the establishment of the systems of Pa’ao.

Kane, Elieli, Eli, Kane Ulu Lani, Kane Nui Akea: Io sent Mana across the Po, and created Kane, Io’s son — one of the creators of life on this earth. Kane was created, then Na’ wahine was created. Keawe, Kane, and Na’ wahine dwell together in the house of the sun (Hale a ka La). Kane is the primordial lord of the sun, and also appears in many different aspects which are personifications of natural phenomena such as Kane-hekili, the god of the thunder, and in the Taro root which, like Kane is purple. Kane is represented by an uncarved upright stone, since mankind cannot put form to the formless one. Kane is lord of the west.

Na’ wahine, Uliuli, Uli: Io manifested as Keawe and became his heavenly daughter Na’ wahine, the Goddess Uliuli, the wife of Kane. Uli is the highest manifestation of universal feminine energy, the Goddess of Serenity. Uli, Keawe’s first daughter, is also worshiped as Malama, the goddess of the moon. Uli as Uli- nana-pono was the one who saw all things the individual did that were right. As Uli-nana-hewa, she also saw all the things that an individual did that were wrong. Together Eli (Kane) and Uli (Na’ wahine) created Kanaloa, Ku, and Lono, their first three sons. They also had three daughters: Tapo, Hina, and Laka, who married the Kanaloa, Ku and Lono.

In most of the original systems of the peoples of the earth, through out the world, Mana is in the domain of the feminine. Man without the goddess energy is unmotivated — not moved to action. The male energy is the domain of form, the femine of energy. Woman is the creator of life — the creator of Mana — because it is she who creates life, and so brings out the life force energy — Mana.

Kanaloa: Son of Na’ wahine and Kane, and married to Tapo. Kanaloa is the ruler of the oceans, and consequently the ruler of the Mana. Kanaloa channels or funnels the Mana that comes from Io to Kane to Kanaloa. Since Kanaloa is the ruler of Mana, he is also invoked in some cases to alleviate or disperse disease (see the chant Pule Hee).

Kanaloa is Lord of the South. When the Christian Missionaries arrived, they decided that Kanaloa was the devil, cast out of heaven. We do not believe that this was originally the case, since the Christian church has had a history of branding local deities as the devil, as for example, the god Pan in western Europe.

Kapo, Tapo: A daughter of Na’ wahine and Kane, and married to Kanaloa. As such, she becomes the feminine aspect of Kanaloa. Kapo is also one of Pele’s seven sisters, and one of the goddesses of the Hula.

Ku: Created by Na’ wahine and Kane, and married to Hina. Ku and his manifestations, such as Ku-ka-ilimoku (Ku, the eater of islands — the personal god of King Kamehameha,I) were brought to Hawaii by Pa’ao and when that happened, the original order was overthrown. When Ku became as the primary god of Hawaii (somewhere between 750, and 1250 A.D.), the balanced system where men and women were honored equally was overthrown. Today, Ku is the prevailing deity in the Heiau of Hawaii, and so women are not allowed on the platforms of the Heiau and are not allowed to make offerings. While we do not agree with the Kapu against women in today’s current system, we respect the beliefs of the current Kapu system. The days of dishonor to women are over, however, and it is time to end that prohibition. Ku is Lord of the North.

Hina: Hina is a daughter of Na’ wahine and Kane, and married to Ku. She is the feminine aspect of Ku. In many situations today, in Hawaii, Hina is invoked in facilitation of the process of physiological healing, since Ku is the presiding deity of many Heiau.

Lono: Lono is the son of Na’ wahine and Kane, and married to Laka. Lono is the god of learning, and intellect, and as Lono-i- ka-makahiki, is the god of the freedom of the end of the year. Lono has a number of aspects, such as Lono-makua who starts fire with a staff called pahoa. (In ancient times, the women did not start fires, men did, so the men cooked.) Lono is lord of the east.

Laka: Laka is a daughter of Na’ wahine and Kane, and married to Lono. Married to Lono, she embodies the feminine aspect of Lono. As one of Pele’s most prominent sisters, Laka is one of the major deities of the Hula. She is also one of the seven sisters of Pele.

Wakea: Wakea is the father of the earth, and the prevailing deity of the gods and goddesses of nature.

Papa: Papa is the earth mother, and is also known as Haumea. She was also called Ka-luahine. Papa and Wakea are the mother and father of Honua, the being that is the earth.

Honua: Honua is the being that is the earth — the spirit that is the planet. Honua’s daughter is the goddess of the volcano — Pele.

Pele: Is the goddess of the volcano. Pele has a staff — a staff used to find out if ground is dry. Many books on the subject say that Pele is a myth, but many families of Hawaii today believe that Pele was an actual person from Kahiki (somewhere other than here), or Kahinina (the East). It was believed that she lived in the land Kuwaihealani.

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