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2.Background
<br /> There were now four months devoted to the observances of the Makahiki, during which time the
<br /> ordinary religious ceremonies were omitted,the only ones that were observed being those connected
<br /> with the Makahiki festival. The prescribed rites and ceremonies of the people at large were
<br /> concluded in the month of Mahoe-hope. The keepers of the idols, however, kept up their prayers
<br /> and ceremonies throughout the year.
<br /> Having dedicated the remaining roughly eight months of the year to idol worship and at times war, Makahiki
<br /> emerged as a much-needed respite from the everyday toils. Like other aspects of traditional Hawaiian society,
<br /> Makahiki,which included festivities such as competitive sports,was guided by a series of rituals and ceremonies that
<br /> involved both the maka`ainana and all`i. Prior to the start of Makahiki, the maka`Dinana undertook a significant
<br /> harvest to gather necessary ho`okupu (offerings) that were to be presented to Lono and abstained from eating pork
<br /> (except in temple services)which was a kinolau (embodiment)of Lono. The ho okupu were gathered and placed on
<br /> an ahu (alter) that was constructed at the boundaries of ahupua'a in anticipation of the arrival of Lono. During the
<br /> clockwise circuit of the island, Lono who was symbolically represented by a"staff surmounted by a small figure or
<br /> head of the god above a cross bar from which hung a sheet of white bark cloth"known as the Akua Loa(Long God)
<br /> made stops at each ahu to receive the ho`okupu (Handy et al. 1991:331). "The produce and land of each district was
<br /> kapu until the tribute had been accepted as sufficient by the chief tax collector who accompanied the procession"
<br /> headed by the Akua Loa (Handy et al. 1991:331). After the tax collector had determined the sufficiency of the
<br /> ho`okupu, the kapu was lifted and the Akua Pa'ani emerged (god of play and body strenghtening) to promote
<br /> competitive sports and other festivities. It will be noted here that the order in which the various Makahiki gods
<br /> appeared differs amongst historians.
<br /> Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau (1964),in his book Ka Po'e Kahiko, wrote that during the island-wide circuit,
<br /> the god Kapala`alaea followed the Akua Pa'an!and was discernable by the red ochre (`alaea) smeared on half of its
<br /> body. Kamakau (1964:20) wrote that "on one side he was kapu, and on one side, free" but did not provide any
<br /> additional clarifying remarks to indicate whether the side smeared in `alaea was kapu or not.
<br /> In 1858, Zepherin "Kepelino" Kaho`ali`i Keauokalani, a descendant of Kamehameha I, published a
<br /> comprehensive four-part series called Hooiliili Havaii(The Hawaiian Collection)(Mookini and Kirtley 1977).In his
<br /> work,Kepelino lists Kapala`alaea as one of five gods that were involved the closing Makahiki ceremonies—this time
<br /> for Kihawahine,a chiefess who was transformed into a revered aumakua mo'o(guardian lizard):
<br /> During the period of the makahiki festival18(upon the last day),the god Loa,19 the god Poko,20 the
<br /> god Ka-pala-'alaea,21 Ka-ho-ali'i, the god Ku'i,22 the god Pa'ani23 and all the gods were brought
<br /> forth. The image of the goddess Kiha-wahine, in all her finely, in a pa'u24 and with all manner of
<br /> clothing proper for her female nature,was then taken aboard a canoe.The paddlemen of this goddess
<br /> took their places and cried out,announcing that the tabu of this goddess was immediately in effect,
<br /> as though the goddess herself were actually there. Then the cry proclaiming a tabu on the approach
<br /> of a sacred personage was announced as follows:"Kapuwo! [sic]25 Kapuwo! [sic]Kapuwo! [sic]to
<br /> the tabu of Kina-wahine [sic]. Kapuwo! [sic] Death to those who move! Prostrate!"If there were a
<br /> canoe on the sea at that time, those on the open top of the canoe must prostrate themselves or be
<br /> killed by the keepers of this goddess. After the goddess passed by, then they could arise and go
<br /> elsewhere.If they did not act fittingly they were killed. (Mookini and Kirtley 1977:50)
<br /> While Lono is attributed with Makahiki and the wet season that brough rain clouds to the Kona District, wai
<br /> (freshwater)is considered a kinolau(physical manifestation)of the akua Kane,who along with his companion Kanaloa
<br /> (whose dominion was over the ocean), came to Hawaii from Kahiki(a land outside of Hawai`i). Legend has it that
<br /> Kane and Kanaloa both enjoyed consuming `awa,a drink prepared by mixing the crushed root of the `awa plant(Piper
<br /> methysticum)with fresh water.In their travels,they stopped at various places around the Hawaiian Islands and opened
<br /> new freshwater springs from which they prepared their favorite drink (Handy et al. 1991). Kalokuokamaile shared
<br /> that sometimes in Kona,the farmers built temples that were dedicated to Kane and Ka and sometimes they prayed to
<br /> certain ki`i pohaku (stone images) that were sacred to these gods. It was also not uncommon for farmers to invoke
<br /> these gods without the use of images or stones (in Handy et al. 1991). The `olelo no'eau "He huewai ola ke kanaka
<br /> na Kane" literally translated as "man is Kane's living water gourd," highlights the relationship that Hawaiians have
<br /> to freshwater, and thereby to Kane (Pukui 1983:68). Handy et al. (1991:64) sheds light on the spiritual relationship
<br /> that Hawaiians have to water:
<br /> Fresh water as a life-giver was not to the Hawaiians merely a physical element; it had a spiritual
<br /> connotation. In prayers of thanks and invocations used in offering fruits of the land, and in prayers
<br /> chanted when planting, and in prayers for rain the"Water of Life of Kane"is referred to over and
<br /> 16 CIA for the Ld'Ipala Makai Planned Unit Development,Kapala`alaea 2,North Kona,Hawai i
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