For hundreds of years prior to 1819, Hawaiian society was governed by the ‘Aikapu, a system of religious, political, and social laws. In this system, the role of religion in political and social organization was paramount; the ‘Aikapu itself was conceived by the kahuna (priest) of Wākea, an Akua (God) often referred to as Sky Father. In the philosophy that informed the ‘Aikapu system, nothing in Hawaiian life occurred without the will and recognition of the Gods. The sun rose and prayer was chanted. The crops were planted and an oli (chant) was performed. A battle was waged and the chiefs made appeals to the Akua. A child was born and religious ceremony abounded. It can be said with certainty that every aspect of Hawaiian life was imbued with a deep sense of spirituality, from the very mundane to the extraordinary.

As a polytheistic society, Hawaiians worshipped nearly 40,000 Gods under the ‘Aikapu. These Gods presided over the various tasks of life, including childbirth, agriculture, war, fishing, family structure, and chiefly rule. The Akua, like the kānaka, were of various ranks and power. ‘Aumākua or ancestral Gods guarded and guided members of their family and were honored by those who were genealogically linked to them. All Akua had earthly nature forms known as kinolau, literally, “many bodies”, and each God often had more than one kinolau. The pueo (owl), the falling rain, a palapalai fern, the ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossom, and the manō (shark) were among the thousands of kinolau of the Akua. In this understanding, the Akua are not distant or ephemeral, but familiar and real, sharing the earthly realm with kānaka.