Kumukahi

Who is Kāne?

Kāne is one of the four main gods in ka hoʻomana kahiko, traditional Hawaiian religion. The other three akua are Kū, Lono, and Kanaloa. Kāne plays a major role in the everyday life of a Hawaiian because Kāne is associated with the forces of nature that give us life. He is the sunlight. He is the fresh water. He is the kalo, the staple food of the Hawaiian race. Mele and moʻolelo designate Kāne as the force that brings forth and sustains human life.

What are the kinolau of Kāne?

Kinolau are the many bodies that an akua can have. The images below are kinolau of Kāne. Each form of Kāne provides something that we need as kānaka. These kinolau give us sustenance, medicine, building materials, and ceremonial objects.

Other kinolau of Kāne include:
• spring water
• sunlight
• coral
• pōhaku o Kāne
• natural phenomena such as lightning, thunder, rainbows

What is Kāne’s main role?

Kāne provides fresh water to sustain life. Kāne along with Kanaloa are the main creators of water sources. Moʻolelo tell us that Kāne and Kanaloa are ʻawa drinkers. As they travel around the islands together, they open up new springs so that they always have fresh water for their ʻawa. Many of these springs still flow today and have been providing fresh water to sustain life for generations.

One moʻolelo gives details about the locations of these springs.

When they reached Kaʻawaliʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, they wanted to drink ʻawa. They began to prepare the ʻawa and realized that they had no water. Kanaloa said to Kāne, “There is no water. Where will we get water for our ʻawa?”

Kāne replied, “There is water.” He took their spears and thrust the tips into the ground and water flowed forth. They drank their ʻawa, and when they were finished, they left, but the spring that they opened remains. It is called the water of Kāne and Kanaloa, and it still flows today.

The moʻolelo describes their further travels, opening up a spring in Kaʻū, near Kalae, another at Hāmākua, Maui, and another at Kalihi, Oʻahu.

We all benefit from the fresh water provided by Kāne. We all need clean, fresh water to survive. Kāne is also the sunlight that warms the earth and helps plants grow. When sunlight and water are combined, like when a light rain falls and the sun shines through it, a rainbow is created. When ka poʻe kahiko saw this natural phenomenon, they recognized it as Kāne. So we look at the rainbow as a sacred sign of Kāne. It helps us remember and be thankful for the things that give us life.

Kāne is a primary source of life

Kāne has a huge role in the lives of kānaka. His powers and forms are essential to life. Kāne provides us with our most basic needs: water and energy. The ʻōlelo noʻeau, “Ka honua nui a Kāne i hoʻīnana a ʻahu kīnohinohi,” refers to “The great earth animated and adorned by Kāne,” which credits Kāne for the life on our planet.

Where can we find Kāne?

Besides his plant and animal kinolau, Kāne’s most important form is fresh water. A mele, called “Ka Wai a Kāne,” lists the different forms that fresh water can take and the places where it can be found.

He ui, he nīnau, e ui aku ana au iā ʻoe: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i ka hikina a ka lā puka i Haʻehaʻe;
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i kaulana a ka lā,
I ka pae ʻōpua i ke kai,
Ea mai ana ma Nihoa,
Ma ka mole mai o Lehua;
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i ke kuahiwi,
I ke kualono,
I ke awāwa,
I ke kahawai;
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i kai, i ka moana,
I ke kualau, i ke ānuenue,
I ka pūnohu, i ka ua koko, i ke ao lewalewa;
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i luna ka wai a Kāne,
I ke ao uli, i ke ao ʻeleʻele,
I ke ao panopano, i ke ao pōpolohua mea a Kāne lā ē;
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe: Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i lalo, i ka honua, i ka wai hū,
I ka wai kau a Kāne me Kanaloa,
He wai puna, he wai e inu, he wai e mana, he wai e ola.
E ola nō ā!

A question, a query, I am asking you: Where are the waters of Kāne?
    At the rising of the sun at Haʻehaʻe;
    There are the waters of Kāne.

    I am asking you: Where are the waters of Kāne?
    In the resting place of the sun,
    In the cloud bank over the ocean,
    Rising up above Nihoa,
    From the taproot of Lehua;
    There are the waters of Kāne.

    I am asking you: Where are the waters of Kāne?
    On the mountains,
    On the ridges,
    In the valleys,
    In the rivers;
    There are the waters of Kāne.

    I am asking you: Where are the waters of Kāne?
    In the seas, in the ocean,
    In showers from the ocean, in the rainbow,
    In the low–lying rainbow, in the red rainbow, in the floating clouds;
    There are the waters of Kāne.

    I am asking you: Where are the waters of Kāne?
    The waters of Kāne are above,
    In the dark clouds, in the black clouds,
    In the thick clouds, in the dark purple clouds of Kāne.
    There are the waters of Kāne.

    I am asking you: Where are the waters of Kāne?
    Down below, in the earth, are the rising waters,
    The water placed by Kāne and Kanaloa,
    Spring water, drinking water, water of divine powers, life-giving water.
    Let there be life!

Some ‘ōlelo no‘eau related to Kāne

ʻĀina i ka houpo o Kāne.
Land on the bosom of Kāne.
Puna, Hawaiʻi. It is said that before Pele migrated there from Kahiki, no place in the islands was more beautiful than Puna.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #79)

Haka ʻula a Kāne.
Kāne’s red perch.
A rainbow with red colors predominating.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #415)

Hala i ke ala koʻiʻula a Kāne.
Gone on the sacred red trail of Kāne.
Death.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #421)

Hala i ke ala polohiwa a Kāne.
Gone on the trail to the bosom of Kāne.
Death.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #422)

He huewai ola ke kanaka na Kāne.
Man is Kāne’s living water gourd.
Water is life and Kāne is the keeper of water. To dream of a well–filled water gourd that breaks and spills its contents is a warning of death for someone in the family.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #598)

He pō Kāne kēia, [ke] māʻau nei nā ʻeʻepa o ka pō.
This is the night of Kāne, for supernatural beings are wandering about in the dark.
Said of those who go wandering about at night. It is believed that on the night of Kāne, ghosts, demigods, and other beings wander about at will.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #908)

Kai nuʻu a Kāne.
Kāne’s rising sea.
The foamy sea that follows after a tumbling wave.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1409)

Ke kai lipolipo polihua a Kāne.
The dark–blue ocean of Kāne.
The deep sea out of sight of land.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1729)

Ke one lauʻena a Kāne.
The rich, fertile land of Kāne.
Puna, Hawaiʻi, was said to have been a beautiful, fertile land loved by the god Kāne. Pele came from Kahiki and changed it into a land of lava beds, cinder, and rock.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1777)

ʻUʻina pōhaku a Kāne.
The stone of Kāne rolled with a rumble.
Said of thunder.
(ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #2861)