Kuwā: The Netmaker’s Prayer of Hawaiʻi
Before a single knot was tied or a new ʻupena (net) touched the sea, the Hawaiian lawaiʻa ulana ʻupena — the netmaker — began with prayer. This sacred chant, known as Kuwā, was an invocation to awaken skill, humility, and protection. It aligned the maker’s hands, the fiber’s spirit, and the ocean’s patience.
The word kuwā means “to space” or “to create intervals.” In the act of net weaving, kuwā described not only the rhythm between knots but also the spiritual pauses — the breath of gratitude between work and worship.
The Purpose of Kuwā
The prayer of Kuwā was said before weaving began and again when the net was first completed. It asked that:
- The hands of the maker remain steady.
- The ʻolona fibers hold strong and supple.
- The ocean receive the net with kindness, not wrath.
- The fisher’s heart remain pure — taking only what is needed.
It was both practical and spiritual. Without Kuwā, the net was considered pōloli — empty of spirit, hungry, and untrustworthy.
“Kuwā ka lima i ka hana, e ola ka ʻupena i ka hā o ke kai.”
May the hands move in rhythm, that the net may live in the breath of the sea.
The Prayer (Modern English Rendering)
Below is a preserved version of Kuwā, translated from early Hawaiian sources and oral recollection. Though regional variations existed, the essence remains the same — a prayer of alignment between maker, material, and sea.
Kuwā — The Netmaker’s Prayer
E Kuʻula Kai, e Hoʻolono.
Kuʻula of the sea, hear me.E hāla i ka wai ʻolu o ke kai,
Pass through the cool waters of the ocean,
E hoʻāla i ka ʻupena hou.
Awaken this new net.E hoʻopaʻa i nā hālau o nā maka,
Strengthen the eyes (knots) of its body,
Mai haki i ka luku o nā nalu nui,
That it may not break under the strike of great waves.E ola nā lima i ke aloha o ke kai,
Let the hands live in the love of the sea,
E ola ka ʻupena i ka ʻuhane o nā kūpuna.
Let the net live in the spirit of the ancestors.E mālama mai ʻoe, e Kuʻula Kai,
Guard it, Kuʻula of the Deep,
A hiki i ka manawa ʻai hou.
Until the time of the next feast of life.
The Rhythm of Work and Prayer
Every knot tied was matched with breath — inhale, twist, exhale, pull. Some netmakers whispered Kuwā continuously, keeping the prayer alive throughout the hours of weaving. Each loop of cord carried intention; each tightening sealed prayer into the net’s body.
This rhythm transformed labor into ceremony. The net became more than woven fiber — it became living connection: between human and ocean, maker and creation.
Blessing the Completed Net
When the net was finished, the lawaiʻa would stand facing the sea at dawn, holding the rolled net to their chest. The final line of Kuwā was whispered once more before sprinkling seawater over it:
“E ola ka ʻupena, e ola ke kai, e ola nā ʻohana.”
May the net live, may the ocean live, may the families live.
Only after this blessing could the first cast be made — not for catching, but for offering. The first fish belonged to Kuʻula Kai, returned to the sea as thanks for permission to fish.
The Legacy of Kuwā
Few recite the full Kuwā today, but its essence remains alive in every fisher who pauses before throwing, every hand that untangles the net with patience, and every voice that whispers a quiet mahalo to the sea.
Kuwā reminds us that skill without spirit is hollow — and that craftsmanship without gratitude is lost.
In Hawaiʻi, to weave a net is to weave prayer.
Footnotes
- Malo, Hawaiian Antiquities — “Prayers and Rituals of the Fishermen.”
- Beckwith, Hawaiian Mythology — “Kuʻula and the Sacred Nets.”
- Pukui, ʻŌlelo Noʻeau — “Kuwā ka lima i ka hana.”
- Titcomb, Native Use of Fish in Hawaiʻi (1948).
- Bishop Museum Archives — oral histories of netmakers from Molokaʻi and Hāna.
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