Hawaiian religion is the term used to describe the
folkFolk religion consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of an organized religion, but outside of official doctrine and practices...
religiousReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
beliefs and practises of the
Hawaiian peopleNative Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
. It is unrelated to, though commonly confused with, the philosophy of Huna.
Hawaiian religion originated amongst the
TahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
ans and other
Pacific islandersThe Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
who landed in
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
between 500 and 1300 AD. Today, Hawaiian religious practices are protected by the
American Indian Religious Freedom ActThe American Indian Religious Freedom Act, Public Law No. 95-341, 92 Stat. 469 , codified at , is a United States federal law and a joint resolution of Congress that was passed in 1978. It was enacted to protect and preserve the traditional religious rights and cultural practices of American...
.
Hawaiian religion is
polytheisticPolytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
, believing in many deities, and is also
animisticAnimism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
in that it is based on a belief that spirits are found in non-human beings and objects such as animals, the waves, and the sky.
Deities
Hawaiian religion is
polytheisticPolytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
, with four deities most prominent:
KāneIn Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the four major Hawaiian deities, along with Kanaloa, Kū, and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and gives life associated with dawn, sun and sky...
,
KūIn Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
,
LonoIn Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
and
KanaloaIn the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also the name of an extinct volcano in Hawaii. In legends and chants Kāne and Kanaloa are portrayed as complementary powers...
. Other notable deities include
LakaIn Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of a popular hero from Polynesian mythology....
, Kihawahine, Haumea,
PapahanaumokuPapahanaumoku , or Pāpā, is the name of the Kanaka Maoli creator goddess in Hawaiian mythology. Together with her husband Wakea Pāpā is the ancestor of all people and Kalo, and mother of islands as the Kanaka Maoli manifestation of Mother Earth...
, and, most famously, Pele. In addition, each family is considered to have one or more
family guardianA household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in pagan religions as well as in folklore across many parts of the world....
s known as
ʻaumakuaIn Hawaiian mythology, an aumakua is a family god, often a deified ancestor. The Hawaiian plural of aumakua is nā aumākua , although in English the plural is usually aumakuas. Nā aumākua frequently manifested as animals such as sharks or owls. Nā aumākua were worshipped at localities where they...
.
One breakdown of the Hawaiian
pantheonA pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
consists of the following groups:
- the four gods (ka hā) – Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
- the forty male gods or aspects of Kāne (ke kanahā)
- the four Hundred gods and goddesses (ka lau)
- the great Multitude of gods and goddesses (ke kini akua)
- the spirits (na unihipili)
- the guardians (na aumākua)
Another breakdown consists of three major groups:
- the four gods, or akua: Kū, Kāne, Lono, Kanaloa
- many lesser gods, or kupua, each associated with certain professions
- family gods, aumakua, associated with particular families
Mythology
One Hawaiian creation myth is embodied in the
KumulipoIn ancient Hawaiian mythology, the Kumulipo is a chant in the Hawaiian language telling a creation story. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty.-Creation chant:Many cultures have their own beliefs on how the earth came to be created...
, an epic
chantChant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
linking the
aliiAlii is a word in the Polynesian language denoting chiefly status in ancient Hawaii and the Samoa Islands. A similar word with the same concept is found in other Polynesian societies. In the Cook Islands, an ariki is a high chief and the House of Ariki is a parliamentary house...
, or Hawaiian royalty, to the gods. The
Kumulipo is divided into two sections: night, or
pō, and day, or
ao, with the former corresponding to divinity and the latter corresponding to
mankindHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
. After the birth of
Kii, the man, and
Lailai, the woman, the man succeeds at seducing and reproducing with the woman before the god
Kāne has a chance, thereby making the divine lineage of the gods younger than and thus subservient to the lineage of man. This, in turn, illustrates the transition of mankind from being symbols for the gods (the literal meaning of
kii) into the keeper of these symbols in the form of idols and the like.
Kahuna and Kapu
The
kahuna were the rough equivalent of
shamansShamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
who served as
mediumsMediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
for the purpose of communicating with the gods.
Kahuna often served as healers as well, discussing with the gods the best way to heal their patients.
They also talked with the
spiritThe English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
s. Kahuna Kūpaiulu of Maui in 1867 described a counter-
sorceryWitchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
ritual to heal someone ill due to
hoopiopio, another’s evil thoughts. He said a
kapa (cloth) was shaken. Prayers were said.
Then, "If the evil spirit suddenly appears (
puoho) and
possessesDemonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
the patient, then he or she can be immediately saved by the conversation between the practitioner and that spirit."
Pukui and others believed kahuna did not have mystical
transcendentTranscendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
experiences as described in other religions. Although a person who was possessed (
noho) would go into a
tranceTrance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
-like state, it was not an ecstatic experience but simply a communion with the known spirits.
Kapu refers to a system of
tabooA taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
s designed to separate the spiritually pure from the potentially unclean. Thought to have arrived with Pāao, a priest or chief from Tahiti who arrived in Hawaii sometime around 1200 AD, the
kapu imposed a series of restrictions on daily life. Prohibitions included:
- The separation of men and women during mealtimes (a restriction known as aikapu)
- Restrictions on the gathering and preparation of food
- Women separated from the community during their menses
- Restrictions on looking at, touching, or being in close proximity with chiefs and individuals of known spiritual power
- Restrictions on overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
Hawaiian tradition shows that Aikapu was an idea led by the kahuna in order for Wākea, the sky father, to get alone with his daughter, Hoohokukalani without his wahine, or wife, Papa, the earth mother, noticing. The spiritually pure or laa, meaning "sacred" and unclean or haumia were to be separated. Aikapu included:
- The use of a different ovens to cook the food of male and female
- Different eating places
- Woman were forbidden to eat pig, coconut, banana, and certain red foods because of their male symbolism.
Other Kapus included Mālama Āina, meaning "caring of the land" and Niaupio. Tradition says that mālama āina originated from the first child of Wākea and Hoohokukalani being deformed so they buried him in the ground and what sprouted became the first kalo, also known as taro. The Hawaiian islands are all children of Papa, Wākea and Hoohokukalani so basically meaning that they are older siblings of the Hawaiian cheifs.. Second child of Wākea and Hoohokukalani became the first Ali Nui, or "Grand Cheif". This came to be called Niaupio, the cheifly incest to create the "godly child".
Punishments for breaking the
kapu could include death, although if one could escape to a
puuhonuaPuuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located on the west coast of the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The historical park preserves the site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu could avoid certain...
, a city of refuge, they could be saved. Kāhuna nui mandated long periods when the entire village must have absolute silence. No baby could cry, dog howl, or rooster crow, on pain of death.
Human sacrifice was not uncommon.
The
kapu system remained in place until 1819 (see below).
Prayer and heiau
Prayer was an essential part of Hawaiian life, employed when building a house, making a canoe, and giving
lomilomi massageLomilomi, meaning "masseur, masseuse" in the Hawaiian language, is the word used today to describe Hawaiian massage, traditionally called lomi, meaning "to rub, press, squeeze, massage; to work in and out, as the claws of a contented cat"...
. Hawaiians addressed prayers to various gods depending on the situation. When healers picked herbs for medicine, they usually prayed to Kū and Hina, male and female, right and left, upright and supine. The people worshiped
LonoIn Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
during
Makahiki season and
KūIn Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
during times of war.
Histories from the 19th century describe prayer throughout the day, with specific prayers associated with mundane activities such as sleeping, eating, drinking, and traveling. However, it has been suggested that the activity of prayer differed from the subservient styles of prayer often seen in the Western world.
Heiau, served as focal points for prayer in Hawaii. Offerings,
sacrificeSacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
s, and prayers were offered at these temples, the thousands of
koa (
shrineA shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s), a multitude of
wahi pana (sacred places), and at small
kuahu (altars) in individual homes.
Origins
Although it is unclear when settlers first came to the
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, there is significant evidence that the islands were settled no later than 800 AD and immigration continued to about 1300 AD. Settlers came from the
MarquesasThe Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
,
SamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
,
Easter IslandEaster Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
, and greater
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. At some point a significant influx of
TahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
an settlers landed in the Hawaiian islands, bringing with them their
religious beliefsPolynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
.
Early Hawaiian religion resembled other Polynesian religions in that it was largely focused on natural forces such as the
tideTides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s, the sky, and
volcanic activity2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
as well as man's dependence on nature for subsistence. The major early gods reflected these characteristics, as the early Hawaiians worshiped
KāneIn Hawaiian mythology, Kāne-milo-hai is the brother of Kamohoalii, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka and Hiiaka by Haumea. He is a minor figure in Hawaiian mythology, figuring most prominently in the story of Pele's journey along the island chain to Hawaii, and may be seen as a terrestrial counterpart to his...
(the god of the sky and creation),
KūIn Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
(the god of war and male pursuits),
LonoIn Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
(the god of peace, rain, and fertility) and
KanaloaIn the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also the name of an extinct volcano in Hawaii. In legends and chants Kāne and Kanaloa are portrayed as complementary powers...
(the god of the ocean).
Early Hawaiian religion
As an
indigenous cultureIndigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, spread among eight islands, with waves of immigration over hundreds of years from various parts of the
South PacificOceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, religious practices evolved over time and from place to place in different ways.
Hawaiian scholar
Mary Kawena PukuiMary Abigail Kawenaulaokalaniahiiakaikapoliopelekawahineaihonuaināleilehuaapele Wiggin Pukui , known as Kawena, was a Hawaiian scholar, dancer, composer, and educator.-Life:...
, who was raised in Ka‘ū, Hawaii, maintained that the early Hawaiian gods were benign. One
MolokaiMolokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
tradition follows this line of thought. Author and researcher Pali Jae Lee writes: "During these ancient times, the only 'religion' was one of family and oneness with all things. The people were in tune with nature, plants, trees, animals, the ‘āina, and each other. They respected all things and took care of all things. All was
ponoPono is a Hawaiian word commonly rendered as "righteousness". For instance, the Hawaii state motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono or "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"....
."
"In the dominant current of Western thought there is a fundamental separation between humanity and divinity. ... In many other cultures, however, such differences between human and divine do not exist. Some peoples have no concept of a ‘Supreme Being’ or ‘Creator God’ who is by nature ‘other than’ his creation. They do, however, claim to experience a spirit world in which beings more powerful than they are concerned for them and can be called upon for help."
"Along with ancestors and gods, spirits are part of the family of Hawaiians. "There are many kinds of spirits that help for good and many that aid in evil. Some lie and deceive, and some are truthful ... It is a wonderful thing how the spirits (
‘uhane) of the dead and the ‘angels’ (
anela) of the
‘aumākua can possess living persons. Nothing is impossible to god-spirits,
akua."
Contemporary
In 1819, Kamehameha the Great died. In the aftermath, two of his wives, Kaahumanu and Keōpūolani, then the two most powerful people in the kingdom, conferred with the kahuna nui, Hewahewa. They convinced young Liholiho, Kamehameha II, to
overthrowThe Ai Noa , was a period of taboo-breaking which convulsed the Hawaiian Islands in 1819. Women were allowed to eat forbidden food and to eat with men; the priests were no longer to offer human sacrifices; the many prohibitions surrounding the high chiefs were relaxed.Kamehameha I, the conqueror of...
the kapu system. They
orderedKeaoua Kekua-o-kalani was a nephew of Kamehameha I, the chief from the Big Island of Hawaii who had unified the Hawaiian islands. He was the son of Kamehameha's half brother Kealiimaikai and Kamehameha's half-sister Kiilaweau. After Kamehameha died in 1819, Keaoua rebelled against Kamehameha's...
the people to burn the wooden statues and tear down the rock temples.
Without a the hierarchical system of religion in place, some abandoned the old gods, and others continued with cultural traditions of worshiping, them, especially their family ‘aumākua.
MissionariesA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
arrived in 1820, and most of the alii converted to
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, including Kaahumanu and Keōpūolani, but it took 11 years for Kaahumanu to proclaim laws against ancient religious practices. “Worshipping of idols such as sticks, stones, sharks, dead bones, ancient gods and all untrue gods is prohibited. There is one God alone, Jehovah. He is the God to worship. The hula is forbidden, the chant (olioli), the song of pleasure (mele), foul speech, and bathing by women in public places. The planting of ‘awa is prohibited. Neither chiefs nor commoners are to drink ‘awa.” (Kamakau, 1992, p. 298-301)
Note: ‘awa is Hawaiian for
kavaKava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
.
Although traditional Hawaiian religion was outlawed, a number of traditions typically associated with it survived by integration, practicing in hiding, or practicing in rural communities in the islands. Surviving traditions include the worship of family ancestral gods or
aumākua, veneration of
iwi or bones, and preservation of sacred places or
wahi pana.
HulaHula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
was outlawed at one time as a religious practice but today is performed in both spiritual and secular contexts.
Traditional beliefs have also played a role in the
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
of post-Contact Hawaii. In the 1970s the Hawaiian religion experienced a resurgence during the
Hawaiian RenaissanceThe First and Second Hawaiian Renaissance was the Hawaiian resurgence of a distinct cultural identity that draws upon traditional kānaka maoli culture, with a significant divergence from the tourism-based "culture" which Hawaii was previously known for worldwide .-First Hawaiian...
. In 1976, the members of a group "Protect
Kahoolawe Ohana" filed suit in federal court over the use of
KahoolaweKahoolawe is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about seven miles southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lanai, and it is long by wide, with a total land area of . The highest point on Kahoolawe is the crater of Lua Makika at the...
by the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for
target practiceTarget practice refers to any exercise in which projectiles are fired at a specified target, usually to improve the aim of the person or persons firing the weapon....
. Charging that the practice disturbed important cultural and religious sites
Aluli et al. V. Brown forced the Navy to survey and protect important sites, perform conservation activities, and allow limited access to the island for religious purposes. Similarly, outrage over the unearthing of 1,000 graves dating back to 850 AD during the construction of a
Ritz-CarltonThe Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...
hotel on
MauiThe island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
in 1988 resulted in the redesign and relocation of the hotel inland as well as the appointment of the site as a state historic place.
Along with the surviving traditions, some Hawaiians practice
Christianized versionsSyncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
of old traditions. Others practice it as a
co-religionReligious pluralism is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of various religions, and is used in a number of related ways:* As the name of the worldview according to which one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus that at least some truths and true values...
.
New ThoughtNew Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
author
Max Freedom LongMax Freedom Long was an American teacher and New Thought philosopher.-Early career:Shortly after graduating from UCLA in 1917, Long moved to the island of Hawaii to teach in elementary schools. When he arrived, he claimed that some Native Hawaiians were practicing what he called magic...
claimed his philosophy of Huna was Hawaiian religion, and although some aspects of his books report on authentic Hawaiian practices, he did not describe traditional Hawaiian religion.