Kāmohoaliʻi
Hawaiian shark god
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Hawaiian religion, Kamohoaliʻi is a shark god and a brother of Kāne Milohaʻi, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka, and Hiʻiaka. He is also the father of Nanaue.
| Kamohoaliʻi | |
|---|---|
Sharks | |
| Abode | Underwater caves; waters around Maui and Kahoʻolawe |
| Genealogy | |
| Siblings | |
| Children | Nanaue |
Kamohoaliʻi swam in the area around the islands of Maui and Kahoʻolawe. When a ship was lost at sea, Ka-moho-aliʻi shook his tail in front of the fleet and the kahuna would feed him awa, a narcotic drink, and Kamohoaliʻi would guide the men home. He is sometimes said to have guided the ships of the original inhabitants of Hawaiʻi from the mainland to their island home in this way.
Kamohoaliʻi had the power to take on the form of any fish[1] and is believed to own multiple underwater caves beneath the ocean where he dwells.[2]
Kamohoaliʻi is considered among the principal ancestral sharks (manō kumupaʻa), with Kūhaimoana, Kānehunamoku, Kauhuhu, and Kāneikokala.[3][4]
See also
- Ukupanipo, also a Hawaiian shark god
