 Sid Campbell is a tenth-degree black belt and teaches in the school of Shorin-Ryu karate-do in the United States. He is also the author of Warrior Arts and Weapons of Ancient Hawaii, and here he offers Martial Edge a detailed, comprehensive analysis of the ancient arsenal of the original Hawaiian warriors plus the history of their people.
As martial art teachers, educators and historians, we understand that propagating the ancient ways is of paramount importance for insuring that the wisdom, knowledge and martial techniques are preserved and passed on for posterity sake.
Are there lessons to be learned from traditional martial arts that were taught and practiced in ancient times? These simple answers is that regardless of a style or art we practice and teach, traditionally speaking, we are steeped in cultural traditions that embody the beliefs, techniques and methodologies propagated by our martial forefathers that assuredly used these techniques if life-or-death situations in times long before laws or citizens rights were guaranteed by civilized nations. Whether these martial arts that derive their origin from early European descent (i.e. pankration, Savate, sambo, etc.) or from the shores of Asia (i.e. karate, gong-fu, escrima, aikido, pencak silat, arnis, Kali, Judo, jiujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, ninjitsu, etc.) the sole reason they exist today is because of the dedicated efforts of the teachers that have seen the realistic self-defense and/or moral or cultural values and dedicated their lives to preserving these classical fighting traditions.
One art that has received very little mention or notoriety over the past several hundred years is the little known martial art of “lua” that was developed and practiced by the koa warriors of ancient Hawai’i. This “art” was commonly known as kapu kuialua (also pa kuialua or kuialua ) and is basically described an ancient Hawaiian martial art integrating bone breaking, emphasizing anti-joint locks, attacking the tendons and ligiments, as well as executing swift and powerful strikes to the vital targets on the enemy’s anatomy. According to oral traditions of the islands, lua could also mean dislocation of the joints and even a deep or bottomless pit depending on how it is used in the vernacular.
The kapu kua is loosely defined as "forbidden way to fight", as it is reputed to have been only taught to the king and his family, and teaching outside of the sanctioned circle was punishable by death. Interestingly, the early form of this ancient art also included wrestling or grappling, kicks, throws, vital nerve points as well as painful ripping and slamming techniques intended to disable or maim the enemy before a final killing technique was executed. Many of the original lua techniques that were taught and paracticed secrecy were adapted from the animals, birds and sea creatures thatr were indigneous to the islands. Among those were the eel, crab, dolphin, shark, wild boar, squid, etc. Lua techniques could also be representative of everyday life or work experiences that had a similar theme with the purpose of ubjectivity. For instance, the old adage used by the Hawai’ian natives is to describe a lua fighter much like a fisherman. He must get a net, know when to throw it, when to bring it in, and how to finish off the fish. The same would be used to express a way of entrapping or snaring an enemy, pull him in close and finish him off with a powerfully effective technique.
Many of the empty-hand lua techniques used by natives of the Hawaiian islands may have been used primarily as a method of personal defense or protection of royalty when no life threatening oweapon oriented warfare was evident. But tactics and strategy would obviously dictate that on a battlefield or while engaged in an inter-island war, if a fighter lost his weapon(s) he should then resort to "mokomoko" (dirty fighting methods) and use the weapon(s) he had trained so adeptly since childhood. When lua tactics, strategies and techniques were adapted to weaponry, the warrior was a formidable adversary to anyone that whould engage him. During actual weapon and/or emprt-hand warfare the lua or koa warrior would pluck or shave their hair and oil up their body in order to be able slip away and avoid being grappled by another skilled combatant.
Hawai’ian Lua…Thought to be a Lost Art
In Hawai’i, lua was so obscure in fact, that by 1974, Hawai’i’s preeminent cultural authority, the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, had classified it as a "lost art" with little hope that this ancient knowledge and cultural lore would ever be recovered.
Today, thanks to the dedicated efforts five insightful haumana (disciples) of the late Charles Kenn (1907-1988): Olohe lua Richard Paglinawan, Jerry Walker, Mitchell and Dennis Eli, and Moses Kalauokalani this ancient Hawai’ian fighting is enjoying a resurgence that was once representative of the kings and chieftains of long ago. Fortunately for history, over three decades ago these five men were accepted as students of this old world kahuna and bean learning the ways of the lua warriors of yore. Kenn, a Hawaiian-Japanese-German kahuna (expert or priest).that shunned publicity or any notoriety---but ultimately realizing that in order for his knowledge to be preserved and passed on the future generations of Hawaiians--- opted to embrace them as haumana (disciple or student). As their mentor he undertook the enormous responsibility of imparting the vast martial knowledge esoteric art to these protégés. As one of the very last vestiges that connected ancient Hawai’i to the present generation his efforts were not in vain.
Today in Hawai’i, the five head two lua pa (a figurative term for school), Pa Kui-a-Lua and Pa Kui-a-Holob, that are carrying on and spreading the ancient tradition to the present this ancient lua art is enjoying a resurgence in Hawai’i and even other parts of the world through the dedicated efforts of the Olohe lua from these two distinguished pa.
In this three-part article we will dwell specifically on the weapon arts that were an intrinsic aspect of the ancient lua warrior cultural fighting traditions. We must remember that the Hawai’ian Islands were never an ore-bearing land and therefore iron or other metal resources was virtually non-existent unless it arrived in the form of timbers or hardware that may have snapped from tall ships during a storm somewhere on the vast Pacific Ocean realm and eventually washed ashore on one of the islands.
Historically, it was not until the arrival of the haole (one without breath or figuratively denoting a foreigner) Captain James Cook and his crews aboard the HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery on his third voyage to Hawai’i in 1778, that the islander got their real first glimpse of iron and the way it could be used for many things including weaponry. Though until that point in time, the Hawai’ian culture was that of the Stone Age, it did not take the kings and ali’i (chieftains) long to realize that metal could be used advantageously for daggers and the likes. Naturally, the cannons (swivel guns) would play a vital role in providing King Kamehameha with the arms he needed to insure victory over rival kingdoms in the archipelago.
This first installment will provide our readership with a brief history of warfare and conquest in the Hawai’ian Islands. The second and third will focus exclusively on the wide array of pre-Iron Age weapons employed and wielded by the lua and koa warriors of ancient Hawai’i.
To better understand and appreciate this traditional martial art from a historical perspective it is necessary to know the culture and the era of which this art flourished in Hawai’i long before cannonry and firearms were introduced in 1778 when Captain James Cook when he sailed to Hawai’i on exploratory voyage in route north easterly toward the artic circle in search for a northeasterly passage back to England.
The Battle to Rule Hawai’i
Over centuries of Hawai’i’s unwritten history, martial strategies and tactics developed during intra- and inter-island skirmishes. These battles were attempts to retain control of one’s turf or entire island, or alternatively, to forcefully impose the might and will of one group on their neighbors. That dynamic was largely unchanged until Kamehameha I began his ascent to power and eventually established himself as king of this Pacific Ocean empire in 1810. Until that time warfare among the tribal chieftains (ali'i) of the Hawai’ian Islands was common, with fierce battles typically fought to establish political boundaries and to resolve succession disputes. Raiding was frequent. As the intensity and scale of these inter- and intra-island conflicts escalated, the chieftains of Hawai’i (the Big Island) and Maui became increasingly powerful because they could draw on the larger populations and resources of their islands to support military operations.
As time went on and certainly by the 1780s, warfare was increasingly institutionalized, with formal rules and rituals. The ali'i built and consecrated luakini (state temples) and conducted sacrifices, prayers, and ceremonies before launching campaigns. The mystical kahunas (priests or medicine men; also an expert, teacher, or advisor) were consulted to determine the best time for military operations. The chieftains increasingly drilled their troops and later engaged in a technology race of sorts with firearms, cannon, and other weapons acquired from Western traders. As wealth accumulated through trading with Western visitors, opportunities for conflict between the chieftains also multiplied.
It was in this situation that an opportunistic leader from the Big Island of Hawai’i named Kamehameha saw his chance to seize the new advantages of foreign cooperation. Through clever alliances with Europeans and supported by guns, Kamehameha engaged rival chiefs in bloody conflict. Two of the first non-Polynesians to settle in Hawai’i—English sailors by the name of Young and Davis—were enlisted by Kamehameha as military advisors in 1790. By 1796, all islands except Kaua’i and Ni’ihau were united under Kamehameha. In 1810 Kaua’i finally submitted through peaceful negotiation. Despite its tumultuous birth, the kingdom established by Kamehameha endured until it was overthrown by foreigners almost a century later.
The Story of Kamehameha I
The history of Hawai’ian warriors and the ways in which they conducted warfare were unrecorded until the 1700s (other than oral legend). One early account concerns the Hawai’ian King Kalani'opu'u of Hawai’i’s Big Island, who landed an army near Wailuku on Maui sometime in the 1770s in an attempt to unseat the powerful King Kahekili (who reigned on Maui from 1765 to 1790). Kahekili's domain included Oahu, Moloka'i, and Lana'i, as well as Kaua'i and Ni'ihau, which were held by his half-brother Ka'eokulani. Kahekili ordered his warriors to hide in the sand dunes, then to ambush Kalani'opu'u's forces as they advanced in regimented marching fashion. His forces then commenced to implement a great slaughter on his rival’s warriors.
The most famous Hawai’ian king was Kamehameha I (1758–1819), who would eventually unify the seven Hawai’ian Islands by defeating all of his rivals. Kamehameha’s birth coincided with the appearance of Halley's Comet, and according to some of the kahuna of that era, this signified that he would one day rule this vast island kingdom. After he was ordered killed by his grandfather Alapai—who feared the prophecy of a “rebel infant” who would one day be a slayer of chiefs—the baby Kamehameha was hidden away by priests in Waipio for five years. Returning after the death of his father Keoua, chief of Kohala, Kamehameha, also known as Tamehameha ("The Lonely One"—he had been adopted by a childless couple and brought up in isolation), was trained by his uncle King Kalani'opu'u in all the duties required of an ali'i-'ai-moku (district chief). Kamehameha became a skilled warrior, renowned for his valor in the battle in which Captain Cook was killed. When he was slowed by age and illness, Kalani'opu'u designated his son Kiawala'o as his heir apparent, but named Kamehameha protector of the war god Ku-ka'ili-moku. Naturally, this created a scenario for conflict, and eventually a civil war ensued after Kalani'opu'u's death in 1782.
Encamped in his home villages in Kona, Kohala, and Hamakua, Kamehameha had to tolerate Kiawala'o for four years. He captured and married both Kiawala'o's daughter Keopuolani and prospective wife Ka'ahumanu, and eventually killed Kiawala'o in 1786. Chieftain (Ali’i) Kiawala'o was struck down by a sling stone and then had his throat cut by a weapon edged in shark’s teeth. Despite this victory, Kamehameha still faced strong opposition from other Hawai’ian chieftains, including his cousin Keoua, chieftain of the Puna and Ka'u districts of the Big Island.
In 1790, Kamehameha decided to attack and conquer the domain of King Kahekili on Maui. By this time, Kamehameha's mighty army included Isaac Davis (an Englishman) and John Young (Welsh), as well as a cannon and a swivel gun taken from the ship Fair American, and various other firearms that gave him a superior advantage in battle.
With Kahekili off suppressing a revolt on Oahu, Kamehameha landed his army at Wailuku. There he was confronted by Kalanikapule, the son of Kahekili, at the head of an army that barred Kamehameha's advance through the Iao Valley. For two days, the evenly matched armies fought with traditional weapons, neither side gaining advantage. On the third day, Kamehameha deployed his cannon, causing a great slaughter among the koa of Maui, who fell so thickly that their bodies dammed the local stream.
As the surviving Maui warriors retreated up the narrowing valley, Kamehameha pressed them closely, cutting them down in large numbers as they attempted to escape by scaling the steep and rugged cliffs leading up to the Iao Valley needle—a 1200-foot monolith surrounded by steep terrain that divides the valley in that region of Maui. Although the battle was a great victory for Kamehameha, many of Kahekili's chieftains were able to avoid capture and take refuge on Oahu and Molokai. This historical battle is known as both Ka'uwa'u-pali (Clawed Off the Cliff) and Ke-pani-wai (The Damming of the Waters).
After this decisive victory, Kamehameha returned immediately to Hawai’i to face his cousin Keoua, who had been pillaging the villages along the western coast of the Big Island. Ali’i Keoua and his warriors retreated southward toward their homes in Kau. In route, a third of his army was suffocated by sulphurous gas during a sudden eruption of Kilauea volcano on the slopes of Mauna Loa. This catastrophic natural disaster weakened Keoua's position, and it was interpreted by many as a sign that the Goddess Pele favored Kamehameha.
While Kamehameha was preoccupied campaigning against Keoua, King Kahekili of Maui decided to avenge the defeat at Ke-pani-wai by raiding the Hawai’ian coast. He employed a sizeable force including a European gunner, trained dogs, and a special unit of tattooed fanatics known as pahupu'u. Kamehameha's Europeans mounted their swivel gun on a specially constructed double-hulled canoe, after which Kamehameha set forth to fight a naval battle. Dubbed the “Battle of the Red-Mouthed Gun,” the action was indecisive, although Kahekili subsequently retired to Oahu.
Still unable to consolidate control over the Big Island of Hawai’i, a frustrated Kamehameha sought the advice of a famous kahuna on Kauai, who instructed him to build a new temple to the war gods on Puukohola near Kawaihae. With the temple completed, Keoua was invited to help dedicate the site and negotiate peace. Whether it was treachery or a voluntary sacrifice, Keoua was killed and his body used to dedicate the altar. With Keoua's death, Kamehameha was recognized as the ruler of the entire island of Hawai’i.
Thereafter, King Kahekili of Maui made an agreement for military aid with the English Captain William Brown, a private merchanteer who commanded the thirty-gun frigate Butterworth. This forced Kamehameha to seek the assistance of the American Captain George Vancouver to ensure a military balance of power. For the next three years, Kamehameha used the peace to rebuild Hawai’i's economy, obtaining large numbers of firearms and hiring visiting foreigners to help drill his army in their use. Young and Davis remained favored subordinates, and they were allowed to recruit a small company of women warriors who were armed with rifles. A large fleet of war canoes was constructed, and European boats were added to Kamehameha’s navy.
The death of Kahekili in 1794 resulted in a civil war between his son Kalanikupule and his half-brother Ka'eokulani. A series of battles was fought on Oahu, with Kalanikupule prevailing, thanks in part to a naval bombardment provided by his ally Captain Brown and the frigate Butterworth. Kalanikupule then attempted to take the Butterworth, killing Captain Brown and seizing the crew. The British seamen, however, were able to retake their vessel, forcing Kalanikupule and his warriors to shore.
With Kalanikupule weakened, Kamehameha sent a large fleet of war canoes to seize Maui and Molokai. In 1795, he then turned toward Oahu, dispatching an invasion fleet of 1,200 canoes bearing more than 10,000 warriors.
There he faced the combined army of Kalanikupule and the Hawai’ian chieftain Kaiana, drawn up at the mouth of the Nuuanu Valley. The heavy fire of his cannon and firearms caused a rout. As the warriors of Oahu fled up the valley, the westerners Davis and Young were carried forward on the shoulders of Hawai’ian warriors between shots so that they could keep pace with the advance. As the retiring Oahuans reached the head of the valley, they were trapped with the 1,200-foot Nu'uani Pali (cliff) at their backs. Kamehameha committed his spear regiments, whose advance pushed the Oahu warriors off the cliff to their deaths.
In 1796, King Kamehameha I recruited the services of English carpenters to build a 40-ton warship at Honolulu to militarily strengthen his intended campaign to wage war against Kaua’i. Unfortunately for him, rough weather conditions delayed the invasion, which was altogether abandoned when Namakeha, the brother of Kaiana, led an uprising back on the Big Island of Hawai’i, which destroyed villages there. Out of necessity, Kamehameha returned and squelched the rebellion with a major military engagement.
Kamehameha then spent the next several years building an armada of eight hundred special war canoes (peleleu) and schooners. In 1803, he moved the fleet from Hawai’i to Maui, where he commenced sending threats to King Ka'umu'ali'i of Kaua’i. In 1804, he moved the fleet to Oahu in preparation for the invasion, but an epidemic swept through his army, killing large numbers and forcing him to abandon his fleet. Meanwhile, Ka'umu'ali'i employed Russian agents to build and arm a fortress at the mouth of the Waimea River in anticipation of an eventual invasion. With the stage set for a dramatic confrontation, English and American traders grew concerned that the impending conflict would disrupt the lucrative sandalwood trade. A peace was negotiated between Kamehameha and Ka'umu'ali'i, in which Kamehameha was acknowledged as sovereign and Ka'umu'ali'i was allowed to rule Kaua'i until his death, with his son in Kamehameha's care as a hostage.
Through an unceasing campaign that took a continuous twenty-eight years of struggle, Kamehameha gained control over all the islands of Hawai’i. Governing from Oahu, he issued the famous Mamalahoe Kanawai or “Law of the Splintered Paddle,” which decreed that elderly men and women and children should not be subjected to wanton attacks, and he also passed a series of laws against murder, theft, and plundering. Conquered lands were divided among his high chieftains in widely dispersed parcels to minimize the risk of rebellion. In 1812, he took a final tour of his kingdom and then settled at Kailua-Kona, where he mixed avid sport fishing with statecraft until his death in 1819.
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