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• Kane/Tane,
father of all living creatures
• Ku/Tu, the god of war
(Human Sacrifices)
• Kaneloa,
ruler of the land of departed spirits
• Lono, god of agriculture, rain,
harvest, sports, and peace.
How many gods
existed in ancient
Polynesian mythology?
A Supreme Being ruled over the universe,
however there were many other gods that
symbolized the objects and aspects of nature,
which had to be invoked or placated.
…or monotheistic with
departmental demi-gods to
micromanage the day-to-day
details of everyday life.
That a soul or spirit existed
in every object, even if it was inanimate.
Modern examples of animism:
Ancient Hawaiians devised scores
of wonderful tales of gods and
their interaction with man.
Mother Nature • Father Time
A Wicked Wind • Tongues of Fire
Ancient Hawaiian & Polynesian
belief systems were founded on animism.
Nature was not only alive…
it was filled with spirits and personality.
Let’s try to see the
myths of Polynesia
from each of these perspectives.
Let your skepticism and
your modern world views
take the day off.
Consider St. Francis of Assisi,
the protector of animals
Today, try to hear with the ears of true believers and to open your hearts and your minds to the truth and the revelation behind the myth.
A myth is nothing more than
a story of the doings of
gods and godlike beings.
A legend tells the incredible feats
of heroes or other human beings.
St. Jude, the patron saint
of lost causes
Creation Story:
Helps us understand
where we come from.
Adam & Eve in
the Garden of Eden:
Helps us understand
our flawed nature.
What is a myth?
How is it different from a legend?
St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers
Myths that tell us who we are,
where we came from and
our purpose for living.
By understanding myths,
we begin to understand our history,
our faith and ultimately
better understand ourselves.
A myth is constructed by leaders to help shape
the views and actions of individuals and encourage
them to conform to a particular social order.
Fables and lesson-based myths conform to this pattern.
Myth can have
three different definitions:
Heiau
Depiction of an ancient
Hawaiian Heiau
Polynesian Prayer
There must be a necessary purpose behind every act of taking life, whether a tree, a chicken, or a man.
This religious principle was also a sociologically strong guideline that preserved valuable resources.
The hero or demigod is often the secret son of a chief, who lives as a commoner. At some point in the story, his royal blood is revealed and his magical powers explained.
Compare to Jesus, the son of God, living as a commoner. It is in the miracles and in Jesus’ death and resurrection that we discover his divinity.
Many Polynesian mythical heroes are kupua, or people with supernatural powers.
Polynesian mythology is filled with stories of dog-men,
rat-men, bird-men, shark-men, and hog-men.
Modern day myths and superheroes are almost identical…
Superman, Aquaman and Batman are examples of kupua in our modern age.
Pele and
Kamapua’a
Once when Pele and her sister Kapo were travelling on the windward side of the island, they were seen by Kamapua’a. Aroused by the sight of Pele, he pursued her. He went to woo her, but she scorned him, calling him insulting names. Her taunts led to a furious battle between them.
She hurled molten lava at him and chased him into the sea, but he turned himself into a little fish, the humuhumu-nukunuku-a pua’a, whose tough skin protected him from the boiling heat when Pele’s lava poured into the sea.
Carl Jung Archetype Theory:
As civilizations have spread, the stories of our beginnings and the ways we explain our place and our surroundings are similar because we all draw from the same subconscious well of ideas…only differentiated by our environments.
Kamapua’a
If you believe in God...
consider...
Perhaps God has revealed himself to humanity in different ways and at different times, in the ways that we were most likely to perceive and receive him.
To those at the dawn of civilization, God spoke to them as elements of nature and gods of nature,
because nature was what they best understood.
As humans became more interdependent on each other, god revealed himself through demigods and prophets.
For Christians, that revelation comes through Jesus,
the prophets and saints.
For Islam, it was Mohammed.
For Jews, Moses, the prophets and
the Messiah that is yet to come.
Then...Mythology
like religion is but a page
in the endless book of
God's revelation.