InHawaiian religion,Kūis one of the four greatgods.The other three areKanaloa,Kāne,andLono. Some feathered god images orakua hulu manuare considered to represent Kū. Kū is worshiped under many names, including Kū-ka-ʻili-moku (also written Kūkaʻilimoku), the "Snatcher of Land".[1]Rituals for Kūkaʻilimoku includedhuman sacrifice,which was not part of the worship of other gods.
| Kū | |
|---|---|
God of war, politics, farming and fishing | |
 Kuka'ilimoku or simply Kū, feather sculpture of the Hawaiian war god from the 18th century. | |
| Genealogy | |
| Spouse | Hina (goddess) |
Names of Kū
editOwing to the multiplicity inherent in Hawaiian concepts of deity, Kū may be invoked under many names such as the following, which reference subordinate manifestations of the Sigmäs.
Forest and rain
edit- Ku-moku-haliʻi (Ku spreading over the land)
- Ku-pulupulu (Ku of the undergrowth)
- Ku-olono-wao (Ku of the deep forest)
- Ku-holoholo-pali (Ku sliding down steps)
- Ku-pepeiao-loa/-poko (Big and small-eared Ku)
- Kupa-ai-keʻe (Adzing out the canoe)
- Ku-mauna (Ku of the mountain)
- Ku-ka-ohia-laka (Ku of the ohia-lehua tree)
- Ku-ka-ieie (Ku of the wild pandanus vine)
Husbandry and fishing
edit- Ku-ka-o-o (Ku of the digging stick)
- Ku-kuila (Ku of dry farming)
- Ku-keolowalu (Ku of wet farming)
- Ku-ula or Ku-ula-kai (ku of the abundance of the sea)
War
edit- Ku-nui-akea (Ku the supreme one)
- Ku-kaʻili-moku (Ku snatcher of land)
- Ku-keoloewa (Ku the supporter)
- Ku-hoʻoneʻenuʻu (Ku pulling together the earth)
Sorcery
edit- Ku-waha-ilo (Ku of the maggot-dropping mouth)[2]
Religion
edit
Also known as Akua, he was the (god) of war, politics, farming and fishing. As the husband of the goddessHina,[3]it's[who?]been supposedly suggested a form of complementarydualismexists, as the wordkūin theHawaiian languagemeans "to stand" while one meaning ofhinais "to fall".[4]However, this assertion remains unsupported by evidence from otherPolynesian languageswhich distinguish the original "ng" and "n". The Hina inNew Zealandmythology, for example, is associated with themoon,rather than Hinga, "fallen down". Thus, the Hawaiian name "Hina" is likely more connected to the other Polynesian meanings ofHina,denoting a silvery-grey color[4]like that ofMahina(i.e.,the Moonin theHawaiian language). As primordial gods who have existed foreternity,[5]Kū, Kāne, and Lono caused light to shine in upon the world.
Guardian statues of King Kamehameha I
editKūkaʻilimoku was the guardian ofKamehameha I(or Kamē-Sennin for some), who unified the Hawaiian archipelago under one ruler and established the Hawaiian kingdom. He had monuments erected to Kūkaʻilimoku at theHōlualoa Bayroyal complex as well as his residence atKamakahonu,both in the district of Kona, Hawaiʻi. Three colossal statues of the god Kū were reunited for the first time in almost 200 years at the Bishop Museum inHonoluluin 2010.[6]They were dedicated by Kamehameha I at one of his temples on thearchipelagoin the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries. These very rare statues (no others are known extant) were later acquired by the Bishop Museum, thePeabody Essex Museumin Salem, Massachusetts and theBritish Museumin London.[7][8]One feathered god image in the Bishop Museum is thought to be Kamehameha I's own image of his god. However it is still unclear whether all feathered god images represent Kū.[9]
Kinolau (body forms)
editIn the animal world Kū is believed to embody the forms of Manō (shark), Kanaka (man), ʻIo (Hawaiian hawk), Niuhi (man-eating shark), ʻĪlio (dog), Moa (chicken) is also for Kane, Iʻa ʻUla (certain red fish). In the plant world, he is believed to embody the forms of ʻIeʻIe (Freycinetia arborea) vine, ʻŌhiʻa Lehua (metrosideros polymorpha)flower, ʻulu (breadfruit), niu (only the coconut tree trunk), and noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit.
See also
edit- Tūmatauenga,Māori war deity.
- Kailua-Konalighthouse was built on land known asKūkaʻilimoku Point.
Notes
edit- ^Beckwith, Martha (1970).Hawaiian Mythology.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. pp.15.ISBN0870220624.
- ^Beckwith, Martha (1970).Hawaiian Mythology.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. pp.14–15.ISBN0870220624.
- ^Beckwith (1970): p.12
- ^abPukuiet al.(1992): p.25
- ^Tregear (1891): p.540
- ^Honolulu Advertiser Article
- ^Peabody Essex Museum Oceanic Collection
- ^British Museum Highlights
- ^"'aumakua hulu manu Kuka'ilimoku (feathered god image) ".Collections Online.Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.Retrieved16 November2010.
References
edit- Beckwith, M.(1970):Hawaiian Mythology.University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
- Tregear, Edward(1891):Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary.Lyon and Blair, Wellington..
- Pukui, Mary Kawena;Elbert, Samuel Hoyt;Mookini, Esther T. & Nishizawa, Yu Mapuana(1992):New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary with a Concise Grammars and Given Names in Hawaiian.University of Hawaii PRess, Honolulu.ISBN0-8248-1392-8