Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 3, 1 Malaki 1990 — He Mau Kīnau Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Mau Kīnau Ola

» by Kekuni Blaisdell, M.D.

Ka Ho'ona'au'ao le'a i ka wa kahiko: Mokuna 'ekahi Sex education in old Hawai'i: Part I

Ninau (question): My 15-year-old mo'-opuna must leave school because she is hāpai (pregnant). Young people these days know so little about sex and taking care of themselves. Yet, 1 remember my tutu onee told me that

Ka ahumanu was only 13 when she was given to Kamehameha as a mate, and in those days most girls began having babies at that age. How did 'ōpio leam about sex in those days? Shouldn't we teach these things at home instead of depending on the schools? Pane_(answer): I will leave na pāne to your second ninau to you and other po'e heluhelu (readers) to decide depending on your circumstances anel experiences. Perhaps my pane to your first ninau will be helpful in that endeavor. He mau hakina (fragments) of the earliest palapala (writings) by fore;gners and later by our kupuna (ancestors) permit a fairly coherent aecount of what sex education was probably like in pre-Western times, as recently reviewed by University of Hawai'i professor of anatomy Milton Diamond. lntuitiveiy we realize that such instruction must occur in all cultures, whether informal or formal, implicit or explicit, for ka po'e (people) in such societies to reproduce over succeeding generations. We also need to be aware of some distinctive features i ka wā kahiko (pre-haole Hawai'i) that made for informal ho'ona'auao le'a (sex education) then. A year-round, generally soothing climate aecounted for near-nudity as the norm. Thus "going bare" was not considered sexual, erotic or "indecent" as in modern times, with controversy over whether to permit nudity at some secluded kahakai (beaches).

Ka piko ma'i (genitalia) were sacred, respected and possessed mana because they were essential for perpetuation of the race. Na mele ma'i (genital chants), composed at the time of birth or thereafter, especially for ali'i, glorified ka ma'i. The first mele ma'i ever recorded on paper was probably on Sunday, March 14, 1779, in the journal of David Samwell, surgeon's first mate on Capt. James Cook's ship "Resolution." Samwell must have heard the mele more than onee, for he labeled it a "song very eommon:" Heeoore heeoore heeoore avaree-e Madoodoo ahe perowmai oe maitai roa awane-ei Panahai. In modern orthography and unuhi (translation) by Kawena Pūku'i the words become: He ule, he ule He ule a walea e Mai kū, kū ahe Pēlā mai 'oe maika'i loa auane'i Pana ai. An ule (penis), an ule An ule to be enjoyed Don't stand still, eome gently That way, you will be fine here Shoot off. Tutu Kawena relates that ka ule (penis) of the infant was blown into by a care-giving makuahine (mother) or kupuna (elder) wahine to loosen the foreskin, make the organ more attractive, promote health and assure efficient ai (coitus) later. This practice was also in preparation for kahe ule (subincision of the penile foreskin), usually about the age of 6, by a specially-trained kupuna or kahuna using a pahi'ohe (bamboo knife). A young lad was often called "lewalewa" (dangler) becaqse his uncovered ma'i dangled until

about age 6 when he first donned a malo (tapa loincloth) and he kā i mua (entered the hale mua) to join older boys and men to eat and worship, separate from women and younger kamali'i (children). In the case of the infant girl, her kohe (vagina) was squirted with mother's waiu (milk) and the kapa (labia) pressed together. The hena (mons pubis) was rubbed with kukui oil. Prepubertal kamali'i played together under the supervision of ka hiapo (eldest sibling), without covering of their ma'i. They discovered eaeh other's body parts and quickly learned anatomical gender differences. These differences also aecounted for gender-specific tasks: pēlā (thus), boys assisted men with lawai'a (fishing) and kanu kalo (taro cultivation),while girls helped women with tapa-making and ulana (plaiting). With the onset of puberty, girls began to wear tapa pa'ū (wrap-around skirt) with usually uncovered ū (breasts). On special occasions, such as for ceremonies, protection from eool weather or the sun, both men and women wore a kihei (shawl or eape). But this was never for sexual modesty. For play or work in the water, such as ke kai (oeean) for 'au'aukai (swimming) or he'e nalu (surfing), non-durable tapa garments were discarded. Missionaries in 1820 and thereafter opposed he'e nalu because the surfers stood unashamedly naked on their papa (boards). The natural world of the growing keiki (child) abounded in sexuality (see Fig. 1). The youngster could pot escape observing the mating of 'ilio (dogs), pua'a (pigs) and moa (fowl). These activities were discussed openly with their peers and adults without shame or vulgarity. And eaeh night in the large hale noa, where kamali'i and makua (parents) of both genders slept, they observed the older persons enjoying ai (coitus). Marrige in the haole sense and monogamy (one husband with one wife) were unknown. Pēlā, there eoniinue page 23

Fig. 1 Ka Ule Pohaku (phallie stone) at Nanahoa, Moloka'i, is a monument to the male

generating force, revered and worshipped by the people of old Hawai'i.

Ninau /rom page 19

is no Hawaiian term for husband or wife, other than kane and wahine. Similarly, there were no concepts of premarital and extramarital sexual activities. Ka po'e kahiko saw themselves sexually as reflecting the activities of all beings in their cosmos whieh they also celebrated with song. The opening lines of the greatest work of pre-Western Hawaiian literature, "He Kumulipo," is a testament to this concept: O ke au i ka huli wela ka honua O ke au i ka huli lole ka lani The time when the earth turned hot The time when the sky turned reversed This powerful metaphor of the mating of the earth mother Papa with the sky father Wakea from whieh all in the cosmos was derived is the foundation of Hawaiian thought and religious belief. I kēia mahina a'e (next month), we will ho'omaka hou (resume) with direct formal ho'ona'auao le'a i ka wā kahiko.