A Wahi Pana
In ancient times, the sacred places of Hawai`i, or wahi pana of Hawai`i, were treated with great reverence and respect. These are places believed to have mana or spiritual power.
For Native Hawaiians, a place tells us who we are and who is our extended family. A place gives us our history, the history of our clan, and the history of our ancestors. We are able to look at a place and tie in human events that affect use and our loved ones. A place gives us a feeling of stability and of belonging to our family-those living and those who have passed on. A place gives us a sense of well-being, and of acceptance of all who have experienced that place.
A wahi pana is, therefore, a place of spiritual power which links Hawaiians to our past and our future. Our ancestors knew that the great gods created the land and generated life. The gods give the earth spiritual force or mana. Our ancestors knew that the earth's spiritual essence was focused at wahi pana. At one time, the entire Native Hawaiian society respected and honored numerous wahi pana. Over time, that understanding was lost, especially among the Hawaiians who were separated from their ancestral lands. Only when a Native Hawaiian gains spiritual wisdom is the ancestral and spiritual sense of place reactivated. Today, Kaho`olawe is helping our present generation understand the importance of respecting and honoring our traditional wahi pana.
Our ancestors honored the earth and life as divine gifts of the gods. In fishing and farming wahi pana were respected. Their activities never encouraged or allowed overuse of the resources of the land or the sea. To do so would dishonor the gods. "The earth must not be desecrated," is a Native Hawaiian value.
The inventory of sacred places in Hawai`i includes the dwelling places of the gods, the dwelling places of their legendary kahuna, temples, and shrines, as well as selected observation points, cliffs, mounds, mountains, weather phenomena, forests, volcanoes. Hawaiian chants and oral traditions tell us that, in the case of Kaho'olawe, the entire island was a wahi pana, considered a kino lau or body form of Kanaloa, Hawaiian deity of the ocean, navigation and basal water sources.
There are different levels of deities, ceremonies, customs, and practices. Therefore there are also different levels of wahi pana. A wahi pana favored by a dominant god or particularly powerful legendary kahuna is more awesome than one favored by a lesser god or being. The great god Ku; is associated with the luakini heiau, or temple, while the lesser form of Ku; known as Ku`ula is associated with a lower order of fishing shrine. Some ceremonies are very formal, involve many participants, and require a kahu to conduct them, other ceremonies are less formal and personal.
Use of wahi pana is most effective when the practitioner is a Native Hawaiian. Wahi pana rituals are usually performed when no uninvited guests are present; therefore, night and early morning ceremonies are typical. The rituals involve prayers, offerings, and conversations with deities. The rituals are closed because the ignorant often offend and desecrate rather than honor. Yet I have at times seen even foreigners, who have only read about the goddess Pele, bring acceptable offerings, such as food and plants. The difference, of course, lies in individual sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and humility. These are the qualities needed to fully benefit from any wahi pana.
All wahi pana need our protection and our respect-not only for their historical significance, but also for their human significance. We Native Hawaiians offer to others many of the unique features of our culture. Sharing is not a one-way street. Any resource that is used will get worn away if there is no attempt at conservation or replenishment. Overuse by tourists or the general public will result in physical depletion of our sacred places and, subsequently, in the spiritual desecration of our wahi pana.
Cultural protocol provides guidelines for treating the cultural sites of Kaho`olawe with appropriate sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and humility. Those who visit and pay the sites of Kanaloa the respect and honor they deserve, whether they are Native Hawaiian or not, will benefit from the experience of connecting with our ancestors, learning the functions, and feeling the spiritual power of the wahi pana. Study, observe, and appreciate, for these sites are part of the spiritual wisdom of our people.
