TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN GOURD "HELMETS", LONO, & MAKAHIKI

[@WalkerLarson497]

Hey, just wanted to say. Thanks for making this type of content. It’s interesting and not widely available.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

At age 80, now, I much want to pass on what I know about old-time Hawaiian culture, arts and crafts. Thus, I'm pleased that it is interesting to people like you, and appreciated. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@Keliimaoli]

Mahalo nui ike manaʻo nui oe anakala Kaʻimi!. Great explanation, it’s sad to see that this part of History hasn’t been spoken of, or misinterpreted as “Ikaika Helmets”.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Mahalo iā 'oe, for your kind words. It's nice to have a small KZbin channel where I can share these things!

[@tomwolff-ct8qu]

Incredibly useful information! Thank you. Another important and useful bit is this method insures there are no toxic fumes ! When cutting with power tools the toxic fumes are profuse and harmful.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Thank you for your reply and caveat. I am not aware of gourds anywhere in the world having toxic fumes, and countless numbers of them are cut yearly with power tools. Will you please provide more information here for all the people of this website, and any references you may have, as well. Any information about toxic fumes in gourds that proves reliable needs to be spread around in many places, including of course Hawaii. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Hello again, Tom. I did a bit of Goggle searching today, about toxicity from cutting gourds. It turns out there are two things relating to "toxicity". One is the Curcubitae family: gourds squash, cucumbers, etc. Some varieties can be very bitter, and of course in today's world of alternative medicine, smoothies, and a vast internet of advice, some people manage to poison themselves by eating (or drinking) these extremely bitter ones. The Hawaiians of old times had a vast gourd culture, and there were two types of gourds: 1. "Ipu 'awa'awa" or bitter gourds -- which were used for all sorts of societal needs and also medicines and a literally life-threatening "cleansing" taken via enema by certain brave Chiefs, and 2. "Ipu mānalo" or eating gourds. I believe the "bitter " gourds have a lot of tannin in them (tannic acid, as used in leather tanning), and hence are better for the unique Hawaiian art of decorated gourds (ipu pāwehe). It also makes them turn quite dark with age, as the tannin oxidizes. The Ipu mānalo are "sweet" gourds and of course are used for food. The other toxicity issue is the molds and related "dust" inside or outside on gourds that dried in the field, etc. Cutting them open with power tools, scraping or sanding out the inside materials on the gourd's shell, or doing the same on the outside, may well release these molds and "dust", causing ill effects in some persons. But that is not a gourd toxicity, per se. I have opened a great many Hawaiian gourds, and a scattering of U.S. Mainland gouds,, and helped many a student in doing that, and have never seen any toxicity, nor have I ever had it reported to me later. And I have always taught people to soak their gourd first in order to soften the dried outer skin, before scraping it off. I suspect the Native Americans followed this same method, yet today many a person probably attacks the gourd shell with sandpaper and/or power sanding. So the "toxicity" problem is similar to the various wood workers who grow allergic to certain woods and especially dust. Or house renovators who tear part walls, etc. Molds and dust sensitivity is the issue. Again, occupation and societal knowledge comes into play as they use gloves, masks and respirators. And those who seek to use bitter Cucurbitae fruits in foods and drinks learn the hard way not to do that! Their ancestors would have already known that! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@robertshaw4658]

Aloha from Kaua'i here! Yes, makes pono sense! I have one of these lifesize museum repros (not the sm. "Rearview Mirror" knockoffs). Even it includes real kapa strands, and the top-crest is made from a form of Hawaiian sedge (not feathers). You have gratefully added to my cultural knowledge base, and a mahalo nui loa to you for that🙏!

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Mahalo for your kind words. Makes my day! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@beauarthur2617]

Thank you kindly, for sharing your knowledge with us. This is a fascinating topic as a whole.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Mahalo (thanks) for your nice comment. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@HawaiianHauntings]

Mahalo, very interesting. I enjoy the sharing of mana’o very much!

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Mahalo to you as well, for your nice comment. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@izzygarcialionibabaloipici6293]

hello, could you do a video on the armor the Hawaiians use and how they use all their wonderful weapons? I'm curious what combination the average warrior would carry when they were fully outfitted.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

The Micronesians used armor, but the Hawaiians did not, except perhaps for woven mats to hold up at the start of a battle to protect against the huge shower of sling stones, then discarded. It was hand-to-hand fighting altho there were spear throwers too, but dodging them was an art - especially taught to Chiefs -- who were the main target of the spears. In battle they wore a very tight loin cloth (malo) or perhaps nothing, to avoid being grabbed and thrown down by the experts, or even ordinary practiced wrestlers. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@LittleSwagster]

Love the video, great channel!

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Great to be back! The problem was to make videos with our camcorder that could be uploaded relatively easily to KZbin. We found it was a royal pain, and tricky, to upload to KZbin with our well-experienced and familiar video camera, due to its "older" output format. Plans were for a newer-format (mp4) video camera, thus relatively easy to upload videos to KZbin, but life got in the way on that. By serendipity we've just discovered, while seeking the best new camera, that a fairly new iPad, fixed to a tripod, works pretty well to make these videos, and audio works OK too if near the speaker. So plan on some more videos soon! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@wingslanding]

Thank you, Mahalo very interesting talk

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Mahalo to you as well for a nice comment! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@deanaldridge4277]

I'm so glad I found your channel. As you were discribing the helmets, I thought Greek/ Roman too. It's almost like they saw Romans in the past, and copied them. I feel that's not true, but it shows people of the Earth have a common way of thinking for design, all be it, for a different perpose. Greatings from Portsmouth England. Thank you very much.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Great to hear from England! Thank you for your comment. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@TheJofrica]

Amazing collection, thank you for sharing! In the 1990s, these Ikaika helmets became very popular with the "Hawaiian Strength" t-shirts. Not sure if everyone knows the entire lineage and context behind it. Thanks again!

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Thank you for responding. I don't know where the name " 'ikaika" sprang up from, but the mistaken concept that they were warrior helmets sure has sold thousands of T-shirts and small to large replicas! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@WinstonCorneilius]

I forgot all about those Hawaiian strength tshirts. This channel is a gem

[@TheJofrica]

@@traditionalhawaiianculture That is very true re: sales. I was looking at those gourds and wondered how they could ever function like that. Thanks again for sharing your info!

[@TheJofrica]

@@WinstonCorneilius Yeah, those were very popular at one point!

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Thanks for your very kind comment! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@kittywebb8986]

Thank you so much for sharing your time to educate such as me, blessings, by chance do you know what the gourds were made of, what their plant of origin is? Thank you bunches

[@rupertthebusdriver8997]

I will have to go back and take another look at the old book about voyages of captain Cook, even though they have been withdrawn from public library's here in UK , I sill have a copy , the sketches are wonderful, it can't be helped that they are of the perspective of the time, but still great sketches,

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

The Cook journals, and perhaps even the monumental work on his voyages by Beaglehole, have been withdrawn from public libraries even though he was one of the world's best navigators, explorers and cartographers (map making), and brave enough to make three long voyages in less than the best ships in multiple areas which were unknown waters. Is this modern politically correct insanity and utter censorship, or is it to protect the books? Mahalo, Ka'imiloa

[@rupertthebusdriver8997]

@@traditionalhawaiianculture I honestly don't know who or what they think they are protecting, it certainly isn't a way of life! Let's face it how many islanders can build a canoe, paddle coastal waters, and catch lunch with tradition methods? Yes I know the art is not completely dead and forgotten , but the way of life is near but gone , and book burning won't bring it back.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

It's so sad to hear that today's generation if being taught revisionist history or none at all, and being propagandized instead of truly educated. This will not end well. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@robertshaw4658]

Aloha again. Might you then have the Hawaiian equivalent term for this cultural piece? I too would refer to this piece as an "Ikaika" helmet, or Mahiole Ikaika".

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

No one knows the name. They were seen only one time, when Capt. Cook got to Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island during Makahiki Season in 1779, and they were worn by paddlers of a double canoe carrying one or more inclined idols, probably indicating that the god Kū was not in control at that time, and instead Lono, the god of peace, etc. was in ascendance. As I said, the gourd is a kino lau (body form) of Lono. It has nothing to do with "ikaika" (strength or warriorhood) nor "mahiole" (the term for the fiber and often feathered ali'i helmet). It is not a helmet, per se, but rather a wearing of the god Lono by putting his body form on yourself. I believe that is the correct interpretation, and others agree from what I have read. That these paddlers were priests of Lono is a very likely idea. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@garyonuma]

deep dive! mahalo!

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Glad to see you're looking at the other videos. And very happy that your high interest in things Hawaiian still prevails. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@edisongexha5881]

Nice good vid 👍

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Thanks for your good comment, Edison.

[@NRY77744]

Mahalo nui loa

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

And mahalo to you for your nice comment. (For those comment-readers who don't know any Hawaiian language, "mahalo" means thank you, and "mahalo nui loa" means thank you very much. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@joemcnalley5800]

Mahalo nui! It never made sense to me that those were for head protection given the lethality of Hawaiian weapons, and now I know why.

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

I'm glad I was able to help. Of course, many a printed T-shirt maker does not want to see this video! Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@haynguy98]

hawaiian mythology?

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Can you explain your comment to me? Thanks for sending it. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@haynguy98]

@@traditionalhawaiianculture Can you tell olelos🤗

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

I'm thinking you mean Hawaiian stories (mo'olelo) Yes, but they are the more factual ones, I don't try to learn the various old time less-clear oral history stories in depth, like a storyteller does. But if the oral history is more precise and especially something not in the books, I really want to remember it. And there are oral history stories of visitors to Hawaii before Capt. Cook in 1778, or shipwrecked people who remained there. These may explain why the Hawaiians had a little bit of iron when Capt. Cook came, and wanted it very badly. And why there was something made of iron, rusting away, in the "Ka'ai" (woven, trunk/head-like "casket" for a deified High Chief) of Liloa, who reigned, it is thought, in the later 1400s. There was some linen sail-cloth in there too, which was the kind that predated Capt. Cook's time. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@haynguy98]

hawaiian spec ops

[@traditionalhawaiianculture]

Thanks for your comment. Aloha, Ka'imiloa

[@asmith4066]

Made in phillipines