Suppression of Hula, Healing, and Cultural Practices

Suppression of Hula, Healing, and Cultural Practices in Hawai'i: A Legacy of Cultural Genocide Against Kanaka Maoli

In the early 19th century, the arrival of Protestant missionaries from New England profoundly altered the cultural landscape of the Hawaiian Islands. These missionaries, primarily affiliated with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), viewed Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli) spiritual, artistic, and healing practices through a lens of Puritanical Christianity, deeming them pagan, immoral, and incompatible with Western civilization. This perspective led to aggressive campaigns of suppression, often enforced through alliances with converted Hawaiian ali'i (chiefs) and the implementation of laws and edicts that systematically dismantled core elements of Kanaka Maoli identity. Practices such as hula the sacred dance that conveyed genealogy, history, mythology, and spiritual connections were condemned as lascivious and sinful. Traditional healers, or kāhuna, who practiced lāʻau lapaʻau (herbal medicine) and other forms of holistic healing tied to ancestral knowledge, were dismissed as superstitious charlatans engaging in "witchcraft." Sacred sites, including heiau (ancient temples used for worship and ceremonies) and burial grounds, were desecrated, dismantled, or repurposed for Western-style development, such as building churches or plantations. This era of cultural erasure was not incidental but deliberate, aligning with broader colonial efforts to assimilate and subjugate the Kanaka Maoli people.

A pivotal example of this suppression was the 1830 edict issued by Queen Ka'ahumanu, the influential queen regent and a convert to Christianity, who prohibited public performances of hula throughout the Hawaiian Kingdom. Influenced by missionary teachings that portrayed hula as a "heathen practice" promoting immorality, Ka'ahumanu enforced the ban with fines and imprisonment, driving the art form underground. Although the edict was not always strictly enforced after her death in 1832, it set a precedent for decades of intermittent prohibitions, including under later monarchs and during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. This law exemplifies what can be termed an "evil law" in the context of genocidal acts, as it targeted the cultural heart of Kanaka Maoli society. Similar to bans on indigenous languages and ceremonies in other colonized regions, such edicts facilitated cultural genocide a form of destruction recognized in international discourse, though not always legally codified. The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) defines genocide to include acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, such as causing serious mental harm or deliberately inflicting conditions leading to physical destruction. Cultural suppression, while debated as a standalone category, often paves the way for broader genocide by eroding group identity, cohesion, and resilience. In Hawai'i, these laws severed intergenerational knowledge transmission, weakened social structures, and facilitated land dispossession and population decline elements that compounded the demographic catastrophe from introduced diseases, which reduced the Kanaka Maoli population from an estimated 400,000-800,000 in 1778 to fewer than 40,000 by the late 1800s. By destroying cultural practices, colonizers aimed to "civilize" and assimilate Native Hawaiians, making resistance to annexation and economic exploitation more difficult, ultimately contributing to the illegal overthrow and U.S. annexation in 1898.

Impact on Kanaka Maoli

Hula Suppression: Once the pinnacle of cultural expression, embodying oral histories and spiritual rituals, hula was forced into secrecy from 1830 onward. Public performances were criminalized, leading to the loss of many oli (chants) and mele (songs). For instance, during the 1820s-1870s, missionaries pressured schools to exclude hula, replacing it with Western dances. This ban persisted in various forms until King Kalākaua's revival efforts in the 1870s and 1880s, but much knowledge was irretrievably lost.
Healing Practices: Lāʻau lapaʻau, involving plant-based remedies and spiritual elements, was marginalized as Western medicine was imposed. Kāhuna were persecuted, with laws in the 1860s under the Hawaiian Kingdom criminalizing "sorcery," effectively banning traditional healing. This led to a generational gap in knowledge, exacerbating health disparities amid epidemics.
Sacred Sites: Heiau were demolished to build Christian churches or cleared for sugar plantations, with burials disturbed without regard for cultural protocols. For example, the 1890s saw widespread desecration during U.S.-backed development, ignoring the spiritual significance of these sites to Kanaka Maoli.

Why It Matters: The Link to Genocide and Ongoing Repercussions

These acts of cultural suppression constituted cultural genocide, deliberately targeting the "soul" of the Kanaka Maoli to facilitate physical and political domination. By banning practices essential to identity, colonizers induced psychological trauma, loss of self-determination, and vulnerability to further exploitation mirroring genocidal patterns seen in Native American boarding schools or Australian Aboriginal policies. Today, Kanaka Maoli cultural practitioners reconstruct traditions from oral histories, fragmented records, and archaeological evidence, but the scars remain in lower health outcomes, educational disparities, and threats to sovereignty.

The Role of Kamehameha Schools in Prevention and Preservation

Founded in 1887 through the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a descendant of the Kamehameha dynasty, Kamehameha Schools (KS) was established to provide education for Native Hawaiian children, addressing the devastating impacts of colonization and cultural loss. KS plays a crucial role in ensuring such suppression never recurs by integrating Hawaiian culture into its curriculum, fostering pride, and building leadership among Kanaka Maoli. Programs actively support hula, mele, oli, and traditional healing like lāʻau lapaʻau, with events like annual song contests and cultural immersion initiatives that empower students to reclaim and perpetuate their heritage. By prioritizing Native Hawaiian admissions, KS serves as a remedial institution, countering historical injustices such as land theft and cultural erasure that left many Kanaka Maoli economically disadvantaged. This focus is vital for cultural survival, as it equips generations with the tools to advocate for sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and community well-being directly opposing the genocidal legacy of the past.

The importance of KS is underscored by recent challenges, including the lawsuit threatened by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the group behind the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending affirmative action in higher education. SFFA alleges that KS's preference for Native Hawaiian students is discriminatory, ignoring the school's role as a private trust dedicated to rectifying colonial harms. This site exists in response to such threats, highlighting how attacks on KS could undermine efforts to prevent cultural genocide's recurrence by diluting access to culturally grounded education for Kanaka Maoli.

Sources and References

Mary Kawena Pukui, Nānā i ke Kumu (Look to the Source), Vols. 1-2 (Queen Liliʻuokalani Children's Center, 1972-1979).
State Historic Preservation Division records, Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Hawaiian cultural practitioner testimonies, as documented in oral histories from organizations like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

For further reading, consult the cited web sources for primary accounts and scholarly analyses.