Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology) Part 22

AUMAKUAS, OR ANCESTOR-GHOSTS

There are two meanings to the first part of this word, for "au" means a mult.i.tude, as in "auwaa" (many canoes), but it may mean time and place, as in the following: "Our ancestors thought that if there was a desolate place where no man could be found, it was the aumakua (place of many G.o.ds)." "Makua" was the name given to the ancestors of a chief and of the people as well as to parents.

The aumakuas were the ghosts who did not go down into Po, the land of King Milu. They were in the land of the living, hovering around the families from which they had been separated by death. They were the guardians of these families.

When any one died, many devices were employed in disposing of the body.

The fact that an enemy of the family might endeavor to secure the bones of the dead for the purpose of making them into fish-hooks, arrow-heads, or spear-heads led the surviving members of a family either to destroy or to conceal the body of the dead. For if the bones were so used it meant great dishonor, and the spirit was supposed to suffer on account of this indignity.

Sometimes the flesh was stripped from the bones and cast into the ocean or into the fires of the volcanoes, that the ghost might be made a part of the family ghosts who lived in such places, and the bones were buried in some secret cave or pit, or folded together in a bundle which was thought to resemble a gra.s.shopper, so these were called unihipili (gra.s.shopper). The unihipili bones were used in connection with a strange belief called pule-ana-ana (praying to death).

When the body of a dead person was to be hidden, only two or three men were employed in the task. Sometimes the one highest in rank would slay his helpers so that no one except himself would know the burial-place.

The tools, the clothing, and the calabashes of the dead were unclean until certain ceremonies of purification had been faithfully performed.

Many times these possessions were either placed in the burial-cave beside the body or burned so that they might be the property of the spirit in ghost-land.

The people who cared for the body had to bathe in salt water and separate themselves from the family for a time. They must sprinkle the house and all things inside with salt water. After a few days the family would return and occupy the house once more.

Usually the caretakers of a dead body would make a hole in the side of the house and push it through rather than take it through the old doorway, probably having the idea that the ghost would only know the door through which the body had gone out when alive and so could not find the new way back when the opening was dosed.

After death came, the ghost crept out of the body, coming up from the feet until it rested in the eyes, and then it came out from the corner of one eye, and had a kind of wind body. It could pa.s.s around the room and out of doors through any opening it could find. It could perch like a bird on the roof of a house or in the branches of trees, or it could seat itself on logs or stones near the house. It might have to go back into the body and make it live again. Possibly the ghost might meet some old ancestor-ghosts and be led so far away that it could not return; then it must become a member of the aumakua, or ancestor-ghost, family, or wander off to join the homeless desolate ghost vagabonds.

Sometimes dead bodies were thrown into the sea with the hope that the ghost body would become a shark or an eel, or perhaps a mo-o, or dragon-G.o.d, to be wors.h.i.+pped with other ancestor-G.o.ds of the same cla.s.s.

Sometimes the body or the bones would be cast into the crater of Kilauea, the people thinking the spirit would become a flame of fire like Pele, the G.o.ddess of volcanoes; other spirits went into the air concealed in the dark depths of the sky, perhaps in the clouds.

Here they carried on the work needed to help their families. They would become fog or mist or the fine misty rain colored by light. With these the Rainbow Maiden, Anuenue, delighted to dwell. They often lived in the great rolling white clouds, or in the gray clouds which let fall the quiet rain needed for farming. They also lived in the fierce black thunder-clouds which sent down floods of a devastating character upon the enemies of the family to which they belonged.

There were ghost ancestors who made their homes near the places where the members of their families toiled; there were ancestor-ghosts to take care of the tapa, or kapa, makers, or the calabash or house or canoe makers. There were special ancestor-ghosts called upon by name by the farmers, the fishermen, and the bird-hunters. These ghosts had their own kuleanas, or places to which they belonged, and in which they had their own peculiar duties and privileges. They became ancestor ghost-G.o.ds and dwelt on the islands near the homes of their wors.h.i.+ppers, or in the air above, or in the trees around the houses, or in the ocean or in the glowing fires of volcanoes. They even dwelt in human beings, making them shake or sneeze as with cold, and then a person was said to become an ipu, or calabash containing a ghost.

Sometimes it was thought that a ghost G.o.d could be seen sitting on the head or shoulder of the person to whom it belonged. Even in this twentieth century a native woman told the writer that she saw a ghost-G.o.d whispering in his ear while he was making an address. She said, "That ghost was like a fire or a colored light." Many times the Hawaiians have testified that they believed in the presence of their ancestor ghost-G.o.ds.

This is the way the presence of a ghost was detected: Some sound would be heard, such as a sibilant noise, a soft whistle, or something like murmurs, or some sensation in a part of the body might be felt. If an eyelid trembled, a ghost was sitting on that spot. A quivering or creepy feeling in any part of the body meant that a ghost was touching that place. If any of these things happened, a person would cry out, "I have seen or felt a spirit of the G.o.ds."

Sometimes people thought they saw the spirits of their ghost friends.

They believed that the spirits of these friends appeared in the night, sometimes to kill any one who was in the way. The high chiefs and warriors are supposed to march and go in crowds, carrying their spears and piercing those they met unless some ghost recognized that one and called to the others, "Alia [wait]," but if the word was "O-i-o [throw the spear]!" then that spirit's spear would strike death to the pa.s.ser-by.

There were night noises which the natives attributed to sounds or rustling motions made by such night G.o.ds as the following:

Akua-hokio (whistling G.o.ds).

" -kiei (peeping G.o.ds).

" -nalo (prying G.o.ds).

" -loa (long G.o.ds).

" -poko (short G.o.ds).

" -muki (sibilant G.o.ds).

A prayer to these read thus:

"O Akua-loa! [long G.o.d]

O Akua-poko! [short G.o.d]

O Akua-muki! [G.o.d breathing in short, sibilant breaths]

O Akua-hokio! [G.o.d blowing like whistling winds]

O Akua-kiei! [G.o.d watching, peeping at one]

O Akua-nalo! [G.o.d hiding, slipping out of sight]

O All ye G.o.ds, who travel on the dark night paths!

Come and eat.

Give life to me, And my parents, And my children, To us who are living in this place. Amama [Amen]."

This prayer was offered every night as a protection against the ghosts.

The aumakuas were very laka (tame and helpful). It was said that an aumakua living in a shark would be very laka, and would come to be rubbed on the head, opening his mouth for a sacrifice. Perhaps some awa, or meat, would be placed in his mouth, and then he would go away. So also if the aumakua were a bird, it would become tame. If it were the alae (a small duck), it would come to the hand of its wors.h.i.+pper; if the pueo (owl), it would come and scratch the earth away from the grave of one of its wors.h.i.+ppers, throwing the sand away with its wings, and would bring the body back to life. An owl ancestor-G.o.d would come and set a wors.h.i.+pper free were he a prisoner with hands and feet bound by ropes.

It made no difference whether the dead person were male or female, child or aged one, the spirit could become a ghost-G.o.d and watch over the family.

There were altars for the ancestor-G.o.ds in almost every land. These were frequently only little piles of white coral, but sometimes chiefs would build a small house for their ancestor-G.o.ds, thus making homes that the ghosts might have a kuleana, or place of their own, where offerings could be placed, and prayers offered, and rest enjoyed.

The Hawaiians have this to say about sacrifices for the aumakuas: If a mo-o, or dragon-G.o.d, was angry with its caretaker or his family and they became weak and sick, they would sacrifice a spotted dog with awa, red fish, red sugar-cane, and some of the gra.s.s growing in taro patches wrapped in yellow kapa. This they would take to the lua, or hole, where the mo-o dwelt, and fasten the bundle there. Then the mo-o would become pleasant and take away the sickness. If it were a shark-G.o.d, the sacrifice was a black pig, a dark red chicken, and some awa wrapped in new white kapa made by a virgin. This bundle would be carried to the beach, where a prayer would be offered:

"O aumakuas from sunrise to sunset, From North to South, from above and below, O spirits of the precipice and spirits of the sea, All who dwell in flowing waters, Here is a sacrifice--our gifts are to you.

Bring life to us, to all the family, To the old people with wrinkled skin, To the young also.

This is our life, From the G.o.ds."

Then the farmer would throw the bundle into the sea, bury the chicken alive, take the pig to the temple, then go back to his house looking for rain. If there was rain, it showed that the aumakua had seen the gifts and washed away the wrong. If the clouds became black with heavy rain, that was well.

The offerings for Pele and Hiiaka were awa to drink and food to eat, in fact all things which could be taken to the crater.

This applies to the four great G.o.ds, Kane, Ku, Lono, and Ka.n.a.loa. They are called the first of the ancestors. Each one of these was supposed to be able to appear in a number of different forms, therefore each had a number of names expressive of the work he intended or was desired to do.

An explanatory adjective or phrase was added to the G.o.d's own name, defining certain acts or characteristics, thus: Kane-puaa (Kane, the pig) was Kane who would aid in stirring up the ground like a pig.

This is one of the prayers used when presenting offerings to aumakuas, "O Aumakuas of the rising of the sun, guarded by every tabu staff, here are offerings and sacrifices--the black pig, the white chicken, the black cocoanut, the red fish--sacrifices for the G.o.ds and all the aumakuas; those of the ancestors, those of the night, and of the dawn, here am I. Let life come."

The ancestor-G.o.ds were supposed to use whatever object they lived with.

If ghosts went up into the clouds, they moved the clouds from place to place and made them a.s.sume such shape as might be fancied. Thus they would reveal themselves over their old homes.

All the aumakuas were supposed to be gentle and ready to help their own families. The old Hawaiians say that the power of the ancestor-G.o.ds was very great. "Here is the magic power. Suppose a man would call his shark, 'O Kuhai-moana [the shark-G.o.d]! O, the One who lives in the Ocean! Take me to the land!' Then perhaps a shark would appear, and the man would get on the back of the shark, hold fast to the fin, and say: 'You look ahead. Go on very swiftly without waiting.' Then the shark would swim swiftly to the sh.o.r.e."

The old Hawaiians had the sport called "lua." This sometimes meant wrestling, but usually was the game of catching a man, lifting him up, and breaking his body so that he was killed. A wrestler of the lua cla.s.s would go out to a plain where no people were dwelling and call his G.o.d Kuialua. The aumakua ghost-G.o.d would give this man strength and skill, and help him to kill his adversaries.

There were many priests of different cla.s.ses who prayed to the ancestor-G.o.ds. Those of the farmers prayed like this:

"O great black cloud in the far-off sky, O shadow watching shadow, Watch over our land.

Overshadow our land From corner to corner From side to side.

Do not cast your shadow on other lands Nor let the waters fall on the other lands [_i.e._, keep the rains over my place]."

Also they prayed to Kane-puaa (Kane, the pig), the great aumakua of farmers:

"O Kane-puaa, root!

Dig inland, dig toward the sea; Dig from corner to corner, From side to side; Let the food grow in the middle, Potatoes on the side roots, Fruit in the centre.

Do not root in another place!

The people may strike you with the spade [o-o]