Kanaloa

Kanaloa

Hawaiian ‘Ohana Project(Kanaloa)

Skit: Kanaka Creation Story
Topic 1: Body strengths of Kanaloa(representations)
-undersea world
-ocean bottom
-high and low tide
-left,west
-death
-he’e(octopus)
-pua’a(pig)
-bananas
-sugar cane
-’awa
-’ama’ama
-Hihi manu (Manta ray)
-Ni uhi (White Shark)

Topic 2: Eye of Kanaloa



The Name
In the mythology of old Hawaii, Kanaloa was the god of the ocean, a healer god, and the close companion of Kane, the god of creation. They would journey together, share the sacred drink of 'awa, and use their staves to strike the ground and cause springs of fresh water to burst forth. Rare statues of Kanaloa feature him with round eyes, unlike those of any other representations of the gods. According to a Kauai tradition, if you could look into the eye of Kanaloa you would see the pattern above . In the Hawaiian language, "kanaloa" is also used as a word that means "a sea shell; the young stage of a certain fish; an alternate name for Kaho'olawe Island; and secure, firm, immovable, established, unconquerable." A root translation of the word, ka-na-loa, means "the great peace, or the great stillness." The word also has the connotation of total confidence. In the esoteric tradition of Huna Kupua, Kanaloa represents the Core Self, or the center of the universe within oneself.

The Pattern
As a whole, the pattern represents the Aka Web, or The Web of Life, the symbolic connection of all things to each other. In this aspect, the star at the center is the spider/shaman, or the individual who is aware of being the weaver of his or her own life, a dreamweaver.

In another aspect, the eight lines represent "mana", or spiritual power, because another meaning of "mana" is "branching lines" and the number eight in Hawaiian tradition is symbolic of great power. The four circles represent "aloha", or love, because the "lei" or garland, a symbol of love, is circular and is used figuratively in Hawaiian to mean a circle (as...