Order of ‘Iō
“Perhaps this was a people forced to flee hither by war, or driven in this direction by bad winds and storms. Perhaps by the expression Lewa, or regions of air, Asia is referred to; perhaps this expression refers to islands they visited on their way hither; so that on their arrival they declared they came from the back (the windward) of these islands.
Perhaps this race of people was derived from the Israelites, because we know that certain customs of the Israelites were practiced here in Hawai‘i.
Circumcision, places of refuge, tabus (and ceremonies of purification) relating to dead bodies and their burial, tabus and restrictions pertaining to a flowing woman, and the tabu that secluded a woman as defiled during the seven days after childbirth all these customs were formerly practiced by the people of Hawai‘i
Perhaps these people are those spoken of in the Word of God as “the lost sheep of the House of Israel,” because on inspection we clearly see that the people of Asia are jut like the inhabitants of the islands, of Tahiti and the lands adjacent.” —David Malo (Mo‘ōlelo Hawai‘i Vol. 1)
This excerpt from an 1800’s history text by a Native Hawaiian historian details the likely possibility that the Hawaiians are descended from the Israelites, the same Israelites described in the Torah or the Old Testament of the Bible. Now in present day the evidence for this claim have been substantiated more by different anthropologists and archaeologists. For example, these excerpts from Jeffrey L. Gross’s anthropological novel “Waipi‘o Valley: A Polynesian Journey from Eden to Eden.”
The origin of the Polynesians, debated for over 200 years, goes back to the ancient Near East. Early theories from the first half of the nineteenth century proposed by arriving missionaries found similarities between ancient Polynesian oral traditions, legends and mythology, and events recorded in the Old Testament and ancient Sumerian accounts, such as their creation mythology, stories of “Garden of Eden” and the biblical Flood. Legends similar to biblical legends exist throughout Polynesia and were acquired prior to leaving their ancient Near Eastern homeland. “Rather than being copies of the Hebrew or Sumerian legends, the Polynesian mythological accounts appear to be original, independent versions of once-common legends derived from a common source.” (Westervelt 1998 [1932]) Early missionaries concluded Polynesians were Semitic in origin, that they were dispersed Israelites who had wandered the earth until reaching the islands of the Pacific Ocean and were “remnants of the ten lost tribes of Israel.”
“The Tahitian god Ta‘aroa and his son ‘Oro demanded human sacrifice. ‘Iō, the Hawaiian Supreme Creator God, had been worshipped in the early heiau, but later many gods were worshipped with some holding human sacrifices. (Kikawa 2008) Before the arrival of Pa‘ao, worship of ‘Iō had been limited to the priesthood of ‘Iōlani who thought only they were holy enough for such knowledge. It is said Hema, a famous chief, and navigator from Kauiki, Maui and worshipper of the god ‘Iō, left the Hawaiian Islands for New Zealand after the war with his brother Puna before the arrival of Pa‘ao and the Tahitians. (Kikawa 2008) Pa‘ao and the Ra‘iateans introduced kapu kanawai or kapu laws increasing religious taboos adding to the power of the chiefs and priests and some believe Pa‘ao actually began the Hawaiian kapu system. Pa‘ao arrived at Hawai‘i Island with a fleet of canoes, an ‘auwa‘a of war canoes with an army of warriors, priests, and new rulers. He is described in legend as having arrived in a ‘cloud of boats’ with several thousand tall, fierce warriors who came to take over the land and war began where ‘merciless battles…in which the earth was literally covered with the innocent who were slaughtered… These were indeed bloody days.’ (Kamakua 1961) Pa‘ao wore white, color of the priestly class at the Taputapuatea Marae, and was known as the man who wore death because the color of his undyed kapa represented death in Hawai‘i Island. A quality Pa‘ao would fulfill bringing devastation to Hawai‘i Island. (From Tales of the Night Rainbow by Koko Willis and Pali Jae Lee) Thousands were killed or ensalved, Tahitian ari‘i conquered the earlier Hawaiian population, and the old order was overturned, days of the order of the Supreme god ‘Iō ended.”
The Hawaiians were once a monotheistic society that worshipped one creator god, ‘Iō (YHWH). Before the Hawaiians first arrived on the islands they believed in one god and that was the case for around 800 to 1000 years. However Tahitians who were also followers of ‘Iō began adding gods to their pantheon; these gods were then introduced to the islands by the Tahitians via violence, death, and rule of law (Kapu System). These gods are who we now know today as the “Hawaiian” gods, Kanaloa (Ta‘aroa), Kū (Tū), Pele, and more.
Learning of the origins of my people and their original Akua has reinvigorated my faith in my kūpuna and my beliefs. Looking to my kūpuna for true ‘ike continues to guide my path to truly understanding the world, myself, and Ke Akua. To honour this discovery I’ve designed 9 info cards that have the 9 names of ‘Iō that describe the essence and character of ‘Iō, the names also correspond perfectly with the essence and character of YHWH in the Bible the names and Bible verses are used in tandem to allow others to better understand ‘Iō
The concept behind the designs are old Hawaiian petroglyphs that were able to convey grand concepts in simple lines and shapes, I hope to be able to do the same with these little infographic cards. Aloha Ke Akua!
P.S. (Extra Reading)
‘Iō or ‘Ia was the name of the Polynesians called the Creator God. The following portions of a Māori sacred chant of creation are compared to Genesis I in the King James Version (KJV):
“‘Iō dwelt within the breathing space of immensity. The universe was in darkness, with water everywhere. There was no glimmer of dawn, no clearness, no light. And He began by saying these words, that He might cease remaining inactive, ‘Darkness become light-possessing darkness.’ And at once light appeared” (Handy, “Ancient Hawaiian Civilization, pp. 43-45).
Genesis 1:2-3 says, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’”
‘Iō then looked to the waters which compassed Him about and spake a fourth Time, saying, ‘Ye waters of Tai-kama, be ye separate. Heaven be formed.’ Then the sky became suspended. ‘Bring forth thou Tupu-horo-nuku.’ And at once the moving earth lay stretched abroad” (Handy, Ancient Hawaiian Civilization, pp. 43-45).
Genesis 1:6-9 says, “And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathering together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and so it was.” — Dr. Daniel Kikawa (Ke Akua o ke Ao, Ke Akua o ka Pō) Pg. 259
He had learned that at the dawn of creation all was an eternal void, emptiness and blackness that cannot be fathomed by fragile human minds. Then ‘Iō spoke and light streamed forth from the corridors of eternity. The land, sea, and sky appeared. The moon and stars were set to shine in darkness. Soon, nature’s song could be heard filling all the earth. Yet, at land, the ‘āina was not complete. Neither creature nor beauty could satisfy the longing of Him who spoke all things into existence. Thus was Kumuhonua, the first man, fashioned from the red clay in the image of his Creator, and Keolakūhonua, the first woman, formed from his rib. Creator and creation communed peacefully in the soft brilliance of the ‘āina in that sacred first land. Kumuhonua and Keolakūhonua had much aloha for their Akua (God), Most High… until the great fall. The woman was enticed by the great Mo‘opeloa, the lizard/serpent of lies and flattery, to disobey her God, and the man followed.
Many years later, after evil increased and filled the whole earth, ‘Iō had called upon his servant, Nu‘u, the ancestor of all men, to build a large canoe with a house on top of it. ‘Iō told Nu‘u he would flood the earth to cleanse it of sin. When the great flood came, Nu‘u took his wife, their three sons and their wives, and many animals on board the huge canoe. The rains lasted many days and nights and the waters remained for many days after that. When Nu‘u finally landed in dry land, ‘Iō gave him a sign, the ānuenue or rainbow. This is why the rainbow is a symbol of ‘Iō.” — Dr. Daniel Kikawa (Ke Akua o ke Ao, Ke Akua o ka Pō) Pg. 51-52