Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2004 — Family ties with 'aumākua close [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Family ties with 'aumākua close

By Claire Hughes, Dr.PH., R.D. 'Ano lani 'ano honua Of heavenly nature, of earthly nature This 'ōlelo describes the 'aumākua, who make themselves visible to loved ones by assuming an animal, plant or mineral form. In her book Nana I Ke Kumu, Mary Kawena Pūku'i explains the dual hierarchy of Hawaiian gods: Kū, Kāne, Lono and Kanaloa have inUuenee over various forces of nature. These powerful major gods are distant from man. The second category of gods, the 'aumākua, are the spirits of ancestors, who have heeome personal and family gods after death. 'Aumākua have the ability to change kinolau (form). They never forget their human descendants, who ean eall upon them for assistance. Fortunate are those with wise and knowledgeable ancestors. The bond between the family and 'aumākua is close. Hawaiians feed their shark 'aumākua. They hear warning cries of the owl or mudhen, ean feel the form of the turtle or lizard, and observe the Hight of the plover. Traditionally, kūpuna taught their punahele about family 'aumākua, quizzing the keiki to make certain the child had learned accurately. Mrs. Pūku'i was taught the family history and learned to memorize 50 family 'aumākua. She knew where they resided and whieh ones could assist in particular areas of eoneem. Many of us are less knowledgeable about our 'aumākua. Though the opportunity for in-depth

learning may have passed, it is believed that 'aumākua ean reveal themselves to their descendants. Some of us remember stories about the family 'aumākua, and how they responded to calls for help.

These stories ean give us a glimpse of family history. One story tells of a husband

who failed to return from a deep-sea fishing expedition. Fearing the worst, his wife went to the seashore, where her shark 'aumākua resided. She prayed for help, imploring her 'aumākua

to assist in the safe retum of her husband. Some time passed before a small dark speck was seen on the horizon. The prayers continued. A dark mass

of tangled fishing net eame into view, to whieh

the husband clung in desperation When the net entered the shal-

low water, the woman wade< out to help him ashore and noticed a shark swimmine awav from under the

netting. Prayers of thanks and ioy followed, as family members

tended to the needs of the rescued fisherman. Another old Hawaiian ka'ao tells of a chief from Kohala who

had the ability to ride sharks. When returning from deep-sea fishing, this ali'i frequently jumped onto the back of a shark and rode it to shore, leaving his eompanions in the eanoe. A more recent tale tells of two Hawaiians who heeame homesick soon after signing on as crew on a

whaling ship. The boat was already 30 miles out to sea when the men slipped away in the dark of night and swam back. After many miles, they met a huge shark. They got onto his back and guided it toward land with gentle pats on the head. Since they were famished, they ate small fish that adhered to the shark's back.

Close to shore, the shark slowed, and

the men jumped off and swam the

short distance to the leeward coast of O'ahu. When the men

were arrested for breaking their contract, they swore this story was true. It was deemed credible, because the feat of swimming thirty miles seemed impossible. It is said that the 'aumākua

ean scold, nag and tell us what to

do. After death, they judge the dead. If a worthv life has been lived.

'aumākua weleome the person's spirit into pō (eternity). However, if the person has

offended and not repented and made amends, the 'aumākua may punish the spirit. Kupuna Pūku'i savs pravers

connect us to our 'aumākua. Hawaiians have so many beings to pray to for help ... akua, gods, ancestor gods, demi-gods and spirits. According to kūpuna Pūku'i, Hawaiians prayed both with great and ritualized formality, as well as without great ceremony, to communicate with all in the Hawaiian universe. ■

^ Mo'ni fi o

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The manō (shark) is among the many kinolau, or physical forms, taken by ancestral 'aumākua.