Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 5, 1 May 2006 — Nature's Spiritual force [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Nature's Spiritual force

Our Hawaiian ancestors believed that all things, both aniniate and inanimate, possess mana - the life force that represents the spiritual side of our universe. Hawaiians were surrounded by the kinolau (body forms) of the gods in plant, tree, rock, oeean and animal forms, and they knew that assistance and strength from the gods were always near. Great respect and reverence were shown for all beings and things because of their mana. In contrast, today many think that man ean control nature and make it work for him. Some are blasē and thoughtless about the ancestral knowledge - that is,

until the gods make their presence known. The recent heavy rains, wind, lightning and resounding thunder gave many pause to reflect on the mana embodied in these forces of nature, as well as to wonder about the message they conveyed. The god Lono is known as "the thunderer," and the word lono means "resounding." The mana of Lono is embodied in heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Some rain clouds are kinolau of Lono, as is the sweet potato, a staple food for Hawaiians. During the annual makahiki season, food and other products of the land were offered to Lono in gratitude for his blessings on the land and crops. Kāne is the god of procreation, embodying the values relating to perpetuation of human life. Mary Kawena Pūku'i explains that Kāne is known as Kā(ne)onohiakalā

(the eyeball of the sun) and Kā(ne)waiola (the water of life), thus encompassing the mana of sunlight and of fresh water in rain or streams, whieh are lifegiving and healing. Kāne is in the lightning as Kānehekili, or Kānewawahilani, the splitter of the sky. Kāne is also embodied in the whirlwind and other winds great and small, as well as in the peaceful breeze. His mana is in the rainbow, in many types of clouds, in the outpouring of water from the mountain or precipice. For the planter, ka wai ola a Kāne - the fresh, living, giving water of Kāne - irrigates and delivers the life-giving mana to crops. Some other kinolau of Kāne are erect stones that are either set or naturally placed, and also some sea corals, bamboo and foods such as poi, pōpolo, kalo and 'awa. The recent heavy rain has result-

ed in renewed respect for the forces of nature. Man was powerless to stop or even control the torrents of rain that fell in Hawai'i in February and March. The resounding thunder and flashing lightning were spectacular. Even those with a scientific understanding of the phenomenon were awestruck by the display of great mana. Rainwater washed rocks and mud down hillsides, and trees fell. Street surfaces created rushing streams of rainwater that

swept through yards and flooded lowlands and roadways, slowing or even stopping traffic. The stonns brought renewed respect for the spiritual essence embodied in the rain, wind, clouds, thunder and lightning that hovered over the seas and covered the blue skies. And after the stonn, there is renewed appreciation for the beautiful sunlight and its mana, and for the refreshing breezes of the trade winds. S

MO'OLELO • HISTDRY

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, | Dr. PH„ R.D.