From what I know, the Hawaiian religion was never banned; it was abolished. Many converted to christianity, some kept their religion; and some combined it. It's all very normal actions and universal. That's why it aggravates me when an arrogant Hawaiian-American tells me differently. He can kiss-ass to the military and the U.S.A. but don't tread on me.The fact is, when Kamehameha the Great died, Ka'ahumanu proclaimed herself Kuhina Nui expressing that that was her husband's wishes. Vancouver, Kamehameha, and Ka'ahumanu were great friends and they picked the brains (mana'o) of Vancouver as to how the Western civilization conducted themselves and inter-related with other countries. Vancouver and they were so close, that when Kamehameha I and Ka'ahumanu had their lover's jealous rages, it was Vancouver that mediated and got them back together again, whenever he was here visiting.Ka'ahumanu knew that the council of Chiefs were held within the heiau to make the laws of the land and that women were forbidden to enter the heiau where they met. In order to be part of the process, she would have to abolish the practices to do it. She enlisted Keopulani (the most sacred person in the islands with all the kapus she inherited) and they in turn sought Keopulani's son, Liholiho who was considered still a boy or young man, to acquiesce in their plan. Liholiho was ambiguous as far as how he felt, but his "mothers" insisted so much that he went to sea and got drunk for a couple of days.When he returned, they were still adamant in seeing their plans accomplished. He gave in after they badgered him to break the kapu. He then abolished the religious practice; he did NOT ban it. This was before the arrival of the missionaries. The people still imbued with the religion and practices did continue mostly underground. The ki'i in the heiau were torn down and many destroyed and some were interned in burial caves. The people coveted their ki'i of their aumakua and hid it away in private. Some rituals were still practiced under secrecy.When the missionaries did arrive, some guardedly accepted it and others embraced it whole-heartedly. The Kahuna Class was persona non grata, stateless, and an outcast when the Kuhina Nui accepted the missionaries and gave permission to teach their religion. It is said that the Kahunas' revenge was a curse to the Kamehamehas that they would not have heirs to take the throne. It may be wives-tales or it could have been effective. I can't say; but that was the word that went around in the islands.Now we come to the Christian missionaries and the various sects of that religion. The original Christian Church was in Rome and Constantinople. They incorporated rituals from their pagan days to assimilate the converts and to bring them into the church in a more benign way. Later, in Europe and in the Middle east, some broke away from the original churches to reinterpret the bible and practices. Still many used pagan festivals, rites, and customs to incorporate into the church to lure converts.Many of the Hawaiians entertained the same thoughts and incorporated some of their custom and rituals to fit in with the Christian churches. This is why many left the congregationalist churches to join the Catholic and Mormon religions because there were some parallels that they could accept. This pissed off the Congregationalists and Calvinists (who believed in predestination). The demonizing and character-assassinations of the maoli people stem from them to justify why they left their congregation.Because of them, the natives who left their church and joined the "Papist" and mormon churches were persecuted and even some ali'i who left to join other churches were ostracized and shunned from the ali'i circles. The Protestants still had leverage because of Ka'ahumanu and the Kings. Kamehameha IV, Alexander and Queen Consort, Emma brought in the Episcopalian Church of England. It was the church that Kamehameha the Great wanted missionaries from to teach their religion to him (more from curiousity than of he wanting to convert). At that time, the British King ignored the King's request and it wasn't until Kamehameha IV, that Queen Victoria obliged and that church was established in Hawai'i.Although the Hawaiian religion was abolished; it was not banned from the islands. There are still families that practice it and today, some others have joined it; while others incorporated both the Christian and Hawaiian; and others have totally converted to other Christian religious sects.Nihil ObstatImprimaturTane
EXHALE...Mahalo Uncle Tane your words bring tears to my eyes. You are correct about the underground like my family did - we had to or be put to death in all the different circles we were in. You are correct as well, that the Hawaiian religion was not banned but abolished more so on a political level. In our Kupuka'a & Naihe 'Ohana, all the children had a choice on what religion they wanted to pursue but to keep the fulll scope of the culture: spirituality, music and politics in protecting not what we had so to speak but what was left of what we could do with want we had...I'm speaking in general terms for to go into the history of it is very painful...but Uncle Tane, your words on this sensitive issue is so beautifully put together...Mahalo for the wisdom I do appreciate your words...I can breath now...SMILE.
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