Hawaiian religion Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitian ...

, Kamohoaliʻi is a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

god and a brother of

Kāne Milohaʻi In Hawaiian mythology, is the brother of Kāmohoaliʻi, , , and (among others) by . He is a figure most prominently in the story of 's journey along the island chain to , and may be seen as a terrestrial counterpart to his brother, the shark-g ...

, Pele,

Kapo A kapo or prisoner functionary (german: Funktionshäftling) was a prisoner in a Nazi camp who was assigned by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) guards to supervise forced labor or carry out administrative tasks. Also called "prisoner self-administrat ...

Nāmaka In Hawaiian mythology, Nāmaka (or Nā-maka-o-Kahai, the eyes of Kahai) appears as a sea goddess in the Pele family. She is an older sister of Pele-honua-mea. She is the daughter of Ku-waha-ilo and Haumea, whose other children are Pele, the Hi� ...

, and

Hiʻiaka In Hawaiian religion, Hiʻiaka is a daughter of Haumea and Kāne. Attributes and history Hiiaka is the patron goddess of hula dancers, chant, sorcery, and medicine. Owls are her messengers and are sacred to her. Conceived in Tahiti, Hiiaka was c ...

. He is also the father of

Nanaue Nanaue is a god of sharks from Hawaiian mythology. He is described as a man with the mouth of a shark on his back who can shapeshift into a giant shark. Mythology Nanaue is the son of Kāmohoaliʻi, who is the king of sharks. He was born with a ...

. Kamohoaliʻi swam in the area around the islands of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

and

Kahoolawe Kahoolawe (Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Kahoolawe (), is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lānaʻi, and it is long by wide, with a total ...

. When a ship was lost at sea, Ka-moho-aliʻi shook his tail in front of the fleet and the

kahuna ''Kahuna'' is a Hawaiian language, Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A ''kahuna'' may be ver ...

would feed him

awa Awa (or variants) may refer to: People * Awa (given name), notable people named Awa or Hawa * Awá (Brazil), an indigenous people of Brazil * Awa-Kwaiker, an indigenous people of Colombia and Ecuador Languages * Awa language (China) or Wa (Va) ...

, a narcotic drink, and Kamohoaliʻi would guide the men home. He is sometimes said to have guided the ships of the original inhabitants of Hawaii from the mainland to their island home in this way. Kamohoaliʻi had the power to take on the form of any fish and is believed to own multiple underwater caves beneath the ocean where he dwells.

References

Hawaiian gods Fish gods {{Oceania-myth-stub

See also

References