Huaka'i Hele i Te Po

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On the night of Akua, will walk the akua of old in their own procession.  In the procession is of the akua, the torches ( lamalama } will be burning red, all trees along their path way that are standing above their heads are broken and scattered upon their approach, as their heads are tapu, and nothing shall be higher than their heads. Winds and rain will arrive over the lands prior to their approach, lightning and thunder may reverberate the lands and skies.  Sometimes, if the alii nui was carried in a mānele ( a carrying net or stretcher) on the shoulders of four men, only the squeaking of the mānele can be heard in the silence of the night. The lamalama they carried was of a yellow / orange flame. They walked in rows of five oor six, both wahine and kane. These huakaʻi po travel in the aina they moved on from in their earthly existence. So, there may be different huakaʻi po in the different districts or moku of every island. If a living person has family ties to someone in the procession, a family spirit in that procession will break ranks and run in front of their living relative, protecting him or her. He will yell out to the procession na'u! (he is mine, as he is a relative to me). This will save the living person from death. If one who is in their path is a malihini, with no blood ties, they will most likely be speared unless the person gets out of the way and prostrates them self. The spirits will call out ʻō 'ia, which means the living person is to be speared to death. We were taught as children to get off their pathway and lay face down off to the side. Your face and eyes need to be covered. No words are to be spoken. Sometimes, those who are afraid (and unsure if they have blood ties to these huakaʻi po) will move to the side of the trail and tear off their clothes and mimi on themselves or rub kūkae on their body as to make them seem defiled and pupule, in hopes that the huakaʻi po will avoid them. These were all traditional practices of old that were applied to the living in the ancient times.    

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 For those living that were taught well in their youth about these huakaʻi hele po, conversations with these spirits is possible once the pilina or relationship is made with someone in the procession. It is not unusual for some old Hawaiians to sit and wait at the ancient kahua (field) of games to watch these spirits play their favorite sports on the same kahua that they played on when they were alive and converse with them about past times.  

 Martha Beckwith in her puke Hawaiian Mythology mentions that:     "family ties in the afterworld remain unbroken, and all Hawaiians believe in the power of spirits to return to the scenes they knew on earth in the form in which they appeared while they were alive. Especially is this true of the processions of gods and spirits who come on certain sacred nights to visit the sacred places, or to welcome a dying relative and conduct him to the aumakua world. “Marchers of the night” (Huakaʻi-po) or “Spirit ranks” (‘Oiʻo) they are called. Many Hawaiians and even some persons of foreign blood have seen this spirit march or heard the “chanting voices, the high notes of the flute, and drumming so loud as to seem beaten upon the side of the house.” Always, if seen, the marchers are dressed according to ancient usage in the costume of chiefs or of gods. If the procession is one of gods, the marchers move five abreast with five torches burning red between the ranks, and without music save that of the voice raised in chant. Processions of chiefs are accompanied by aumakua and march in silence, or to the accompaniment of drum, nose-flute, and chanting. They are seen on the sacred nights of Ku, Lono, Kane, or Kanaloa, or they may be seen by day if it is a procession to welcome the soul of a dying relative. To meet such a procession is very dangerous. “O-ia” (Let him be pierced) is the cry of the leader and if no relative among the dead or none of his aumakua is present to protect him, a ghostly spearman will strike him dead. The wise thing to do is to “remove all clothing and turn face up and feign sleep. " pg. 164.