The ancient Hawaiians had rules just like any other group of people. Their rules were called kapus.
The very important men (the priests, doctors, and advisors to the king) made sure the kapus were followed. These great men were called kahunas. Another responsibility of the kahunas was to make sure the knowledge was verbally passed on to the young people.
One of the greatest kahunas was the kahuna lapa’au. This great man was a doctor. He knew how to treat illnesses, and made use of 200 kinds of plants and seaweed to make medicines. He could even set a broken bone! Sounds like they really knew how to care for their people, huh?
These kahunas were great men, but they were not the king. Check back with me on Monday (Presidents’ Day) to learn a little about Hawaii’s kings.
Mahalo for visiting!
Cheryl
I always wanted to know where Kahunas came from! LOL I thought it was spanish.
ReplyDeleteGlad I could clear that up for you, Jessica! I just love the rich history and culture of the islands.
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