The Ancestors unify generations.

Hawaiian gods are ancestors. Legends say that Wākea and Haumea are some of the earliest ancestors who set out into the open Pacific Ocean to inhabit new islands thousands of years ago. They are husband and wife. Wākea is the akua of the sky. Haumea is the akua of the earth. Together, they form a unified heaven and earth.

Hawaiian mythology connects personal ancestry to the ‘āina (land) through the akua. People are connected to the gods, and the gods reside in the land. The ‘āina is connected to person’s being. Any injury to the ‘āina is a personal injury. When the ‘āina is nurtured, people are nurtured.

Recognizing a connection to the akua is recognizing the potential for greatness within us. The following mo‘olelo of Haumea Kāmeha‘ikana can be used to illustrate how to access the power of our ancestors.

Mo‘olelo of Haumea Kāmeha‘ikana

Haumea is the goddess of the earth, and Wākea is the god of the sky. They lived together at the top of the mountains above Kalihi Valley, on O‘ahu—near what is downtown Honolulu today. 

One day, Haumea went on a journey to gather crabs and seaweed from the ocean at He‘eia on the northwestern shore of O‘ahu. On the same day, Wākea decided to go down to the south side of the island to Kalihi valley into the realm of people.

Wākea burst down from the mountain in a ravenous rampage devouring bananas and wantonly destroying the crops in Kalihi. He then laid down to take a nap in a flooded field of kalo (taro).

A commoner noticed Wākea and reported him to the local ali‘i (chief). Wākea was soon arrested for his destruction. The ali‘i decided to punish Wākea with death. Wākea would be baked in an oven as a sacrifice to the gods. Wākea was tied to the trunk of a breadfruit tree, to wait while the oven fire was prepared.

Haumea, who was still far away on the other side of the island, had a sudden intuition that Wākea is in trouble. She rushed across the island, up over the mountains and down the opposite side, to where Wākea was tied to the ‘ulu (breadfruit) tree. Haumea flew down from the mountains, and tore away the ropes binding Wākea. The trunk of the ‘ulu tree magically opened like a door, and they entered the tree together. The trunk shut tightly behind them. Haumea and Wākea escaped back to the mountain, and their powers remained in the tree.

The astounded ali‘i and his men tried to recapture Wākea by chopping at the trunk with adzes. Splinters and sap flew from the tree when hit by the adzes. The splinters slew anyone who chopped at the tree. Bystanders who were sprayed with sap immediately fell dead. People became frightened and were in a panic. They called out for a priest to help them.

The priest recognized that the power of Haumea and Wākea remained inside the ‘ulu tree. He instructed people to give offerings to the tree and pray to placate the gods.

After proper ceremonies, the tree was cut down and carved into an idol called Kāmeha‘i-kana, “a multitude of descendants.” Kāmeha‘ikana became one of the great gods of O‘ahu that gave the possessor power to conquer enemies and establish good government.²

This mo‘olelo is like the bowl Haumea is holding. It is always full of the nourishment that we need. Even though it was created a long time ago, it’s still full of lessons for today’s world.

The mo‘olelo begins with Haumea and Wākea living peacefully together in the misty realm of the gods on top of a mountain. Hawaiian gods often exist in pairs. Each god has a counterpart with opposite qualities that create a balanced complete representation. In this story, Haumea and Wākea together can be interpreted as the dual nature of rainwater, which can both nourish the land and destroy it.

Haumea is the life giving waters that flow from rain in the mountains down to the sea. Haumea brings life to all of the land and connects the mountain peaks to the ocean.

Wākea is the destructive nature of a wild storm. He descended from the mountaintop as a flash flood that destroyed fields of crops and devoured banana plants. His waters were held and pacified in the flooded fields of kalo (taro). Wākea’s raging floodwaters were confined, and he went to sleep.

The kalo field is a manmade technology. The ali‘i (chief) of Kalihi controlled and distributed water through canals. He captured Wākea, the flood water, and irrigated his breadfruit groves.³ The waters became bound in the ‘ulu (breadfruit) trees. The water was not allowed to continue to the ocean.

Haumea came to rescue Wākea from his captivity, and stole him away from the people. The lesson here could be that nature cannot be controlled against its will. Nature is persistent. Manmade technology will fail over time. Dams and canals will eventually fail or have to be replaced. The arrogance of people who tried to control nature with technology was the poison from the sacred ‘ulu tree that killed the people who tried to chop it down. Nature can be deadly when we oppose it.

The chief of Kalihi learned from his priests how to gain power from the sacred ‘ulu tree. He used priestly ceremonies to align the people with the powers trapped in the ‘ulu tree. They honored the ancestors to gain the benefits of Haumea’s creative power. They learned to work in harmony with nature. They cut down the ‘ulu tree and carved it into an idol as a symbol and reminder to live in harmony with nature.

The Hawaiian phrase, “He ipu ho‘oilina mai na kūpuna mai,” means, “an inherited container from the remotest ancestress.” Haumea is the great mother, the regenerative creative force of life. The god carved from the sacred ‘ulu tree, Kāmeha’ikana the multitude of Haumea’s descendants, is a reminder that all people are descendants of Haumea, and are unified in her powers.

We are all descendants of Haumea. The community that honors the creative and destructive cycles of nature becomes Kāmeha’ikana. “The multitude of descendants of Haumea,” is a powerful community that works together in harmony with nature.

Indigenous culture gives us a way to live as a community that seeks to provide for the common needs of everyone. If we examine our ancestral ties, we can find the commonalities that can bind us together to help and support each other. We have all the tools to be a society that lives in harmony. Together we can become Kāmeha‘ikana, the multitude of Haumea’s descendants.