Puka Mai He Ko‘a: The Significance of Corals in Hawaiian Culture

Abstract

As the indigenous people of an island chain in the middle of the moananuiākea (the expansive ocean) surrounded by coral reefs, Native Hawaiians have profound ancestral and spiritual connections to the coral. These connections between Hawaiians and coral manifests themselves in a multitude of diverse and pragmatic ways. Yet, the primary Hawaiian wisdom information is accessed and shared through chants, dance, and other daily activities as well as such immemorial forms as dreams and thoughts. Elements of the natural world are described as having intimate kin relations to the Hawaiian people as ancestral akua, or deities. The coral is no exception. Hawaiian people consider coral to be an akua, that provides birth and death to both the people and the islands, possessing much mana, the essence of spirituality. Corals are considered the beginning of life, and are thus the most ancient ancestors of all living things in Hawai‘i. In this paper, we use oral tradition, material culture, and indigenous ecological knowledge to present some of the most salient cultural symbolisms and pragmatic uses given to corals in Hawai’i. Our main objective is to use local perspectives and narratives to emphasize the biocultural, spiritual ecological, and, social relevance of coral to the Native Hawaiian people.