Kuʻula: The Hawaiian God of Fishermen

The Origins of Kuʻula

Kuʻula is said to have lived as a man in ancient times, a skilled fisher who taught others to fish with humility and generosity. His home was in Hāna, Maui, where he built a koʻa (fishing shrine) and dedicated his first catches to the gods. After his death, the people honored him as divine — an akua kupua, a spirit who became a protector through righteousness.

Legend says Kuʻula’s koʻa glowed red at night, guiding fishers safely home. The name “Kuʻula” itself means “to glow” or “to redden,” linking him to the sacred color of power (ʻulaʻula).

Symbols and Offerings

Kuʻula is often represented by a smooth, red stone called pōhaku ʻula ʻula Kuʻula. Families kept such stones as guardians of their fishponds, canoes, or net houses. These stones were never moved carelessly — they held both the essence of the god and the spirit of the sea’s balance.

Offerings were simple but sacred:

• The first fish of the catch.
• Salt and seawater.
• A lei of seaweed (limu kala) for forgiveness and gratitude.

Before every major fishing trip, a pule (prayer) was recited:

“E Kuʻula Kai, e hoʻāla mai ka iʻa, e mālama i ka ʻupena, e hoʻi mai me ka pono.”
O Kuʻula of the sea, awaken the fish, protect the net, and let us return in righteousness.

Kuʻula and the ʻOhana Lawaiʻa

Fishing was never an individual act — it was a family and community effort centered around Kuʻula. His worship tied together the practical and spiritual aspects of sustenance.

• Nets were dedicated to him through the Kuwā prayer before first use.
• The hale ʻupena (net house) doubled as his sanctuary.
• Fishermen taught children that greed offended Kuʻula, but gratitude brought fish close to shore.

To fish without prayer was to risk both empty nets and spiritual imbalance.

Kuʻula’s Legacy in Modern Hawaiʻi

Though temples have faded and chants have quieted, Kuʻula’s principles still guide the respectful fisher:

• Take only what you need.
• Thank the sea before and after each catch.
• Care for your tools as you would care for family.

Even today, fishers in remote communities will quietly return the first fish of the season to the ocean — honoring Kuʻula’s covenant that balance sustains abundance.

“He lawaiʻa Kuʻula i ka moana.”
Kuʻula, the eternal fisher in the deep sea.

Kuʻula is not only a god of fish, but of discipline, gratitude, and stewardship — the spiritual current that still runs through every Hawaiian net cast with aloha.

Footnotes

1. Malo, Hawaiian Antiquities — “Kuʻula and the Fisherman’s Faith.”
2. Beckwith, Hawaiian Mythology — “Legends of Kuʻula and ʻAiʻai.”
3. Titcomb, Native Use of Fish in Hawaiʻi (1948).
4. Pukui, ʻŌlelo Noʻeau — “He lawaiʻa Kuʻula i ka moana.”
5. Bishop Museum Archives — field records on Kuʻula shrines in Hāna and Kauaʻi.