Traditional Beliefs
Around 1000 A.D, when the people of Polynesia came to Hawaii, they
brought with them traditional beliefs in dieties whos names are still
well known in Hawaii. Later, the people of Hawaii, impressed by the
power of the volcanoes, came to believe that Pele, the goddess of the
volcano actually lived in the lava of Kilauea. Though Hawaiian males
were dominant in war and hunting,
there were several female dieties to be reckoned with. Laka was the
godess of the forest and Kihawahine ruled the waters. Haumea ruled the
soil and rendered it fertile at her will..
History
Around the year 1820, King Kamehameha 2 began opposition to the
severely enforced religious practices of the Hawaiians. Christian
missionaries camei at about that time and won many converts. A few
years later, large numbers of Chinese and brought their religions with
them. They were followed by Japanese, who brought with them their
Shinto and Buddhist traditions. Over the years, there have been
significant imigrations
of people from Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Portugal. Today, all
these religions are represented in the diverse religious traditions of
Hawaii. The ancient religions are nearly gone, but their legacy is
found in place names and ceremonies.
Today, there are more Christians in Hawaii than any other single group.
For statistics on this, please see http://www.imagine-hawaii.com/people.html
.
Places of Worship
In early Hawaiian religion, there were
no
buildings equivalent to churches or temples. The Hawaiians built heiau,
areas inside stone walls and featuring an altar and
carved statues. The ruins of many of these heiau, most now
only rough, rings of stone, can be seen in many places in Hawaii today.
Today, because so many people have come to Hawaii from so many places,
there are many and varied styles of buildings for worship reflecting
their origins in Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and mainland
America ( especially New England ) |
