Tiki Central / General Tiki / A Brief History of Tiki Gods
Post #351182 by VampiressRN on Tue, Dec 25, 2007 8:31 AM
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Tue, Dec 25, 2007 8:31 AM
Thanks Chris...I have looked for lists of the gods with pictures before and it is hard to find. Here is another list also.Gods and Goddesses of Hawaii (Hawaiian Mythology) Hawaii's ancient beliefs contained gods and goddesses revered throughout all the Islands, as well as many locally important gods. To Westerners it seemed that the ancient Hawaiian gods were a mix of Christian and ancient Roman and Greek gods, though by the time Missionaries arrived in the Islands from New England in the USA, Hawaii's royal rulers had officially cast the ancient Hawaiian religious system aside. For centuries the belief system in Hawaii was enforced by priests (kahunas) and the notion of chief and priest privilege called "kapu," which simply meant "do this or die," ruled secular and religious life in Hawaii. But in 1819 Prince Lilolilo, who had just been crowed Kamehameha II, broke the kapu by dining in public with his mother and other women of the royal court. All kapu were abolished, but they also destroyed Hawaii's temples (heiaus), relics and artifacts because kapu had been so inextricably intertwined with the Islands temples, priests and beliefs. The burning of the temples was urged by the high priest to Hawaii's royal family. However Hawaii's rich cultural heritage is still alive in the Islands, binding oral tradition, archeological science, history and the ecology of the Islands, and there are many historic sites around the Islands that can help visitors and natives better understand the history and the legacy of the ancient Hawaiians. And though all this talk of ancient gods may seem like ancient history, visitors to the volcanoes continually hear about tourists mailing back volcanic rocks and artifacts, originally taken as souvenirs from Kilauea, in order to appease Pele and end their streak of bad luck. Despite everything, the gods live on within their people. Here's a list to help introduce you to Hawaii's ancient deities, along with a set of Web site links covering Hawaii's rich culture. Major Dieties Gods in the Realm of Death (Po) Celestial Dieties Pele - Goddess of the Volcano Gods and Goddesses of the Natural World Gods and Goddesses of Arts and Professions |