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Videos of Hawaii Cultural Practices


Videos of Hawaii Cultural Practices


A square, brown and white graphic print depicting overlapping, stylized tropical leaves with bold outlines and abstract shapes, bordered by a double frame—perfect for sparking a visual talk story in any space.

Welcome to our collection of videos of Hawaii cultural practices. Back in the day, these were anchored by the kapu system, often viewed as some sort of stern and arbitrary moral code. In fact, it was an intricate means of regulating man’s relationship to his environment, his social order, and his gods. Hawaiians believed that the land, like the sea and the sky, was not something that could be owned by anyone. They understood that there is a spiritual dimension to everything in our environment. They appreciated the fact that man has a reciprocal responsibility to give love and respect to his environment in the same measure that he takes from it, and that generosity, not material possessions, was the true measure of wealth. The Hawaiian inhabited a world in which everything existed in delicate balance with everything else. Some kapu regulated the commoner’s relationship with the konohiki and ali’i classes. Other kapu regulated man’s relationship with his environment: once the fishing season for certain species left their numbers depleted, for example, a kapu on fishing was instated to allow time for the species to regenerate; kapu regulated the planting of the land that was worked by its custodian, the farmer, and the water supply and irrigation system that were maintained by community labor. Other kapu regulated man’s relationship with the gods and the spiritual dimension of everything he was surrounded by—and everything depended on a good relationship there. No man was an island; on these islands, everything existed in close proximity and in intimate balance with everything else.


He kehau ho`oma`ema`e ke aloha – Love is like a cleansing dew.


A dark, rocky celestial body is partially visible at the top right against the blackness of space, reminiscent of scenes captured in videos of Hawaii cultural practices that celebrate the night sky.

“Haumea” (0:28)

A historical painting shows two Hawaiian men in red clothing, one wearing a traditional feathered helmet. The background is neutral, and the image—like many videos of Hawaii cultural practices—is credited to the Kauai Museum.

“Kahili” (1:45)


Enjoy history? Come have a look at history as you’ve never seen it… at WisdomMaps: The Future of the Past!


A square, brown and white graphic print depicting overlapping, stylized tropical leaves with bold outlines and abstract shapes, bordered by a double frame—perfect for sparking a visual talk story in any space.