Noho

Kii: Hawai‘i Association of Watershed Partnerships

The art of noho is a mysterious path to enlightenment.

 Traditional K.K Ku'ialuaopuna

Auwana ana ka auwana

Ua pouli mai la uka

Kolokolo mai ka ohu lipolipo

E akaaka i ka maka

Mai noho a hoohalahala mai i ke ola

O ke ala hoi ole kau

E ala mai, e hookuu i ke kaula ula a ka la

E hea hea mai

Ua ike no a...

The vagrants wander about

The upland is dark

A dark mist creeps down

Open your vision

Do not complain about the living

Yours is a one-way journey

Awaken and release your binds

Call out

it is known!

Noho

1. n. Seat, chair, stool, bench, pew, saddle. Noho kula, golden throne.

2. vt. To live, reside, inhabit, occupy (as land), dwell, stay, tarry, marry, sit, be in session; to be, act as; to rule or reign (usually but not always followed by a qualifier, as noho moku, to rule a district). Noho ʻia, inhabited. Noho malihini, to sojourn. Ua noho ka ʻaha, the court is in session. Noho me ka hauʻoli, to be happy. Noho mālie, to keep quiet, remain still. Noho like, to live in unity, with equal rights. Noho ʻoluʻolu, to live comfortably. ʻO ʻOlopana ke aliʻi o ia wā e noho ana ma Oʻahu nei (FS 197), ʻOlopana was the chief of this time ruling here on Oʻahu. hoʻo.noho To take up residence; to install, establish, provide, seat, locate, arrange, pack, regulate, convey, carry, appoint; to place in authority; to set, as type. Hoʻonoho kahu, installation of a pastor. Hoʻonoho i ka pākaukau, to set a table. Hoʻonoho kēpau, to set type. Hoʻonoho iwi, to set bones; a bone setter. Hoʻonoho ʻalu, cf. ʻalu. Mīkini hoʻonoho hua paʻi palapala, linotype machine. He kānāwai e hoʻonoho ana i aupuni, an act to provide a government. (PPN nofo.)

3. nvt. Possession of a medium by a spirit or god; possessed; to possess. Akua noho, god that possesses. Ua noho ʻo Pele i luna o ʻAne, Pele possessed Annie. hoʻonoho to summon a spirit to possess. (PPN nofo.)

Haka

1. n. Shelf, perch, platform; roost, as for chickens; fish spear rack; rack for suspending water gourds and other household objects; rack attached to booms of double canoe to hold spears and other objects; ladder (see alahaka, haka ʻūlili). Haka kau a ka manu, a perch for birds to light upon [a promiscuous woman]. (PPN fata.)

2. n. Recipient; medium, oracle, one possessed. Haka waiwai (Kep. 117), recipient of wealth.

3. n. Crested feather helmet, so called because the crest perches on the helmet.

 4. nvs. Hole, breach, open space, vacancy; empty, vacant, full of holes or spaces. Cf.

 hakahaka, ʻolohaka. hoʻo.haka To make openings holes, spaces; to create space; full of holes. Fig., hungry.

5. nvt. To stare, gaze. (Hal. 22.17) Haka hele, to stare or examine carefully as one walks. Ua haka malū aku kona mau maka i ka mea ʻilihune (Hal. 10.8), his eyes are privily set against the poor.

 6. vt. To place wood in a ground oven, to lay an oven fire.

 7. n. Heart, hearts, in a deck of cards. Eng.

 Kii: Kawainui Kane

The role of the haka in ancient Hawaiian society was a very important role for every ohana or family. For those truly gifted within the ohana, they were trained to be the haka from a very young age. The haka, in the western translation would be like a spiritual medium. There were many types of haka that had various abilities, skills and practices in ancient times as there are today.  Noho is the state of being possessed by spirit, good or bad.  This haka's body, spirit and mind can be overtaken by the entity or entities. This haka is either aware or unaware of themselves while in this trans state. The haka becomes the seat or perch that retains the entity there within their (the haka's) presence. The haka becomes the conduit, or in between person, that relays messages from the enlightened source or spirit that they are connected to, or by which contact is initiated. No two haka use their abilities in the same way, and being a haka is not an evil or fearful thing as it was thought so to be in past stories and mo'olelo of old. There are haka that have various skills and skill levels, which enable them to contact deceased relatives, animals, plants, elements, the akua and the higher souls of the various realms.

Some haka do not remember anything that happens while in trance with higher beings, while some haka can remember what was said or done while in their trance state. Those skilled in a profession or have a talent such as an expert lawai’a or fisherman a dancer or a composer of mele or songs and chant, may not be aware that they are being guided by highly evolved spiritual entities or beings that share insight, inspiration or skill with them. Most of these skilled individuals think they are very talented and gifted as to achieve this skill on their own, but that is not so. They may be physically skilled and practiced, but the higher beings give them the insight to make the best choices and to receive the inspiration that sets them above all others in their fields. The difference between these people who are skilled and those not so skilled, is that they listen and follow their intuition and guidance.  Those exceptionally great warriors, orators and kahuna of old were in constant contact with highly skilled and evolved spirits that offered their ideas. 

 Everyone or every soul is capable of being a good conduit or Haka. Some people or earthly souls just have an easier time to achieve this state of noho or possession as compared to others. The Haka needs to know how to lift up and raise their own thoughts and internal vibrations so as to increase their resonance, which will enable them to have open communication with their own higher self, spiritual guides or entities. The raising of one's mental vibrations can be done by thinking of something that makes one happy like a favorite pet, a loved one, an experience one has had that was fun and exciting, old fond memories of younger days, a mele or song, a favorite activity or anything else one can use to make one self-happy and excited. This lifting up or raising of vibrations also changes the internal energy flow within one's physical and psychic body, enabling one to elevate and vibrate at a higher rate and frequency. This is the source of reaching the higher state of consciousness and being where one can elevate into these higher realms with ease. This physical, dense realm we all currently reside in vibrates at a low and dense frequency, so contact with all higher beings is not possible unless we ourselves elevate our own selves. The entities in these higher realms are all positive, enlightened souls or guides that offer loving insight to whatever we wish to know about.

 Hawaiian hale circa 1912 in Halawa Valley on the island of Moloka ‘ i.

Kii: courtesy of Bishop Museum

 Lower vibrating, entities or spirits are not able to reach these higher vibratory realms, that are occupied by these higher beings, so the lower vibrating entities have no place, function or purpose in these upper realms. They are stuck here with us in this plane of existence.  If a haka is in possession by highly evolved enlightened beings, there can be no lower entities anywhere around the haka (the one being possessed) at the time of possession. If the haka somehow desires to reach the lower realms to contact the entities that move in these lower vibrations, where no higher spiritual beings reside, then the haka will put themselves into a low vibratory and depressed mental state before contact is made with their intended entity. There was kahuna of old who practiced the dark arts of anaana and hoʻounauna. They would tap into the low vibrational energies that reside with us, such as emotions of hate, greed, filth and evil context. However, this was not anything exceptional on their part as we all do some form of this in life. Examples of this can be getting intoxicated, drugs, praying to lower deities, cursing and defiling others, gossiping, fighting.  This will result in a connection with those spirits that reside there. This physical world we currently live in is very dense or heavy for an enlightened soul to be in.  Lower vibratory people think more with their heads than with their hearts. They make certain choices due to greed, ego, selfishness and life's pressures, as they are not aware of the many realms and spiritual guides or aumakua that are waiting to connect with them so as to improve their existence here in this realm we all live in. So, in order for us to contact our higher selves or higher entities that offer aloha and healing light energy, we all have to move ourselves out of this low energy realm and into a higher energy phase. This again, is done through intention, meditation, and many other ways mentioned above in order to see what works for each of us.

  For some ohana, the family aumakua was called on by the kahu or one in charge of summoning the ancestral spirit of the family, in order to seek out the problems that had entwined various ohana to react with each other in a harmful way. If Pele was the aumakua called upon to inquire of certain things within the ohana, the family kahu would offer the prayers and offerings needed in order to bring her about within the haka. A bundle of young fresh luau was picked, wrapped in a pūolo or bundle of laʻi (ti) and placed in the front of the haka. As Pele took over the haka's presence, the haka became Pele. The back of the haka soon glowed red and became hot. This pūolo was then placed on the back of the haka and cooked by the heat coming out of the hakas back, until till the young luau leaves were soft. Pele (through the Haka) would then eat the luau with some paʻakai, and this would start the ceremony. Pele was now speaking through the haku, and this was the state of noho or possession. The kahu asked the questions to the akua and answers were given. There was nothing evil or mysterious with this type of noho, as it is the same as is being done today amongst various world cultures who practice and learn the art of meditation, channeling, soul speaking and hypnosis.  Hawaiians, as with all indigenous people of the world already were practicing this for thousands of years before the discovery of our island by the poe haole or foreigners.