The purpose of the Guides

Human welfare depends on the health of all life on Earth, and we play an integral role in shaping our world. There is an urgent need for more people to live in a way that benefits all life on the Earth, not just human progress or personal wealth.

The eight Guides speak about life in the 21^st century. The Guides are modern people inviting you to engage with a way of living that values the wisdom of our ancestors. The eight people in the cards are meant to guide us toward connecting with our indigenous spirits. The guides point to an indigenous approach to finding ways to make our lives more fulfilling and abundant.

Mo‘olelo, Hawaiian stories

The descriptions of the Guides are accompanied by Hawaiian stories and sayings. Stories are the foundation of culture. Cultural stories define a particular perspective and way of engaging with the world. They define the boundaries of common understanding and help us relate to each other.

Hawaiian stories are called called mo‘olelo. The word mo-‘olelo is a compound of the words “mo‘o” and “‘ōlelo.” Mo‘o means lizard, dragon, and series—as in genealogy. The long spine of a lizard made of many vertebrae symbolizes the many generations of people connected in an ancestral line. ‘Ōlelo means word. Mo‘olelo is a series of words transmitted to us from ancestors through generations of retelling.

Mo‘olelo are part of a living dynamic Hawaiian culture that uses stories to perpetuate its history, knowledge, and values. Writing in Hawaiian is a modern convention. Written mo‘olelo are only half alive. Mo‘olelo are meant to be spoken. The voice and presence of the storyteller are parts of the story missing in the written word. When and where mo‘olelo are told also contribute to their significance. The meanings of stories that Hawaiians still use as part of their cultural practice is often personal and private. To truly experience Hawaiian mo‘olelo requires a personal connection and participatory relationship with the people and land.

Indigenous stories and oral histories are sometimes looked at as inferior to writing. Writing and oral stories are different and each have unique value. Writing can precisely record information, but it’s fragile and we don’t get to choose what has survived. The oldest writing we can find is from about 5,000 years ago, and it’s not always very informative. We don’t know how to read many ancient scripts, and don’t know the meanings of many ancient words.

Oral history is valuable because it is personal. The stories are learned, repeated, and lived. They’re not just put on a shelf and forgotten. There is a purpose for each story that is learned and retold through the generations. The stories are used in daily life. The stories people choose to remember and retell are about significant events. Some indigenous stories record migrations and Ice Age floods from as far back as tens of thousands of years ago.

An example of how we know oral histories preserve ancient knowledge is in the constellation Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. This constellation is called Makaliʻi in Hawaiian and Subaru in Japanese. The logo for the Subaru car company is the Seven Sisters constellation. Interestingly, there are only six stars in the logo, and only six are visible in the sky with the naked eye. So, why is it called the Seven Sisters?

Everything in the universe is in motion. We’re orbiting the sun and our solar system is orbiting the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Every star in the Seven Sisters constellation is moving in its own direction too. Over time two of the seven sister stars moved closer together until they appear as one very bright star from our perspective. We have to go back 100,000 years before people could look up in the sky and see seven separate stars. ¹

We can deduce that people were telling stories about the stars to map the skies in Paleolithic times. People could read the sky to know the changing seasons and navigate home from distant lands. Ancient people passed along stories of the Seven Sisters because they thought it was important for us to be able to navigate through space and time by watching the stars. We can learn from the stories if we listen carefully.

Words are generally taken seriously in Hawaiian. Saying something can have the same significance as doing something. It’s important to be careful to mean what you say, and follow through with actions that match your words. Hawaiian respect for words is even greater when applied to mo‘olelo. Each detail of a mo‘olelo has a specific meaning, sometimes multiple layers of meanings.

Translated and paraphrased retellings only hint at the meanings of mo‘olelo. Every story has many levels of language, history, and geographic context. The mo‘olelo is like a knot in a fishing net that ties together different strands of information. Each string of information ties to other mo‘olelo and lines of knowledge. Hawaiian sayings, or ‘ōlelo no’eau (wise words), can also have deep complicated meanings—even though they’re short. This interconnected web of stories and sayings form the structure of Hawaiian culture.

The stories in this book are just an introduction to mo’olelo that will, hopefully, inspire you to explore further and engage with people’s stories. We can grow to become more empathetic when we focus on commonalities and connections between us.

Akua, the gods

It’s important to study the way our ancestors saw the world. The modern world is built on foundations made by past generations. We can begin to understand the modern world by recognizing the foundations built by our ancestors. The wisdom of our ancestors is in their stories. Stories are a good way to memorize and share complex ideas and detailed information. It’s important to recognize that legends about gods and heroes describe reality. Gods in legends are the embodiment of natural phenomenon. They give a name and form to objective observations.

We can start to reveal the gods by recognizing the ones we live with today. The English language has many commonly used words that refer to Greek or Roman gods. For example, the word “harmony” comes from Harmonia. She is the ancient Greek goddess of peace and cooperation. She is the daughter of the gods of love and war. She brings balance and unity from the forces of creation and destruction.

Even though Harmonia represents agreement, the goddess has a tragic fate. Her conception was the result of an adulterous affair between Aphrodite and Ares. Aphrodite’s husband Hephaestus remained bitter about the affair that brought Harmonia into being. He gifted Harmonia a cursed necklace that gave tragic fates to all of her children.

All of Harmonia’s stories add detail and nuance to the meaning of harmony.  Harmony comes from the promiscuous merging of opposites. Harmony is not just about cooperation and agreement, there is always a tension that threatens to tip harmony off balance and send a situation tumbling into chaos. Life is dynamic. If we focus too much on stability and harmony, we lose opportunities to change and adapt. Being too harmonious in the present can lead to tragic consequences  for future generations.

These stories of the gods expand the relationships and connections beyond simple definitions. The word “harmony” becomes alive. She has a personality, family, and history. Giving ideas human qualities helps us understand complex ideas. To personify something helps us to relate to it.

We can see the depth of meaning in words increase when we recognize the roots of language. Mythology is embedded in language. It’s how we communicate—even if we are not fully aware of it. We can access the powerful knowledge of our ancestors by studying etymology. It’s a scaffolding that gives a society structure. It is a web of knowledge that connects science, history, and culture together. 

Hawaiian mythology is also integral to Hawaiian language. Mo‘olelo, Hawaiian stories, often involve Hawaiian gods. Knowing the stories expands our understanding of the language. Like the Greek gods, Hawaiian gods form natural phenomenon into beings with life and human personality, so that we can relate and connect to the world around us. The legends were created to describe what people observed. The multitude of gods define different natural patterns, their connections and relationships. 

Every physical form and phenomenon in Hawaiian religion is described as being inhabited by a spirit. All of these spirits can be generally referred to as “akua.”² The word “akua” often refers to a god, and it can also include anything considered to have a strong spiritual nature.

The mo‘olelo, stories, of the gods inform us how to participate in the Hawaiian spiritual family system. The mo‘olelo tell us how to live in alignment with our role in nature. When we recognize the gods, we’re no longer fighting a lonely struggle against the world to survive. Our environment becomes nurturing and supportive toward us when we know our place and how to participate as part of a family.

Hawaiian religion reveals that our spiritual family is the ecosystem we live in. Hawaiian gods are our ancestors. We are physically related and connected to them. The gods are our spiritual family. The gods and spirits of Hawaiian ancestors live everywhere in the Islands, in the clouds, in the rocks, in the streams, in the trees, from the tallest mountain to the bottom of the sea, and in the hearts of the people.

It’s important to not judge the actions of the akua from a moral standard. Their actions are a description of real observed phenomenon. An incestuous relationship can describe how different elements are related to each other. A jealous god acting mercilessly can describe the indifferent  violence of natural disasters. The akua do not instruct us as examples of moral humans. The akua instruct us by revealing hidden relationships in nature.

A single akua can also possess many different forms and attributes called “kino lau.” Kino lau means “many bodies.” An akua can be thought of as the embodiment of an idea, and the kino lau are expressions of that concept. The many different forms of the akua reveal the way different phenomenon and things are related to each other.

Kū and Hina

The akua Kū and Hina are the gods of the masculine and feminine. Kū is the masculine: what is upright, rising, and the right side. Hina is the feminine: what is falling over, descending, and the left side. The kino lau of Kū are things that have an upright rising nature, like coconut trees, the soaring ‘io hawk, and the rising sun. The kino lau of Hina are of a descending and spreading nature, like beating kapa barkcloth into flat sheets, coral reefs, and the setting sun.

The two akua embody concepts. Kū and Hina are a description of the dynamic relationships of natural phenomenon using the metaphors of man and woman. The relationships between their kino lau (many forms) describe how the concepts are expressed in the physical world. The relationship between Kū and Hina as husband and wife defines the connected relationship between the masculine and feminine. Together, they describe the world as a balance between equal and opposite qualities.

The gods can have multiple forms that describe a particular aspect of the akua. For example, Kū is also Kū-ka-‘ili-moku (Kū the snatcher of land), Kū-keolowalu (Kū of wet farming), Kū-‘ula-kai (Kū of the abundance of the sea), and many more.³ These akua emphasize the Kū, masculine, expression of different activities.

There is an ancient idea that to know the name of a god is to have its power. Rome was said to have a secret name that could destroy the city if revealed. Other ancient gods have many different names. Each name for a god reveals a relationship. The powers of gods are the knowledge that their stories reveal.

‘Aumākua

‘Aumākua⁴ are akua that are attached to a particular family through direct ancestry. This is different from the general ancestral relationships we have with each other and akua. We can all find some common ancestor with anyone as distant cousins if we trace back far enough. ‘Aumākua are considered “akua” to people who are not directly related.

‘Aumākua are deified direct ancestors. “‘Au-makua” is a compound of ‘au (group) and makua (parent). The ‘aumākua have a special interest in helping their direct descendants. The descendants have a reciprocal interest in caring for their ‘aumakua. The influence of the ‘aumakua grows as the family dedicated the ‘aumakua grows.

‘Aumākua like akua have kino lau (many forms). They may inhabit the form of animals, plants, or objects with whom the family has a special relationship. Descendants of an ‘aumakua have an obligation to honor and protect her kino lau. And, the ‘aumākua reciprocates with special attention to their reverent descendants. In these cases a family has specific knowledge and skills that is passed down through the generations by honoring their ancestors.

Science and mo’olelo

The akua are formed from generations of epistemological⁵ observation of nature. One example of where Hawaiian religion aligns with modern science is in the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian genealogical creation myth. In this story, all living beings are all connected to each other through ancestry. The Kumulipo says that all life on Earth originated from a coral polyp.⁶ The world of living creatures in the Kumulipo arises from coral rocks that give birth to simple creatures that in turn give birth to more complicated forms of life.

Scientific investigation validates the idea that all life is connected through ancestry. Current scientific thinking estimates that all life on Earth originated in the primordial seas around 4 billion years ago. Like in the Kumulipo, over many generations life became more complex and diversified, Organisms evolved from the simplest single cell organisms into the vast variety of extant and extinct life on Earth. Studies have found all life contains the same 355 genes that define the basic structures and functions of cells.⁷ All beings in the tree of life came from the same seed. Hawaiian religion recognized this pattern and expresses it through stories about its many gods.

The epistemology of Hawaiian religion differs from modern science in the methods of reasoning and organizing knowledge. They describe the same phenomenon with different languages. Hawaiian knowledge is embedded in Hawaiian culture which is shaped by the Hawaiian Islands. Mo‘olelo (stories) define the gods. The akua (gods) embody concepts from mo‘olelo of how different physical phenomenon relate to each other. The knowledge and power of the akua can be accessed by absorbing the teachings in their stories. 

The structure of the physical world and Hawaiian spirit world are both connected by ancestral relationships. Our physical genetics link us through our ancestors to all life spiritually (we are connected to all life in ways that we can recognize, but not fully understand). Every being has a purpose and function as a part of a unified body. When we recognize our shared ancestry from the past, we can act more wisely for the benefit of all living beings today and in the future.

Part of Hawaiian mythology is a way to organize knowledge for practical application through ritual. Retelling the mo‘olelo connects us to the akua through time and space. The stories form images in our minds that allow us to visualize the connections between us and the akua. We are connected to the unseen relationships of spirit world through ancestry. The akua are our ancestors. We can connect to akua in the spaces where they reside by looking deep within ourselves and seeking the ancestral path that connects us. Allowing yourself to be transported by the akua through space and time allows you to see the world through ancestral eyes.

Anyone can gain a deeper connection to nature by knowing the akua. Akua are a pathway to connect the individual to the natural and universal. By understanding the functions of the akua, we can activate their powers. The akua are formulas and maps that can guide us to amplify the effectiveness of our efforts by living in harmony with nature.

Wahi pana, sacred places

Wahi pana is the name for a sacred space. It means, “a storied (legendary) place.” It is a place that is alive with generations of people investing their energy into creating a sacred space through stories. Sacred places are created and given power by people who honor them with mo‘olelo. Wahi pana are given power through the stories of the gods and spirits, akua, that inhabit that space.

A sacred place can be a prominent land feature like a mountain, or a valley. Wahi pana are also small, like a boulder, or a tree. The mo‘olelo about a legendary place develop from generations of experience living there. The stories inform a way of life that is in harmony with the place.

The akua inhabit wahi pana. Hawaiian people create stories of the akua to contain Hawaiian knowledge and values. The landscape of  the Hawaiian Islands is a library and temple of Hawaiian culture. The knowledge is written in the form, function, and location of the place. Like books, the physical wahi pana is less important than the knowledge it contains. Sometimes, the marker for the place has been destroyed or built over. A sacred boulder may be broken, a stream diverted, or cave covered over with asphalt. Yet, the wahi pana endures as long as the story survives. It’s people that give sacredness to the land by showing reverence. The land is part of Hawaiian culture, and the people.

Honoring a sacred place requires learning about how the stories reveal the history and function of the landscape. It also requires giving respect to those who created the sacred space. The best offering of respect you can give is to be open to the teaching that the sacred space can give you.

If you approach with reverence, a sacred place can give you energy, healing, and purpose. The mo‘olelo can come alive when you experience it in the context of a wahi pana.  Seeking permission to visit a sacred space is part of experiencing what makes a place sacred. Wahi pana are homes of akua. You may respectfully visit with permission, but don’t stay too long, or leave a mess. Pick up any litter you see, and don’t leave anything behind, or disturb the landscape by doing things like stacking rocks.

Whether or not you live in Hawai‘i, we can all learn from the way Hawaiian culture is embedded in the Hawaiian landscape. Sacredness is an attitude that we carry with us. When we approach everything in the world as precious and sacred, we can receive positive energy from our ancestors in the environment. By seeking out indigenous stories of the places around you, you make your home a sacred space.

You can also make your own space a wahi pana by treating it with respect. If you mindfully act to consistently create harmony health and abundance, you’ll find that your environment will give you back the same.

Native voices

We behave indigenously by aligning our everyday life to be in harmony with the places where we live. When we behave indigenously, we support indigenous culture and give it room to grow and develop. If indigenous people are harmed, the land suffers. If indigenous people are protected and nurtured, the land becomes vital and abundant.

If you live in the Hawaiian Islands, or are just visiting, please take some time to explore Hawaiian culture and connect with the community. Listen to native voices. Learn about the local environment, participate in some cultural practices. Take home an appreciation for the benefits of connecting with the place where you live. We can all respectfully create an abundant and harmonious environment for life wherever we go.

Living indigenously means aligning our authentic selves to the place where we live. Our unique personalities are precious creations that bring diversity and make the world a better place. It’s important to know yourself and live in a way that is aligned with that authentic nature. When you give yourself dignity, you can recognize and support the dignity of others.

The Guides connect Japan and Hawai‘i

The guides are a synthesis of similar ideas in Japanese and Hawaiian culture. Although Japanese and Hawaiian cultures are very different, they share similarities. Japan and Hawai‘i are both Pacific islands. Japanese and Hawaiian culture encourages a love of nature and respect for tradition.

Indigenous Japanese and Hawaiian religion both prioritize humans functioning as a part of nature. They don’t have strict dogma and coexist with other religions. Japanese Shinto beliefs have thousands of gods and ancestors called “kami” that connect people to the land where they live, like the akua. Shinto religion is the foundation of Japanese culture. Hanafuda reflects Shinto values. The similarities between Shinto and Hawaiian religion make it easy for Hanafuda to align with Hawaiian values. The eight Guides are on cards which have significant symbolic meaning in the Japanese Hanafuda deck.

One way to interpret the Guides is that they describe a process. The Explorer develops curiosity and asks questions. The Listener uses her curiosity to hear others with empathy. The Dancer participates in his community with caring. The Navigator sets goals for how he wants to participate in his community. The Gardener works toward her goals conscientiously. The Ancestors give us resources to be effective in our work. The Artisan constantly refines the systems that she uses to fulfill her role in her ecosystem. The Educator transmits his knowledge to future generations.

The descriptions for each Guide are an example of just one interpretation of their meaning. Like mo‘olelo, they are meant to work on many different levels and be useful for conveying multiple meanings. Perhaps you will develop personal meanings for the Guides. Let the Guides inspire you to follow your own path.

The Guides are not just about Hawai‘i and Japan. We can find common ideas in cultures around the world if we look for them. They’re examples of how we can use characters and stories to make connections and build communities that are full of aloha and that mālama ‘āina. 

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The Guides