Posted by Marie on June 17, 2001 at 05:07:02:
Aloha mai -
I do not come here to be argumentative. I would like to give you my mana`o on what you call "huna".
When I showed my auntie some books on huna, she shook her head and did not have anything to say. But her feelings were apparent. For some time now the white men have been writing about OUR history, OUR way of life... We as Hawaiians were made to believe that our ancestors ways were offensive to "White man's God". So we were banned to practice our way of life. We even bought this degredation. When we were told to forget our ancestors ways, the white men began to claim to revive our ancestors' ways. Of course, the white men were allowed to talk about anything, even those things that were not allowed for us.
In the 1980s, the United States government lifted the law against practicing OUR way of life. While we were by law, prohibitted to practice our spiritual beliefs, Max Freedom Long was able to write about it? Had he been Hawaiian, he would be in jail like other Hawaiians.
Do you know how it feels to read books by Max Freedom Long and see how a white man had excitedly claim to capture Hawaiian spirituality or the rituals of the Kahuna? Someone claimed (in this message board) that he believes in Max Freedom Long's religion. Then I respectfully ask to stop using Hawaiian language within your beliefs. Why would you call yourself a kahuna just because someone certified you?
Being a kahuna meant a life time of learning in whatever profession, be it canoe making, medicine, priesthood etc. All the kahuna I've known will never bother to defend, much less argue about their practices. They won't even say they are a kahuna. If you are practicing Max Freedom Long's ho`omana, then you are not a kahuna but a kahu.
Using Hawaiian words just makes Huna seem Hawaiian. Even the way these words are used are wrong. Isn't that disrespectful to the Hawaiian people?
Max Freedom Long is a white man, a psychologist. He does not know Hawaiian culture, how could he ever understand the spiritual beliefs and practices of Hawaiians? Had he been an anthropologist, "Huna" would be something different, indeed.
In the oldern times, when the polynesians of the south seas sailed to Hawaii, we learn that they needed no compus or any other sailing instruments. we had "specialists" who knew about the stars, the wind, the currents, the birds. This specialist could remember all events in his head and recall past voyage stories. Hawaiians of old (and now) believe that the `aina (land) is the most important part of life. That to work and take care of the land means the harmony of the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of a person. Nature provided us with all we need. There was no need for writing because we had our 5 senses. Our spiritual beliefs and practices starts with living on and taking care of the land. Nature is the core of our life because it enables us to live.
How does a person become a kahuna?
Hawaiian style learning and teaching is action-oriented. The kumu (teacher) teaches through his or her action. We are an action oriented people. This is evident through our language and our style of storytelling. The process of achieving a position in society called, "kahuna" means he or she must go through YEARS of action and problem based learning. There were no textbooks nor were their any certification. Kahuna proves he is able to be a professional in his or her field through (what some call) "job performance".
Recently, a well-known Kahuna La`au Lapa`au passed on. His students do not claim to be a kahuna just because they have studied under him. Even students that were with him for 20 years, they are not "kahuna". Their kumu did not feel that his students really had the full depth of knowledge of a kahuna la`au lapa`au. The knowledge of a kahuna, in any profession, is deep.
Hawaiian spiritual practices and beliefs are "underground" and away from the white men who want to be the first to publish books...
No such word as religion in Hawaii. Ho`omana are for ho`okahuna.
Meaning of workds: Mana, ho`omana, manahune -
Let's take the word "mana" as an example: Mana is a socially constructed term that the chiefs of Tahiti brought to maintain social order in Hawai`i.
Ho`omana is a word that was used to refer to "religions" of the haole such as christianity, buddhism etc.
Mana means "divine power, miraculous power". In the social context of ancient Hawai`i, the chiefs had mana. Mana is divine authority of the ali`i to be the leader of his or her ahupua`a (land division) or moku (district) or island. There was a class of people called Manahune, also called Menehune. Here, "hune" means poor or desititute so the manahune were believed to have very little mana. They were refered to Manahune by the chiefs because they were the workers, the slaves.
The psychologist, Max Freedom Long failed to capture the social context of Hawaiian concepts. I mean, what Hawaiian would tell everything to a haole??? Ho`ohuna. Try find out what that means.