How Lono And Kū Are Represented In Hawaiian Art

Lono and Kū are two Hawaiian gods that are most often represented through feathered basketry and wooden sculptures. Lono is the god of agriculture, plants, rain, pigs, peace, and most often connected to the idea of genealogy; while Kū is often depicted as the god of war, forests, canoes, houses, and crafts. These two opposing gods are dependent on each other because of their juxtaposition to one another in Hawaiian culture. This essay will explore how Lono and Kū are represented in Hawaiian art, through stylization, usage, and historical context, as well as how the representations of them have changed over time. Feathered basketry is one of the most popular ways to depict the two deities in Hawaiian art. Feathers often have a connection to the gods, through the belief that the first gods were covered in feathers. Birds have a connection to the gods, because they inhabit both the land and the sky, so they are passengers between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. Their feathers were good for making references to the gods, and the Hawaiian’s used them in multiple

There has been a resurge in the importance of traditional Hawaiian art, of the gods and not of the gods, but even so the clear want to save these traditions is there. Traditional Hawaiian objects have become important to contemporary Native Hawaiians for the recovery of cultural practices that have either been lost or are endanger of becoming lost. [In reference to a wooden image, a god image ki’i’aumakua, insert here.] They argued that this sculpture belonged to a warrior chief who used it on a war canoe as a spear rest in times of battle. Because of the images connection to the warrior chief, there is an insistence that it must be preserved because of it’s importance and connection to the Hawaiian people. This is a very clear example of that want to keep the traditions and the art of gods and chiefs