Kingship and Sacrifice: Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii

by Valerio Valeri, Paula Wissing (Translator)

Valeri presents an overview of Hawaiian religious culture, in which hierarchies of social beings and their actions are mirrored by the cosmological hierarchy of the gods. As the sacrifice is performed, the worshipper is incorporated into the god of his class. Thus he draws on divine power to sustain the social order of which his action is a part, and in which his own place is determined by the degree of his resemblance to his god. The key to Hawaiian society—and a central focus for Valeri—is the complex and encompassing sacrificial ritual that is the responsibility of the king, for it displays in concrete actions all the concepts of pre-Western Hawaiian society. By interpreting and understanding this ritual cycle, Valeri contends, we can interpret all of Hawaiian religious culture.

Genres: Anthropology

474 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

About the author

Professor in Anthropology and an expert on Hawaii and Indonesia.

Reviews

[Jennifer Canaveral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive research of ritual and worship in Ancient Hawaiian society. In his introduction, Valeri provides an overview of both reliable sources and questionable sources on the subject. He thoroughly analyzes the oldest accounts (from European explorers) and explains what is useful and what is doubtful.

Despite not bearing witness to events prior to missionary influence, Valeri considers the work of Samuel Kamakau valuable because of the Hawaiian historian's recordings of those who witnessed and followed such practices. He also acknowledges the importance of Mary Kawena Pukui's translations and considers John PapaʻĪʻī, David Malo, and Kelou Kamakau the authorities on "traditional ritual system", their works frequently cited throughout the text.

Great care is taken to discuss ancient Hawaiian religious pantheon, which in turn helps explain the Hawaiians' system of ritual and sacrifice, as performed by the various kahuna, which is also discussed in elaborate detail.

I found this book to be immensely insightful and enlighting on the "how" and "why" worship and sacrifice worked in the islands. A