The spirits of the dead, according to a summary of ancient Hawaiian
statements, were divided into three classes, each class bearing the
prefix "ao," which meant either the enlightened or instructed class, or
simply a crowd or number of spirits grouped together.
The first class, the Ao-Kuewa, were the desolate and the homeless
spirits who during their residence in the body had no friends and no
property.
The second class was called the Ao-Aumakuas. These were the groups of
ghost-gods or spirit-ancestors of the Hawaiians. They usually remained
near their old home as helpful protectors of the family to which they
belonged, and were worshipped by the family.
The third class was the Ao-o-Milu. Milu was the chief god of the
Under-world throughout the greater part of Polynesia. Many times the
Under-world itself bore the name of Milu. The Ao-o-Milu were the souls
of the departed of both the preceding classes who had performed all
tasks, passed all barriers, and found their proper place in the land of
the king of ghosts.
The Old Hawaiians never intelligently classified these departed spirits
and sometimes mixed them together in inextricable confusion, but in the
legends and remarks of early Hawaiian writers these three classes are
roughly sketched. The desolate ghost had no right to call any place its
home, to which it could come, over which it could watch, and around
which it could hover. It had to go to the desolate parts of the islands
or into a wilderness or forest.
The homeless ghost had no one to provide even the shadow of food for it.
It had to go into the dark places and search for butterflies, spiders,
and other insects. These were the ordinary food for all ghosts unless
there were worshippers to place offerings on secret altars, which were
often dedicated to gain a special power of praying other people to
death. Such ghosts were well cared for, but, on the other hand, the
desolate ones must wander and search until they could go down into the
land of Milu.
There were several ways which the gods had prepared for ghosts to use in
this journey to the Under-world. It is interesting to note that all
through Polynesia as well as in the Hawaiian Islands the path for ghosts
led westward.
The students of New Zealand folk-lore will say that this signified the
desire of those about to die to return to the land of their ancestors
beyond the western ocean.
The paths were called Leina-a-ka-uhane
(paths-for-leaping-by-the-spirit). They were almost always on bold
bluffs looking westward over the ocean. The spirit unless driven back
could come to the headland and leap down into the land of the dead, but
when this was done that spirit could never return to the body it had
left. Frequently connected with these Leina-a-ka-uhane was a
breadfruit-tree which would be a gathering-place for ghosts.
At these places there were often friendly ghosts who would help and
sometimes return the spirit to the body or send it to join the
Ao-Aumakuas (ancestor ghosts). At the place of descent it was said there
was an owawa (ditch) through which the ghosts one by one were carried
down to Po, and Lei-lono was the gate where the ghosts were killed as
they went down. Near this gateway was the Ulu-o-lei-walo, or
breadfruit-tree of the spirits. This tree had two branches, one toward
the east and one toward the west, both of which were used by the ghosts.
One was for leaping into eternal darkness into Po-pau-ole, the other as
a meeting-place with the helpful gods.
This tree always bore the name Ulu-o-lei-walo
(the-quietly-calling-breadfruit-tree). On the island of Oahu, one of
these was said to have been at Kaena Point; another was in Nuuanu
Valley.
The desolate ghost would come to this meeting-place of the dead and try
to find a ghost of the second class, the aumakuas, who had been one of
his ancestors and who still had some family to watch over. Perhaps this
one might entertain or help him.
If the ghost could find no one to take him, then he would try to wander
around the tree and leap into the branches. The rotten, dead branches of
the tree belonged to the spirits. When they broke and fell, the spirits
on them dropped into the land of Milu--the under-world home of ghosts.
Often the spirit could leap from these dead branches into the
Under-world.
Sometimes the desolate spirit would be blown, as by the wind, back and
forth, here and there, until no possible place of rest could be found
on the island where death had come; then the ghost would leap into the
sea, hoping to find the way to Milu through some sea-cave. Perhaps the
waves would carry the ghost, or it might be able to swim to one of the
other islands, where a new search would be made for some ancestor-ghost
from which to obtain help. Not finding aid, it would be pushed and
driven over rough, rocky places and through the wilderness until it
again went into the sea. At last perhaps a way would be found into the
home of the dead, and the ghost would have a place in which to live, or
it might make the round through the wilderness again and again, until it
could leap from a bluff, or fall from a rotten branch of the
breadfruit-tree.
A great caterpillar was the watchman on the eastern side of the
leaping-off place. Napaha was the western boundary. A mo-o (dragon) was
the watchman on that side. If the ghost was afraid of them it went back
to secure the help of the ghost-gods in order to get by. The Hawaiians
were afraid that these watchmen would kill ghosts if possible.
If a caterpillar obstructed the way it would raise its head over the
edge of the bluff, and then the frightened ghost would go far out of its
way, and wandering around be destroyed or compelled to leap off some
dead branch into eternal darkness. But if that frightened ghost, while
wandering, could find a helpful ghost god, it would be kept alive,
although still a wanderer over the islands.
At the field of kaupea (coral) near Barbers Point, in the desert of
Puuloa, the ghost would go around among the lehua flowers, catching
spiders, butterflies, and insects for food, where the ghost-gods might
find them and give them aid in escaping the watchmen.
There are many places for the Leina-a-ka-uhane (leaping-off-places) and
the Ulu-o-lei-walo (breadfruit-trees) on all the islands. To these
places the wandering desolate ghosts went to find a way to the
Under-world.
Another name for the wandering ghosts was lapu, also sometimes called
Akua-hele-loa (great travellers). These ghosts were frequently those who
enjoyed foolish, silly pranks. They would sweep over the old byways in
troops, dancing and playing. They would gather around the old mats where
the living had been feasting, and sit and feast on imaginary food.
The Hawaiians say: "On one side of the island Oahu, even to this day
the lapu come at night. Their ghost drums and sacred chants can be heard
and their misty forms seen as they hover about the ruins of the old
heiaus (temples)."
The fine mists or fogs of Manoa Valley were supposed to conceal a large
company of priests and their attendants while roaming among the great
stones which still lie where there was a puu-honua (refuge-temple) in
the early days. If any one saw these roving ghosts he was called
lapu-ia, or one to whom spirits had appeared.
The Hawaiians said: "The lapu ghosts were not supposed to watch over the
welfare of the persons they met. They never went into the heavens to
become black clouds, bringing rain for the benefit of their households.
They did not go out after winds to blow with destructive force against
their enemies. This was the earnest work of the ancestor-ghosts, and was
not done by the lapu."
Another name for ghosts was wai-lua, which referred especially to the
spirit leaving the body and supposed to have been seen by some one. This
wai-lua spirit could be driven back into the body by other ghosts, or
persuaded to come back through offerings or incantations given by living
friends, so that a dead person could become alive again.
It was firmly believed that a person could endure many deaths, and that
if any one lost consciousness he was dead, and that when life stopped it
was because the spirit left the body. When life was renewed it was
because the spirit had returned to its former home.
The kino-wai-lua was a ghost leaving the body of a living person and
returning after a time, as when any one fainted.
Besides the ghosts of the dead, the Hawaiians gave spirit power to all
natural objects. Large stones were supposed to have dragon power
sometimes.
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