Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Island Chronicles | July/August 2003

Island Chronicles

Night Spirits

After the sun went down, the spiritual inhabitants of darkness roamed the land of the living

Darkness was the realm of spirits. It was at night that gods and mischievous night creatures, fallen chiefs and warriors, deceased family members and guardians walked among the living. From nightfall to the small hours of the morning, singly and in groups, they roamed the land on familiar footpaths they had trodden in life. Then, when dawn kindled the embers at the edge of the night sky, the lapu (apparitions) and huaka'i po (night marchers) were banished from the Earth until the final blush of another sunset called them forth again.

Night held a supreme place in the Hawaiian cosmos. Hawaiians believed that out of darkness came life-that the creative po, or night, of the spirit world engendered the physical world of light, in which humans lived. They marked the passage of time with the nightly phases of the moon and began the count of each new 24-hour period at nightfall.

On certain nights, the people observed special rites for these dwellers of the world of darkness-the gods and the spirits of their ancestors. The third through sixth nights of the lunar cycle, and the 14th, 24th, 25th, 27th and 28th nights were kapu-sacred. On such nights, huaka'i po, the night processions of the gods, ancestral spirits and high-ranking chiefs and warriors, wandered about their customary haunts.

A phalanx of the akua (gods) was especially formidable. Five rows of akua, six abreast, carried blazing, red torches to light the beginning, three middle sections and end of the long huaka'i (procession). Accompanying the huaka'i akua were chants naming the gods and their accomplishments, as well as the more dramatic forms of natural phenomena, such as heavy rainfall with mist, thunder, lightning and rough seas. The next morning, a path or road found littered with broken branches and leaves would attest to the passage of the huaka'i through the area.

The 'aumakua, or ancestral guardian spirits, had their own huaka'i. This procession took place not only at night, but during the day as well. If at night, the torches could be seen even in heavy rain; if by day, the huaka'i were frequently followed by whirlwinds stirring up dirt and leaves in their wake. According to Hawaiian cultural authority Mary Kawena Pukui, huaka'i 'aumakua often came to collect the spirits of deceased family members to take them into their ranks.

The huaka'i of chiefs and their warriors differed according to each particular chief's likes and dislikes. The procession was accompanied by the playing of the chief's favorite musical instruments, such as drums and nose-flutes. All the rights and privileges associated with his rank were observed-for example, if his face or back had been sacred in life, no member of the huaka'i was allowed to march before or behind him.

Personal encounters with the huaka'i on footpaths or roads could be fatal for the living-immediate death was the usual penalty meted out by the ilamuku, or spirit enforcers of the kapu. Sometimes, a person could avoid punishment by stepping out of the way and lying motionless and partially unclothed by the side of the path-thus presenting a disgusting sight to the marchers and causing them to continue on without harming him. Another way of escaping punishment was with the intervention of family 'aumakua in the huaka'i, who would plead with the other spirits to spare the life of their family member.

Most feared the huaka'i. However, for those near death, who had been faithful to their 'aumakua or who were descended from chiefs, the huaka'i were welcome, for they brought about a reunion with ancestors and loved ones.

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