Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined in the Pukui & Elbert Dictionary as "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession." (See also
Ancient Hawaii) Forty different types of kahuna are listed in the book, Tales from the Night Rainbow. Kamakau lists more than 20 in the healing professions alone, including for example Kahuna la'au lapa'au, an expert in healing; kalai wa'a, an expert canoe maker; ho'okele, an expert navigator. Many myths have grown up around kahuna. One is that kahuna were outlawed after the white man came to Hawai'i. Although it is true that at various times specific kahuna practices were made illegal, including healing people through "superstitious means," for the most part, most kahuna practices remained legal. However, during the decline of native Hawaiian culture many kahuna died out and did not pass on their wisdom to new students. As an example, when the
Hokule'a was built to be sailed to the South Pacific to prove the voyaging capabilities of the ancient Hawaiians, master navigator
Mau Piailug from
Satawal was brought to Hawai'i to teach the Hawaiians navigation, as no Hawaiians could be found who still had this knowledge.
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