Kahuna

Kahuna is a Hawaiian term used to describe a person who is an expert or keeper of knowledge in a given field. In traditional Hawaiian society, kahuna were specialists who served as priests, healers, navigators, and teachers. They held important roles within the chiefly system and religious institutions, and were responsible for preserving chants, religious protocols, medicinal practices, and crafts. Among the best-known categories are kahuna lapaau, traditional healers who used herbal medicine and spiritual methods, and kahuna pule, priests who performed rites, rituals, and offerings. Other kahuna trained in navigation, astronomy, fishing, or woodworking, and some functioned as advisors to chiefs. The title kahuna nui refers to a high priest or senior master with broad spiritual or ceremonial authority; many kahuna operated within families or temples and were expected to maintain secrecy or ritual purity in certain practices.

In modern Hawaii, the word kahuna is used more broadly to denote someone highly skilled in a craft or field, not necessarily with religious duties. It can convey respect for expertise, but outside contexts it has also been used in popular culture and tourism marketing, sometimes detached from traditional meanings. Because of colonial history and cultural sensitivities, many Native Hawaiians advocate careful and respectful use of the term and associated practices, and prefer that authentic kahuna credentials be recognized in proper cultural contexts.

Etymology: The term kahuna comes from the Hawaiian language and is typically translated as expert, practitioner, or priest. It denotes both learned knowledge and ceremonial authority within traditional culture.