From Light to Shadow and Back

From Light to Shadow and Back: A History of Kākau Uhi

The revival of kākau uhi is a story of deep cultural strength. A path from a time when these sacred marks were part of Hawaiian identity to an era of suppression and silence, and finally, back into the light. To understand the work of Suluape Keone Nunes and his students is to understand this dramatic history.

Ancient Roots: A Society Written on Skin

Long before Western sails appeared on the horizon, the art of kakau arrived in Hawaiʻi with the first Polynesian voyagers who navigated the vast Pacific. Like other Polynesian traditions, it was far more than simple decoration. The uhi, or markings, served to guard a person's health and spiritual well-being. In a society without a written language, the skin became the scroll upon which a person's story was written.

These tattoos were a complex visual language. They could show a person's social rank, their specific profession, their loyalty to a particular aliʻi (chief), and most importantly, their moʻokūʻauhau—their genealogy. Complex geometric patterns, often copying forms from nature like woven reeds or shark teeth (niho mano), would grace the arms, legs, torso, and face of men. Women were generally tattooed on their hands, fingers, and wrists, and sometimes even their tongues. Facial tattoos, especially, were a mark of high status, reserved for chiefs and other powerful people as a visible sign of their authority.

These practitioners held a position of great respect, so much so that they were among the only people allowed to shed the blood of royalty without being put to death. The process was guarded with intense secrecy, and in accordance with kapu, all tools were destroyed after use to protect the mana of the individual and the sanctity of the art.

The Arrival of the West and The Great Silence

The arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778 marked the beginning of the end for this ancient tradition. The following influx of European and American sailors, settlers, and missionaries brought foreign diseases, a foreign economy, and a foreign religion that viewed the native practices of Hawaiʻi with condemnation. Missionaries who arrived in 1820 denounced kakau as a "pagan" ritual and "the devils art."

This external pressure, combined with internal political shifts, led to the formal end of the kapu system in 1819 by Kamehameha II. With the societal framework that supported and gave meaning to kakau dismantled, the practice was actively discouraged and suppressed. Over the following century, particularly after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and annexation by the United States, the art of kākau uhi faded into memory. The rhythmic tapping of the hahau fell silent. The closely guarded secrets of the kahuna died with them, leaving a deep void in the cultural landscape of Hawaiʻi.

The Hawaiian Renaissance

The seeds of revival were sown in the 1970s during a period of powerful cultural reawakening known as the Hawaiian Renaissance. This movement saw a return of pride in Hawaiian identity, language, music, and traditions. It was famously symbolized by the daring voyages of the Polynesian Voyaging Society's canoe, the Hōkūleʻa, which navigated the Pacific using traditional, non-instrument wayfinding techniques, proving the incredible skill of ancient Polynesian navigators.

This renewed cultural confidence created the fertile ground upon which a practice as deeply personal and significant as kākau uhi could once again take root. The work of Suluape Keone Nunes is a direct and powerful continuation of this renaissance, a reclamation of an identity that was nearly lost to the shadows of history.