PONO, MANA, KAPU - Three Hawaiian Concepts that every Hawaiian should know and every Haole needs to understand.

PONO, MANA, KAPU

According to the Hawaiian-English Dictionary by Pukui & Elbert, listed below are some of the definitions of these words:

Pono – Goodness, uprightness, morality, correct or proper procedure, excellence, well-being, duty, proper, righteous, right, upright, just. (these are just a few that I extracted from the book)

Mana – Supernatural or divine power, miraculous power, authority, to make powerful, authorization, privilege, spiritual. (again just a few that I extracted)

Kapu – Prohibition, special privilege, sacred, sacredness, holy, sanctify, consecrated, forbidden,

Now even though listed above are samples of English definitions of these words, in order to really understand them you have to try and gain the Polynesian perspective. They are not merely words but rather concepts, values, or even disciplines. There’s a harmony and a balance between these three principles as one acts upon the other and cannot exist without the other.

Starting with Pono.  If you think about the doctrine that in this world every principle has a contrasting principle we can accept that there is Good and there is Evil. Pono vs Ino ( bad ). Pono is the right way that all things happen, or is the right way that all things should be done. It is the balance of nature. It is how Na Akua (The Gods) are defined and it is their will for all of their creations. Anything that is not Pono is Ino. According to early Hawaiian beliefs, All things were made Pono and were to be kept Pono. If anything wasn’t Pono, then it was to either be cleansed, or cast out. Hawaiian's believed that sometimes things were not Pono, because Na Akua needed to punish someone or something, because of something that wasn’t previously Pono. Therefore, the punishment was construed as being Pono. If a Kanaka Maoli (indigenous person) did something wrong they would need to begin the process to make that thing right again. In Hawaii it was necessary to Ho’oponopono (another concept and practice that I won’t get into details with at this time). Ho’oponopono basically means to make things right. If some bad conduct or deed was very severe, the violator would sometimes need to go to a Pu’uhonua (place of refuge) and Mihi (repent) and be made clean again and able to return to and be accepted back into normal society.  So Pono is all that is good, the right way to do things, the way all things should be, the right order of things, the essence of religious beliefs and practices. Pono defines a person, an act, a deed, a lifestyle, an understanding, an acceptance, a governing principle, and the foundation of a religion and social system.

Mana is defined as a power or an authority. Sometimes this power is even deemed to be greater than the natural powers which are recognized in common things. Mana is not limited to just a person, but it is in every living thing. According to old Hawaiian beliefs, all things are alive, even the rocks and minerals, the air we breathe, all things tangible or intangible. All things have Mana. Mana is bestowed upon us by Na Akua, and some things or persons have greater Mana than others. When we think about it as authority, we can understand that different Ali’i (leaders or chiefs)  may fall into different positions within an established hierarchy. When we think of Mana as being an endowed gift we can understand why some people are naturally better skilled or more talented than others. Mana was also identified as being intelligence, wisdom, judgement, and understanding. These powers were believed by the Hawaiians to be contained not in the head, but rather in the Na'au (bowels). Then there’s Mana’o which comes from the word Mana and translates to refer to the mind and what the mind is, does, and what comes from it; ideas, thoughts, opinions, suggestions, theories, beliefs, etc. One who is determined to be Akamai, meaning skilled, smart, clever, or expert is understood to have great Mana and is also revered as being Na’auao (Daylight Mind), meaning wise, knowledgeable, and intelligent. The Hawaiians revered all things and all people that demonstrated having great Mana. For an Ali’i Nui (High Chief) their Mana was believed to be inherited from Na Akua. For a Maka’ainana (commoner) to have great Mana because of a born gift or a learned skill, it was believed that they were blessed  and chosen by Na Akua to be set apart for a specific Kuleana (responsibility or stewardship). A Koa (Warrior), An Olapa (Hula Student) or a Kahuna (Priest) just to touch on a few. So with this said, great authority was either derived through blood lines such as the Ali'i, or rewarded for performing marvelous deeds, which could be imposed on a maka'ainana. Demonstrating superior intelligence, profound wisdom, or even good judgement could all be perceived as someone endowed with great Mana. Therefore, to the Hawaiian, all of these Persons were recognized and revered for their authority, and their power, or in Hawaiian, their Mana.

Fianally we come to Kapu. The English word for Kapu is Taboo because as the English ear listened to the dialects of the Pacific Islanders, they heard the word Kapu pronounced Kapu (kah-poo), Tapu (tah-poo), or Tabu (tah-boo) giving just a few examples. The English speakers kept the pronunciation of the word,"Taboo," but their translation of the word focused mainly on the negative concepts such as "Forbidden" or "Keep Out!" I’m going to introduce the concept of Kapu by using the definitions from the dictionary such as "sacred, holy, or consecrated," because when you think about it, if something is sacred, "Is it something that is free for everyone to do with as they will?" "No!" We understand that in order to keep sacred things sacred, there needs to be laws, rules, processes, guidelines, a certain protocol, or whatever, as to who, what, when, where, why, and how to interact with these sacred tangible or intangible things.  Just like all things to the Hawaiian had Mana, just in different degrees or greatnesses, likewise to the Hawaiians all things were Kapu and of different degrees as well. For something that was extremely Kapu and could only be spoken of, approached by, touched by, performed by or even understood by an Ali'i Nui (High Chief) or Kahuna Nui (High Priest) then to everyone else is was forbidden. Therefore, we can understand a little better the principle of Kapu recognizing that all things are viewed as sacred because all things have a degree of Mana.

Now we will see how these concepts all interact with one another.

To understand why the Ali'i or Kahuna can involve his or her self with something that is Kapu, that is because they have the right Mana to do so. Or in essence, their Mana is Pono. That which is Kapu or sacred will always remain sacred as long as that which interacts with it has the Mana or authority which is Pono or correct because it is kept Pono or proper. This works with all tangible and intangible things that are not human as well.  Life is sacred, it is Kapu, and its harmony and balance depends on the right things that perpetuates its very existence. This is caused by temporal or divine powers or authority, some that we may or may not even understand. If anything interrupts this balance of Kapu, Mana, and Pono, it results in chaos. The balance is maintained by each principle supporting the other, each one depending on the other, and each one self destructing if either of the other two should become as naught.

When we engage ourselves each day into whatever it may be, working, socializing, instructing, relaxing, or just enjoying the beauty of this wonderful creation, we can think about the concepts of Pono, Mana and Kapu. We can understand better ourselves, the world around us, and for those who are not the children from the Isles of the Seas, they can get a little insight of the Hawaiian Perspective.

End Note: These concepts are not just Hawaiian, but are commonly used and understood in Polynesia and throughout the Pacific Region. The words themselves being written or pronounced slightly different from island to island and/or Island Nation to Island Nation.