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Kahuna (Hawaiian pronunciation:[kəˈhunə];Hawaiian:kahuna) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer todoctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, andsorcerers.[1]
Akahuna may be versed inagriculture,[2][3]canoe building, or any other skill or knowledge area. They may be called on by the community to bless new buildings and construction projects or to officiate weddings.[4][5]
Forty types ofkahuna are listed in the bookTales from the Night Rainbow, twenty in the healing professions alone, includingkahuna lapaʻau, a medical priest or practitioner, andkahuna hāhā, "an expert who diagnoses, as sickness or pain, by feeling the body".[6]
There are several categories ofkahuna. Acraft kahuna, such as thekālai waʻa is an expert canoe maker, and ahoʻokele is an expertnavigator.[citation needed] Akahuna lapaʻau is a "medical doctor, medical practitioner, [or] healer.lit. 'curing expert'".[7]
According to Fornander, there are ten colleges or branches of the Hawaiian priesthood:[8]
To master all ten branches made one akahuna nui orhigh priest.[8]Kahuna nui usually lived in places such asWaimea Valley, which is known as the Valley of the Priests. They were given slices of land that spanned from the mountain to the sea.[13][14]Hewahewa, a direct descendant ofPaʻao, was akahuna nui toKamehameha I. A contemporary,Leimomi Moʻokini Lum is akahuna nui.[15][16]David Kaonohiokala Bray was a well-knownkahuna.[5]
KingKamehameha IV, in his translation of theBook of Common Prayer, used the termkahuna to refer toAnglican priests, andkahunapule to refer to bothlay andordained Anglican ministers.[citation needed]
Craftkahuna were never prohibited; however, during the decline of nativeHawaiian culture, many died and did not pass on their wisdom to new students. As an example, when theHōkūleʻa was built to be sailed to theSouth Pacific to prove the voyaging capabilities of the ancient Hawaiians, master navigatorMau Piailug fromSatawal was brought to Hawaii to reteach navigation to the Hawaiians.[17]
After American missionaries went to Hawaii in 1820, they reportedly prohibitedkahuna practices. But, in the 100 years after the missionaries arrived, allkahuna practices were legal until 1831, some were illegal until 1863, all were legal until 1887, and some were illegal until 1919. Since 1919 all have been legal except sorcery, which was initially declared illegal but was decriminalized in 1972.[18]
The firstChristian missionaries arrived in 1820.Kaʻahumanu, one of the most powerful people in the Hawaiian nation, did not convert until 1825. Eleven years after missionaries arrived, she proclaimed laws againsthula,chant,kava, andHawaiian religion.[19]
The term was used in the 1959 filmGidget, in which "The Big Kahuna", played byCliff Robertson (Martin Milner in the TV episode), was the leader of a group ofsurfers. The figure of theBig Kahuna became commonplace inBeach party films of the 1960s, such asBeach Blanket Bingo, in which theBig Kahuna was the best surfer on the beach. Hawaiian surfing masterDuke Kahanamoku may have been referred to as theBig Kahuna, but he rejected the term as he knew the original meaning.[20]
In theNew Age spiritual system known asHuna, which uses some Hawaiian words and conceptsappropriated from Hawaiian tradition,[21]kahuna denotes someone of priestly orshamanic standing.[22] The prevalence of these works in pop culture has influenced definitions in English dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster, which not only defineskahuna as "a preeminent person or thing" but also offers "Hawaiianshaman" as a secondary definition.[23] Wells College professor Lisa Kahaleole Hall, aNative Hawaiian, wrote in a peer-reviewed journal published by theUniversity of Hawaiʻi that Huna "bears absolutely no resemblance to any Hawaiian worldview or spiritual practice" and calls it part of the "New Age spiritual industry."[21]
