"Who are you to tell us our history?" Kultur och religion i ... - Anpere

Guds bud. Utifrån dessa regler gav Ka‘ahumanu order till ali‘i på Maui att förbjuda
boxning, slagsmål, mord, onykterhet, samt beordrade att befolkningen skulle hålla sabbat
och gå i skola. Hoapili agerade i enlighet med Ka‘ahumanus direktiv och hotade till och
med att de som inte följde reglerna skulle förvisas till den ödsligt belägna ön Kaho‘olawe.
Aktionerna och det inledande resultatet, dvs. maka‘āinanas uppmärksamhet, av dessa ingav
missionärerna hopp. Precis som missionärerna hade tänkt skulle det förmedla ett innehåll
som skulle påverka hawaiianerna. Och visst blev det så, men med tanke på hur
skolsystemet utvecklades så var det kanske inte på det sätt missionärerna förväntat. 592
Hawaiianerna såg fler fördelar med att behärska palapala som kom att efterfrågas inte
enbart på grund av dess politiskt strategiska värde, utan också på grund av den andliga
(eng. spiritual) makt den innebar. Berättelsen om ali‘i-kvinnan Kapi‘olanis konfrontation
med gudinnan Pele, menar Sally Engle Merry, illustrerar hur skrift förknippades med
andlig kraft. 593 Chamberlain skriver om denna händelse en decemberdag 1824 då
Kapi‘olani, med missionären Goodrich i följe steg ner i vulkanens krater:
With her he descended the crater, and viewed its fires, and smoke, and running lava. None
of her countrymen had probably ever viewed the tremendous scene with feelings like those
which filled her breast. They had always approached with trembling awe, as to the feet of a
god of terrible prowess, whose wrath must be appeased with offerings. She approached
feeling that what she beheld was a display of the power and majesty of that God who made
heaven and earth, and who sustains and controls, directly all things; and all whose works
praise him, and in all is to be adored. While standing on the ledge, which bounds the crater
at the distance of more than 500 feet from the top, with those materials of destruction
before their eyes, which had often spread terror and dismay among the inhabitants of the
Eastern and Southern divisions of that island, she directed one of her attendants to engage
in prayer, in which service, she and her whole company with much solemnity united.
Before her arrival at the volcano, she was met by a priestess of Pele, who warned her not to
proceed as, in case she did, the god would come out and destroy her. Kapiolani demanded
who she was and thus addressed her. The reply was, “One in whom the god dwells.”
“Then,” said Kapiolani, “you are wise, and can teach me, come and sit down.” She seemed
loath to obey but Kapiolani insisting on her compliance, she yielded. Food was offered her,
but she said she was a god and did not eat. She held a piece of tapa in her hand which she
said was a palapala (a writing or letter) from Pele. She was requested to read it, but was
reluctant, and when forced to comply, she muttered over a medley of nonsense. Kapiolani
then produced her spelling books and hymns and said, “You have pretended to deliver a
message from your god, but we have not understood it. I will now read you a message from
the true God which you can understand; for I too have a palapala.” She then read sentences
from the spelling book and some of the hymns, and spoke to the impostor concerning
Jehovah the true God, who made all things, - of Jesus Christ the only Savior, of repentance,
and a new heart. During the confrontation the woman held down her head, and was silent,
and when Kapiolani had finished her address, she said, that god had left her, and she could
make no reply. Being afterwards invited to eat she partook without ceremony. 594
Precis som för missionärerna hade skriften ett andligt värde för hawaiianerna, dock på ett
annat sätt. I ovanstående berättelse omtolkade Kapi‘olani ”skrift” med hjälp av
hawaiianernas egna kulturtermer som en slags andlig kraft/makt. Denna kunde användas
för att utmana gudinnan Peles kraft. Hawaiianerna betraktade skrift som förknippad med
592 Kame‘eleihiwa (2003: 154) skriver: “Christianity was the new kapu and it was the duty of the
maka‘āinana to obey. As this was in accordance with the old formula of mālama, the number of
“conversions” effected in the last six years of Ka‘ahumanu’s life is not surprising.”
593 “Letter from Chamberlain to Jeremiah Everts, March 26, 1827” i Merry 2000: 66.
594 “Letter from Mr. Chamberlain to the Corresponding Secretary, March 26, 1825” i MH
1826(22): 41f.
138