Pono: The Sacred Spirit of Hawaii Travelogue

Hawai’i is an isolated archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean lying 2,500 miles from the nearest landmass. It consists of 8 islands covering 6,425 sq. miles. These islands are the tips of a large chain of volcanoes and were formed by volcanic eruptions. Early life on the isolated Hawaiian Islands evolved from wind-borne seeds and occasional birds that were blown off course by storms. As a result, the unspoiled island ecosystem consists of thousands of unique species that evolved by adapting to their new environment. Seafaring Polynesian explorers dared the 3,000 mile voyage to discover the Hawaiian Islands in 300 AD. The early Hawaiians established an advanced, spiritual culture. They built monumental heiaus (temples) and the largest irrigation systems in Polynesia. Life centered on the ‘ohana (extended family) of 250 to 300 people who were all vital to the whole.

Cultural values included aloha’aina (love of the land), laulima (cooperation), and pa’ahana (hard work). During the 12th and 13th centuries, new waves of Polynesian settlers came to Hawai’i, resulting in bloody invasions. They established a rigid class system with themselves as ali’i (chiefs) who regulated the lives of the commoners through the harshly enforced kapu system derived from the Tahitian term “taboo.” Ancient Hawai’i produced a wealth of oral literature and myth, which was passed down from generation to generation. By the 19th century, they used a 12-letter alphabet, the smallest in the world, developed by missionaries.

Hawaiian spirituality includes hakalau, which is an expanded sense of time that reflects a “gentle flow of water across a tranquil bay.” Life in Hawaii is the concept of the "old style" of when the time is right, according to the schedules of the mysticism of the universal knowing. Their clocks are the wind, weather and astrology. Hawaii can still evoke aloha ‘aina by recognizing a sacred landscape. ‘Aina refers to the rhythms of life that can nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Mo’olelo refers to the power of the old sacred stories. Hawaiian chants can connect one’s innermost being to their ancestor and the universe.

Hawaiian spirituality invites you to recognize yourself as Ho'omaka, a beginner, as one’s first step towards becoming Holo 'i mua, an accepted student of the old Hawaiian culture.