The Hawaiian word kapu is usually translated as "forbidden". In ancient Hawaii, kapu refers to the ancient system of laws and regulations. An offense that was kapu was often a corporal offense, but also often denoted a threat to spiritual power, or theft of mana. Kapus were strictly enforced. Breaking one, even unintentionally, often meant immediate death.^[1] The concept is related to taboo and the tapu or tabu found in other Polynesian cultures. The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian language that takes its name from that of the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Mana is a traditional term that refers to a concept among the speakers of Oceanic languages, including Melanesians, Polynesians, and Micronesians. ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general, for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... Tapu (or tabu) is a concept existing in many Polynesian societies, including traditional Hawaiian, Tongan, and Maori cultures. ... Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ...

Restrictions

Most famous are the restrictions placed upon contact with chiefs, but these also apply to all people of known spiritual power. It was kapu to enter a chief's personal area, to come in contact with his hair or fingernail clippings, to look directly at him and to be in sight of him with a head higher than his. Wearing red and yellow feathers (a sign of royalty) was kapu, unless you were of the highest rank. Places that are kapu are often symbolized by two crossed staffs, each with a white ball atop.

The kapu system also governed contact between men and women. In particular, men and women could not eat meals together. Furthermore, certain foods such as pork, some types of bananas (as they resembled a phallus), and coconuts were considered kapu to women. The kapu system was used in Hawaii until 1819, when King Kamehameha II, acting with his mother Keopuolani and his father's queen Ka'ahumanu, abolished it by the symbolic act of sharing a meal of forbidden foods with the women of his court. As these examples might suggest, the sense of the term in Polynesia carries connotations of sacredness as much as forbidden-ness. Probably the best way to translate it into English is as meaning "marked off" or ritually restricted. The opposite of kapu is "noa" meaning "common" or "free". Two halves of pork being delivered Pork is the culinary name for meat from pigs. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the symbol of the erect penis. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation). ... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Kamehameha II, King of Hawaii (1797 - 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. ... Queen Keopuolani (1778–1823) was a queen consort of Hawaii and the highest ranking wife of King Kamehameha I. She was also the mother of King Kamehameha II and King Kamehameha III. She played an instrumental role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian kapu system. ... Kaahumanu served as Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii during the terms of Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III. Kaahumanu, formally Elizabeth Kaahumanu, (1768-1832), Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii. ...

Modern usage

The ambiguities in the Polynesian concept (from the English point of view) are reflected in the different senses of the word in different national Englishes: In modern usage in Hawaii, "KAPU" is often substituted for the phrase "No Trespassing" on private property signage. In the movie Lilo and Stitch, Lilo has a sign on her door that says "Kapu" for privacy. By contrast, in New Zealand, the comparable word "tapu" is almost always used to mean "sacred". Lilo & Stitch is an animated film, set in Hawaii. ...

KAPU are also the call letters for Azusa Pacific University's radio station in Azusa, California.^[2] Azusa Pacific University is a private Christian university located in Azusa, California. ... Azusa is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

In 2006, Her Interactive released a computer game based on the Nancy Drew series of books, titled The Creature of Kapu Cave.^[3] Her Interactive is a video game developer located in Bellevue, Washington, specializing in computer games for young and teenaged girls. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... The Secret of the Old Clock, the first Nancy Drew mystery Nancy Drew is a fictional character, the heroine detective of a popular mystery series. ... The Creature of Kapu Cave is the fifteenth installment in the Nancy Drew computer game series. ...

See also

• Hawaiian mythology
• Ainoa

Kapu means more than just "keep out, no trespassing". Kapu means "do not disrespect". Kapu means that the reason you are not to go in a certain area is because it is not for you, you can not, or will not, understand. Kapu is a necessary term to understand before travelling to Hawaii. If you do not know about Hawaiian culture, many things will be Kapu. Hawaiian mythology is a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology. ...

References