Kanaloa
| Kanaloa | |
|---|---|
Underworld | |
| Symbol | squid or octopus |
| Gender | male |
In the traditions of ancient Hawaiʻi, Kanaloa is a god symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne.[1] It is also an alternative name for the island of Kahoʻolawe.
Kanaloa is also considered to be the god of the Underworld and a teacher of magic. Legends state that he became the leader of the first group of spirits "spit out" by the gods. In time, he led them in a rebellion in which the spirits were defeated by the gods and as punishment were thrown in the Underworld. In traditional, pre-contact Hawaiʻi, it was Milu who was the god of the Underworld and death, not Kanaloa; the related Miru traditions of other Polynesian cultures support this.[citation needed]
The Eye of Kanaloa is an esoteric symbol associated with the god in New Age Huna teaching, consisting of a seven-pointed star surrounded by concentric circles that are regularly divided by eight lines radiating from the inner-most circle to the outer-most circle. Huna, as a New Age religion developed in the 20th century by a Caucasian-American founder, bears no relation to the Native Hawaiian Religion. Native Hawaiians reject "Huna" as a mishmash of Hawaiian elements with European religious metaphysical ideas.[citation needed]
As a namesake
[edit]After Kanaloa, one prince was named — he was a son of the Chief Kanipahu and one of his consorts, either Hualani or Alaʻikauakoko.
See also
[edit]- Tangaroa, the Māori god of the sea.
- Tagaloa Samoan mythology
- Tangaloa Tongan mythology
- Taʻaroa Tahitian mythology
- Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, a monstrous octopus in NZ Māori and French Polynesian lore.
References
[edit]- ^ Luomala, Katharine; Chun, Malcolm Nāea (2005). "Hawaiian Religion". In Jones, Lindsay (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religion. pp. 3796–3800. Gale CX3424501290.
Sources
[edit]- Beckwith, Martha Warren (1982). Hawaiian Mythology. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0514-2.
- G. Dumezil, Mitra-Varuna (MIT Press: Cambridge, 1988).
- P. Turner & C. R. Coulter, Dictionary of Ancient Deities (Oxford University Press: New York, 2001).
- Au, Jane (December 2018). He Hulikoʻa Kanaloa- Seeking the Depths of Kanaloa (Thesis). hdl:10125/62774.