Hawaiian Kapu System



Hawaiian Kapu System

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of the author's knowledge by exploring some relevant facts related to Hawaiian Kapu System. The early history of Polynesian settlement is unclear and continues to be debated by anthropologists. It appears that an initial wave of settlers arrived from the Marquesas and possibly the Society Islands in outrigger canoes sometime after AD 300. Although having no written language, the Hawaii oral tradition preserved family lines back to the first wave of settlement, giving some idea of the probable date of the first settlement. There is evidence, also based on oral traditions, that a second wave of settlers this time from Tahiti, arrived around AD 1300 and established a rigid class system that continued until the European settlement (Valeri, 1985).

The caste system had a large number of social and religious taboos called the Kapu system. Religion held ancient Hawaiian society together, affecting habits, lifestyles, work methods, social policy and law. The legal system was based on religious kapu, or taboos. Politically, the islands were divided in a number of chiefdoms that were often at war with each other. There was a right way to live, worship, to eat, and to socialize. Examples of kapu included the provision that men and women could not eat together. Fishing is limited to certain times of year. The shadow of the “alii” must not be touched as stealing his “mana”. Violating kapu even by accident was punishable by death (McGregor, 2007). In this paper, the author will identify different aspects of Kapu System and examine its impact on Hawaiian society.

Discussion & Analysis

The Kapu System & the Hawaiian Culture

The Hawaiian Kapu system was developed for the purpose of protecting the concept of mana. In order to intact and maintain mana, complex laws had to be implemented. Under this system, each characteristic of Hawaiian life was maintained and guided by rigid requirements for the purpose of keeping harmony and balance of the mana. Although, the implementation of Kapu system has brought some positive transformation in the society, i.e. efficient and effective use of resources. However, political aspects of the system have raised some issues relating to abuse (James, 2002).

Polynesian settlers brought foodstuffs such as taro (a tuber from which is produced the starchy gray paste known as poi, the traditional Hawaiian staple), breadfruit, bananas, coconuts, sugarcane, and yams as well as pigs, chickens, and small dogs raised as livestock. They also brought a cultural system based on the strict observance of kapus, or religious prohibitions. Hawaiian society was divided into chiefs (alíi), a hereditary priestly class (kahunas), and commoners (makáainana), who composed most of the population. Within these three classes were elaborate subdivisions assigned to different religious, artistic, and economic tasks. Traditional Hawaiian civilization, though lacking a written language or metalwork, displayed a remarkable complexity of social roles and an extraordinary adaptation to and mastery of the natural environment, including notable achievements in irrigation, aquaculture, and the arts (Handy, ...