In ancient mythic Hawaii, from fire spewing volcanos too powerful crashing surf, ancient

Hawaiians filled their amazing land and history with tiki gods. Ancient oracles of

Hawaiian kahunas perched on volcanic cliffs, carved wooden tikis peering through the

rainforest, mystic caves along the cost and great tiki god temples of sacrifice were

located amongst the Hawaiian tiki villages and islands. They were worshipped through

human sacrifice, chants (for wealth, death or love), prayers, surfing and lava sledding.

Ancient Hawaii was a mythic land with freighting tiki masked warriors appearing from

steaming jungles and many unique and interesting gods and legends. To cover all of the

Hawaiians legends and gods would take volumes so I have selected what I feel to be

the most amazing and wondrous gods and myths. Such as the major Hawaiian tiki

gods, shark gods, dog men, fantastic weapons and night marchers.

The Four Major Tiki Gods

Ku – Ancient Tiki God of War

In Hawaiian mythology Ku is one of the four great gods along with the ancient tiki gods,

Kanaloa, Kane, and Lono. He was the husband of the goddess Hina (Beckwith

1970:12), suggesting a complementary dualism as the word ku in the Hawaiian

language means "standing up" while one meaning of 'hina' is 'fallen down.'

Ku is worshipped under many names, including Ku-ka-ili-moku, the "Seizer of Land" (a

feather-god, the guardian of Kamehameha). Rituals included human sacrifice, which

was not part of the worship of the other gods. Ku, Kane, and Lono caused light to shine

in upon the world. They are uncreated gods who have existed from eternity (Tregear

1891:540).

Lono – Ancient Tiki God of Fertility and Peace

In Hawaiian mythology, Lono is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a

rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with

rain and food plants. He was one of the four gods (with Ku, Kane, and his twin brother

Kanaloa) who existed before the world was created. Lono was also the god of peace. In

his honor, the great annual festival of the Makahiki was held. During this period (from

October through February), all unnecessary work and war was kapu (taboo). This is

also the season of taxes, olympic like games and when chiefs regrouped their forces

(and organized campaigns ironically).

Kane– Ancient Tiki God of Light and Life

In Hawaiian mythology, Kane Milohai is the father of the tiki gods Ka-moho-ali'i, Pele (whom he exiled to Hawaii), Kapo, Namaka and Hi'iaka by Haumea. He created the sky, earth and upper heaven and gave Kumu-Honua the garden. He owned a tiny seashell that, when placed on the ocean's waves, turned into a huge sailboat. The user of the boat had merely to state his destination and the boat took him there. In agricultural and planting traditions, Kane was identified with the sun. The word Kane alone means "man". As a creative force, Kane was the heavenly father of all men. As he was the father of all living things, he was a symbol of life in nature. In many chants and legends of Ancient Hawaii, Kane is paired with the god Kanaloa, and is considered one of the four great Hawaiian divinities along with Kanaloa, Ku, and Lono. Alternatively known as Kane, Kane-Hekili ("thunderer" or "lightning breaking through the sky"), Kane Hoalani.

Kanaloa – Ancient Tiki God the Sea

Kanaloa is one of the four great gods of Hawaiian mythology, along with Kane, Ku, and Lono. He is the local form of a Polynesian deity generally connected with the sea. Roughly equivalent deities are known as Tangaroa in New Zealand, Tagaloa in Samoa, and Ta'aroa in Tahiti. In the traditions of Ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is symbolized by the squid, and is typically associated with Kane in legends and chants where they are portrayed as complementary powers (Beckwith 1970:62-65). For example: Kane was called upon during the building of a canoe, Kanaloa during the sailing of it; Kane governed the northern edge of the ecliptic, Kanaloa the southern; Kanaloa points to hidden springs, and Kane then taps them out. In this way, they represent a divine duality of wild and taming forces like those observed (by Georges Dumezil, et al.) in Indo-European chief god-pairs like Odin-Tyr and Mitra-Varuna, and like the popular yin-yang of Chinese Taoism.

Interpretations of Kanaloa as a god of evil opposing the good Kane (a reading that

defies their paired invocations and shared devotees in Ancient Hawaii) is likely the

result of European missionary efforts to recast the four major divinities of Hawaii in the

image of the Christian Trinity plus Satan.

????THINKING????? TIKI GOD

Please provide a description of the general

concept (big idea) behind your Tiki Gods.

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What do you want the viewers to SEE when they

look at your completed Tiki and how do you plan

to achieve that objective?

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What do you want viewers to THINK and or

WONDER about when they look at your finished

project and how do you plan to achieve that

objective?

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What INFERENCE (conclusion) do you want

viewers to make when they look at final artwork

and how do you plan to achieve that objective?

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