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Many indigenous cultures across the world believe that animals have spiritual significance in our lives. In North America, for example, the Lakota people believed strongly that certain animals were conduits to the powers of the natural universe and that those powers could be called upon \u2014 for good fortune in battle or agriculture, for example \u2014 through chant and ceremony.<\/p>\n
Observance of animal behavior was also incorporated into everyday life, creating a belief system that protected all who sought their powers. All animals, they felt, can teach us about life, and we can learn lessons from them by observing closely. The Lakota people learned from childhood that all beings depend on one another or perish and there are lessons to be learned from all forms of life.<\/p>\n
In some cultures, animals symbolize the values and spiritual beliefs of these indigenous communities. Animals also figure significantly in the creation stories of many tribes. The coyote, the wolf, the buffalo, the eagle … are all found deeply rooted in these cultures.<\/p>\n
In Hawai\u02bbi, guardian animal relationships are called \u02bbaumakua<\/em>. \u201cHawaiians believe that their loved ones who have passed take on the form of an \u02bbaumakua<\/em>,\u201d says Bambi Lau, human resources manager and \u201cmagic maker\u201d at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, who has experienced the protection of her family \u02bbaumakua personally. \u201cIt\u2019s believed that the \u02bbaumakua<\/em> are there to guide and protect their family members.\u201d<\/p>\n The word \u02bbaumakua<\/em> means \u201cancestor gods\u201d and is derived from the Hawaiian words au<\/em> which means period of time, and makua<\/em> meaning parent or ancestor. (Makua<\/em> is also the word for the traditional Hawaiian fishhook, another cultural symbol.) As \u02bbaumakua<\/em>, deceased family members would thus watch over their descendants, warn them of misfortune and help guide them from trouble. Many families recognize multiple \u02bbaumakua, including the Hawaiian hawk (io<\/em>), the lizard (mo\u02bbo<\/em>), the shark (mano<\/em>) and the owl (pueo<\/em>).<\/p>\n \u201cMost of what we think of as \u02bbaumakua are from much earlier times, when the traditional religion was active,\u201d Hokulani Holt, an expert in Hawaiian language and culture, a master kumu hula (hula teacher) and a cultural practitioner, told Maui No Ka Oi magazine in 2010. \u201cWhen the traditional religion was overthrown [in 1819], the practices relating to \u02bbaumakua went with it.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone had at least one \u02bbaumakua<\/em>.\u201d she adds. \u201cIf you married and had children, their [ancestors] on both sides would come into the genealogy. They\u2019re family; they stay with the family for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawaiian-born actor Jason Momoa has a shark tattoo on his left forearm that is a tribute to his family \u02bbaumakua. Some families had many \u02bbaumakua. It is said the family of respected elder, Hawaiian scholar and author of Folktales of Hawai\u02bbi, Mary Kawena Pukui (1895-1986), had at least 50 known \u02bbaumakua.<\/p>\n According to Holt, \u201cOften the form an \u02bbaumakua would take depended on where family members lived and how they earned their livelihood. If you were ocean people, it would be good to have a shark as an \u02bbaumakua<\/em>. If you were mountain people, pueo<\/em>, \u02bbio<\/em> [Hawaiian hawk] … birds would be helpful. If you were Pele people, the form your \u02bbaumakua<\/em> took might be related to lava. The form was a way of placing you within the family, within society and within nature.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u02bbAumakua<\/em> work differently for different families,\u201d concludes Lau. And while some traditional practices have eroded over time, the belief in family guardians in Hawai\u02bbi still seems to be going strong today.<\/p>\n Most Common \u02bbamakua<\/em> in Hawaiian Lore:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.waikoloabeachresort.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/mano-500x396.jpg\")
Lau, whose family claims as \u02bbaumakua<\/em> the pueo<\/em>, the mano<\/em> and the mo\u02bbo<\/em>, tells of an incident where her guardian animal helped protect her from an accident. \u201cOn one occasion,\u201d she says, \u201cwhile driving late at night, I was falling asleep at the wheel. A pueo<\/em> flew in front of my car which caused me to jump in my seat. I then realized that it was my \u02bbaumakua<\/em> giving me a warning.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Over the past six months, 43 species of native Hawaiian plants have been sprouting around Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa\u2019s grounds as part of the Ho\u02bbokupu Initiative. The new plant conservation and restoration program is centered around cultivating endangered, indigenous and endemic plants; activating regenerative tourism efforts; and fostering cultural preservation.<\/p>\n