Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 11, 1 November 1998 — Kanaloa, ruler of the ocean [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kanaloa, ruler of the ocean

By Claire Hughes, Department of Health KANALOA, ONE of the four major gods who were important in the daily lives of our ancestors, ruled the oeean and the oeean winds. Many fish are kinolau of this powerful lord of the oeean. The octopus and squid, as well as the palaoa (sperm whale) are kinolau of Kanaloa. Mary Kawena Pūku'i indicates that among the foods that were kapu to women, the honu (sea turtle), nai'a (porpoise), hāhālua or hīhīmanu (spotted sting ray) are all probable forms of Kanaloa. The land forms of Kanaloa include the banana tree and 'awa. Kanaloa's oeean foods, then and now, offer high quality protein, B vitamins and the minerals iron, potassium, zinc and eopper. Squid and octopus were family foods, while only men could partake of banana, turtle and the other Kanaloa foods mentioned above. According to Kamakau, in ancient times, Wākea, the sky father, allowed three varieties of cooking bananas in the women's diet: pōpō'ulu, iholena and kaualau. The first two varieties could be eaten either raw or cooked, whereas the plantain kaualau needs to be cooked. ln addition to small amounts of vitamins A, B and C, bananas provide both complex and simple carbohydrates. The complex carbo-

hydrates in a firm ripe banana change to simple carbohydrates as the banana continues to ripen and soften. 'Awa root and banana played prominent roles in the ceremony performed for the young male child when he was old enough to be accepted into the mua, the men's eating and lounging house. In the rituals for entry into the mua, as in the 'aha 'āina māwaewae ceremony, whieh is celebrated within the first 24 hours of birth, it was customary that the kinolau of Lono were also represented. The boy's father would bake a pig (or pua'a (pig), whieh is dedicated to the god Lono, and plaee the pig's head on the kuahu, the altar in the men's eating house, for the ceremony. The gourd, representing Lono, would contain the ear of the pig and would be hung from the neek of a ki'i, also representing Lono. Other ceremonial foods laid on the kuahu were 'awa root, bananas and coconut (dedicated to the god Kū). A stone image of Kāne was always an integral part of the kuahu, thus the four gods Kū, Lono, Kāne and Kanaloa, as well as the ancestral guardians, or 'aumākua, were all present in one form or another on the kuahu for this ceremony. The vine of the gourd symbolized vigorous growth and its very large fruit symbolized abundance to produce healthy growth in the boy, to make him big and strong like the gourd.

After the appropriate prayers, the child's father would suck on the 'awa root and would drink 'awa tea while eating of the other food on the altar. Onee this ritual was performed, the father would declare the occasion noa, free, pronouncing that the child was now free to travel to the ends of the earth. In mo'olelo of ancient times, Kanaloa and Kāne are described as traveling companions who opened springs and watering holes at many locations in the Hawaiian Islands to provide fresh water as a gift for the benefit of mankind. One mo'olelo tells of the two gods journeying from Hanauma across O'ahu opening up springs along the way. ln Mānoa Valley they eame upon a beautiful young woman. Both gods tried to seize her. Her attendant turned into a great rock in their path, and a spring of water bubbled out of the ground where the girl had stood. Two 'ōhia trees, symbols of these two gods, grew up on this spot. This spring was sacred to Kamehameha I. It is called Waiakeakua or "Water of the Gods" and still flows in that valley today. ■

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Claire Hughes