Polynesian Culture

[Tamrin]

The Alil: Hawaiian Chiefs

[Excerpt - www.to-hawaii.com - Linked Above]

The alii of ancient Hawaii were not despots, but rather respected rulers who guided the maka ainana (common people) to live pono, or with respect and righteousness. The chiefs were known for great accomplishments and possessed skills and attributes that the people revered and admired. They were brave warriors, wise leaders, and their strong personalities and love for their people along with the mana (power) from their ancestors solidified their place in society.

Ruling the Hawaiians was an honor that most took very seriously and an obligation that bound them by blood. The alii of Hawaii achieved such envied status primarily through strong genealogical connections. The alii were those who had maintained pure and traceable blood lines, genealogies that could be mapped directly back to the gods. But the blood of great ancestors and chiefs coursing through their veins was not enough to secure them chiefly status indefinitely. The alii had to earn and keep the respect of those they governed. The job of chief held many responsibilities, and those who did not carry out their duties could face shame, embarrassment and loss of birthright. Chiefs were often isolated and trained from birth in preparation for all that came with their chiefly destinies.

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Polynesia
Priests, Poets and Entertainers

[Excerpt - Roslyn Poignant, 1985 (org. 1967), Oceanic and Australasian Mythology,
"Library of the World's Myths and Legends," Newnes Books, Feltham, U.K.]

Throughout Polynesia much of the creative energy of the people flowed into words that were woven into songs and stories about gods and heroes who had the strengths and weaknesses of men, and into tales of history about noble ancestors who bore the names and attributes of gods. Words were spun by the bards into welcoming orations, love lyrics, laments and eulogies of praise for the great chiefs, warriors and navigators, particularly those who had led the canoe parties to find new lands. Ritual words were guarded by priests, and master-craftsmen who acted as priests for the canoe-builders, house-builders, fishermen and the makers of images. Prayers summoned gods to the marae (temple) and shrines. Invocations, charms and spells used words in formulae so powerful that if any were omitted or misplaced disaster and death followed.

These oral traditions exist wherever the Polynesians settled and on every island the poets, priests and narrators drew from the same deep well of the mythological past which the Polynesians themselves called The Night of Tradition. For when their ancestors moved out from the Polynesian nucleus they carried with them the knowledge of the same great mythological events, the names of their gods and of their many demi-gods and heroes. As time passed the Polynesian imagination elaborated and adapted old themes to suit fresh settings, and new characters and events were absorbed into the mythological system. But on almost every island favourite stories have the same central characters: Hina the woman who beat tapa-cloth in the moon; Maui who fished up the islands and snared the sun; Tinirau whose pet whale was murdered by Kae; Tawhaki who visited the sky and Rata whose canoe was built by the little people of the forest.

[Tamrin]

Hawaiian at Heart and Other Fictions

[Abstract - Lisa Kahaleole Hall, 2005 - Linked Above]

This article deals with the definition of a Hawaiian and the difficulties mainstream culture has in understanding the difference between a Hawaiian and a person who was born and/or raise in Hawaiian but is not of indigenous descent. She goes into lengthy description of the history of this misunderstanding and also goes into the difference between native Hawaiian (50% or more blood quantum), Native Hawaiian (50% or less blood quantum), and Kanaka Mâoli (any percent of blood quantum, usually designated by genealogy rather than blood). Ultimately, Hall argues for Hawaiians to define themselves by genealogy rather than blood quantum, especially as the “gene pool” becomes increasingly depleted. She also discusses how Hawaiian culture has become kitsch on the mainland and how non-Hawaiians have become “more Hawaiian than Hawaiians” and feel an anger towards Hawaiians for being more involved in ʻôlelo and hula than Hawaiians. She also describes the colonial influences on this case, particularly the banning of Hawaiian language and hula by missionaries as early as 1820. She also goes into a discussion of New Age spiritualism and Huna. As far as diasporic Hawaiians are concerned, Hall argues that if you have the genealogy to back it up, it doesnʻt matter so much, as “Hawaiian identity lies in a genealogical relationship to ʻaumakua (ancestral spirit), ʻâina (the land), and kânaka (other Hawaiians)” (405). I also really like this quote from the article: “Concepts such as ʻpartʻ and ʻfullʻ, 50 percent, or more and less than 50 percent, are colonial constructions that threaten to divide Hawaiians from each other” (405). I have many cousins who are obsessed with blood quantum in the islands and look down upon those who are less than 50% when, in fact, in my lifetime, there will be no more pure blood Hawaiians.

You too can be a Big Kahuna!?

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Uliuli by Halau O Kekuhi

au.youtube.com/watch?v=T9usfzaZvTk&feature=related

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marvellous hula dance

au.youtube.com/watch?v=puelcyhsXQ0&feature=related

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Maori Mixed Haka - Palmerston North

au.youtube.com/watch?v=c-lrE2JcO44

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Traditional Poi Actions

au.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hu2g5h0hNM