That was during my first visit to the island of Maui more than a year ago. Walking by a store in a marketplace at Kihei on a peaceful evening, I was greeted warmly by the manager Keith, a Japanese descendant in his thirties who had lived on the island all his life. People in Hawaii are perhaps the friendliest of all places in the United States—the aloha spirit is alive in this land.
Our chat turned to Hawaiian customs, to which Keith remained an outsider and I was a mere stranger. For Hawaiians who live by traditions, interaction with spirits of the land, plants, and rocks is a daily affair, a consciousness of the mind.
Some years ago Keith had a kidney disease that was not responding to modern medicine. “I know a woman who is a kahuna”—a seer who has developed spiritual powers to connect with the spirits. “One day I met her on the street, and she said to me, ‘The plants want to help you heal.’” Keith had no idea how the woman knew about his illness.
The kahuna gave Keith some herbal medicine that soon restored his health. Hawaiian culture has an herbal healing tradition similar to other ancient cultures.
He shared other stories with me, one of which involves a rock. This particular story highlights the Hawaiian understanding of nature.
One night Keith went fishing with two Hawaiian friends on a rocky shore. Ulua, or the giant trevally, is a prized fish in Hawaii, and the best fishing stratey is to use slide-bait in deep waters at night.
“Suddenly a huge rock fell on a friend,” he recounted. It was a dangerous situation, and Keith said he did not know what to do.
“My other Hawaiian friend went in front of the rock, paused for a moment, then lifted the rock up to free him.” Keith sensed somehow that this was a solemn moment, so he dared not to ask any questions.
The next day, he asked the Hawaiian friend, “What happened last night? How could you lift such a huge rock?”
“I simply asked the rock for permission to be lifted so that I can save my friend,” he answered.
He shared the legend of King Kamehameha and the rock with Keith, who in turn shared it with me.
Kamehameha was the first Hawaiian King who united the Hawaiian islands in 1810. The legend goes that once he carried a 1,000-pound rock uphill from a valley. The rock is now known as the Kamehameha Rock, standing east of Kapa’au.
Another story tells of a Hawaiian prophecy that whoever could move the 7,000-pound Naha Stone would become the greatest king of Hawaii. At age 14, Kamehameha lifted the massive rock and turned it completely over. Naha Stone now rests in front of Hilo public library.
Hong Jiang teaches geography at University of Hawaii.
