What is Huna?
Huna is a term that has come to be associated with the native shamanistic psychological science of Hawaii which the natives originally called Ho’omanamana. In the Hawaiian language, powerful healers are known as Kahuna, “Keepers of the Secret,” and they are seen to absorb their power from places in nature, dancing, and practicing deep breathing exercises. This Hawaiian practice, utilizes the vital life energy it calls mana in its healing rituals. The term “Huna” (the Hawaiian word for “secret”) came into use when Max Freedom Long in the 1930’s used it to describe the psychological/religious methods he had studied and saw used by the Kahuna in Hawaii. Max was able to get some of the secret concepts and from that point he back-engineered parts he was not initiated into and modified other metaphysical approaches to develop a workable system he called “Huna” which was based on concepts taken from Ho’omanamana.
Huna is a term that has come to be associated with the native shamanistic psychological science of Hawaii which the natives originally called Ho’omanamana. In the Hawaiian language, powerful healers are known as Kahuna, “Keepers of the Secret,” and they are seen to absorb their power from places in nature, dancing, and practicing deep breathing exercises. This Hawaiian practice, utilizes the vital life energy it calls mana in its healing rituals. The term “Huna” (the Hawaiian word for “secret”) came into use when Max Freedom Long in the 1930’s used it to describe the psychological/religious methods he had studied and saw used by the Kahuna in Hawaii. Max was able to get some of the secret concepts and from that point he back-engineered parts he was not initiated into and modified other metaphysical approaches to develop a workable system he called “Huna” which was based on concepts taken from Ho’omanamana. The Hawaiian system sees the conscious mind which the kahuna called “uhane,” or
“Huna” has come to be known as a catch-all term for Hawaiian spirituality; it is seldom referred to as such in Hawaii. The most likely reason the Western world seems to consider it to be so, is because the word was introduced to the West by Max Freedom Long, shortly after the turn of the last century. Long was a non-Hawaiian whose interests led him to contact many island elders during his brief stay in Hawaii in an attempt to compile a “scholarly” work on Hawaiian “magic”. Although apparently none of the kupunas (elders) he spoke with shared information with him (see the Bishop Museum’s collection of the letters from/to Long), he returned to the United States and did a brisk business on the books and articles he wrote on his “studies”. While his incorrect term and inaccurate writings linger on, they are not regarded with respect in Hawaii. What has become known throughout the contemporary world as “huna” is more accurately referred to as the practice of the ancient philosophy of Pono,
