Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined in the Pukui & Elbert Dictionary as "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession." (See ancient Hawai'i) Early Polynesians settled in Hawaiʻi circa A.D. 7th century, having traveled from Tahiti and Marquesas on double-hulled voyaging canoes Ancient Hawaiʻi refers to the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. ...

40 different types of kahuna are listed in the book, Tales from the Night Rainbow. Kamakau lists more than 20 in the healing professions alone. Kahuna la'au lapa'au was an expert in healing, kalai wa'a an expert canoe maker, ho'okele an expert navigator.

Many myths have grown up around kahuna. One is that kahuna were outlawed after the white man came to Hawai'i. Although it is true that at various times specific kahuna practices were made illegal, including healing people through "superstitious means," for the most part, most kahuna practices remained legal. (Chai) However, during the decline of native Hawaiian culture many kahuna died out and did not pass on their wisdom to new students. As an example, when the Hokule'a was built to be sailed to the South Pacific to prove the voyaging capabilities of the ancient Hawaiians, master navigator Mau Piailug from Satawal was brought to Hawai'i to teach the Hawaiians navigation, as no Hawaiians could be found who still had this knowledge. Hokule‘a is a full-scale replica of a wooden sailing vessel used in ancient Hawaii. ... Mau Piailug (born 1932) is a Micronesian navigator, one of the best-known living practitioners of the ancient art of navigation without the aid of instruments. ... Satawal is a tiny coral atoll located in the Caroline Islands in the Federated States of Micronesia, the easternmost island in the Yap island group. ...

With the revival of the Hawaiian culture beginning in the 1970s, some Hawaiians call themselves kahuna today.

The word has been given an esoteric or secret meaning by modern followers of Max Freedom Long and Huna. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Huna is a Hawaiian word first used by Max Freedom Long in 1936 to describe what he called “the secret science behind the miracles” that ancient Hawaiian kahuna (experts) performed. ...

Non-Hawaiian uses

The use of the term in reference to surfing can be traced back to the film Gidget (1959), in which 'The Big Kahuna', played by Cliff Robertson, was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket Bingo, where the "Big Kahuna" was the best surfer on the beach. Eventually, it was adopted into general surfing culture. Hawaiian surfing master Duke Kahanamoku may have been referred to as the "Big Kahuna" but rejected the term as he knew the true meaning of the word.(Hall) Hein Cooper at Banzai Pipeline, December 1981 Surfing is a surface water sport. ... Gidget was a film starring fifties teen icon Sandra Dee was produced in the USA in 1959. ... Cliff Robertson. ... Beach Party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films which often starred Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Big Kahuna redirects here. ...

• Kahuna or Ka Huna massage is a rhythmical style of massage.
• In some computer programming shops (for example, IBM), "kahuna" is a synonym for "wizard" or "guru" (see internet slang).
• Kahuna is also the code-name for Windows Live Mail, the successor to Microsoft's MSN Hotmail.
• "The Big Kahuna" is the nickname for Major League Baseball Broadcaster Jon Miller.
• "Kahuna" also refers to a very large fish, usually a walleye or Bass so named by Lake Erie fishermen in the late 1970s.
• "The Big Kahuna" is the name of a burger-joint in Quentin Tarantino's 2nd film, Pulp Fiction. It is also mentioned in the Tarantino-directed Death Proof.
• "Kahuna Airlines" is the name of an airline company in Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland.
• "Kahuna" a gaia class on the MMORPG Rappelz, can be seen as a buffer for other players.
• Kahuna is the main character in the game SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs.
• To have "Big Kahunas" - Aussie Slang - A person who is known to be brave, and without fear. Possibly derived from Spanish cojones.
• Nickname for large, relaxed, funny guys.
• Kahuna - World's most advanced HD/SD Production Switcher designed and made by [Snell & Wilcox]http://www.snellwilcox.com

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... This article is about general features of internet slang. ... For the web-based e-mail service, see Windows Live Hotmail. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Windows Live Hotmail . ... Jon Miller (born October 11, 1977 in San Francisco, California) is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. ... Pulp Fiction is an Academy Award-winning 1994 film written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary and directed by Tarantino. ... Grindhouse is a 2007 film expected to be released in the United States on April 6, 2007. ... Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. ... For other uses, see Vineland (disambiguation). ... Cojones IPA: is a vulgar Spanish word for testicles, corresponding to balls or bollocks. // The word has entered popular use in the United States as a slang term meaning to have a brave attitude. ... A Sony BVS-3200CP vision mixer A vision mixer (also called video switcher, video mixer or production switcher) is a device used to select between several different video sources and in some cases composite (mix) video sources together and add special effects. ...

Sources

• Pukui & Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian; by Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel H. Elbert ; Publisher: University of Hawaii Press; (July 1986); ISBN: 0824807030

• Lee, Pali Jae Tales from the Night Rainbow [1]

• The Kahuna: Versatile Masters of Old Hawai‘i von Likeke R. McBride, ISBN: 091218051X

• Gutmanis, Jane: Kahuna La'au Lapa'au - Hawaiian Herbal Medicine [Medical Kahuna], Island Heritage (www.islandheritage.com), 1976, English, ISBN 0-89610-330-7

• Nana I Ke Kumu (Look to the source), by Mary K. Pukui, E. W. Haertig, Catharine A. Lee; # Publisher: Hui Hanai; (May 1, 1980); ISBN: 0961673826

• Malo, David: Hawaiian Antiquities (Mo'olelo Hawai'i), Bishop Museum Press, 1951 (1903)

• Kamakau, Samuel Tales & Traditions of the People of Old [2]

• Kupihea, Moke: Kahuna of Light -The World of Hawaiian Spirituality, 2001, Inner Traditions International, ISBN 0-89281-756-9

• Chai, Makana Risser Na Mo'olelo Lomilomi: Traditions of Hawaiian Massage & Healing [3]

• Kahalewai, Nancy S. Hawaiian Lomilomi - Big Island Massage, ISBN: 0967725305
• Hall, Sandra Duke: A Great Hawaiian[4]