THE WIND GOURD OF LA'AMAOMAO
La'amaomao, Ancestor of the Hawaiian Winds, is said to have passed on the Legend of the Wind Gourd to her descendants. "The Wind Gourd was believed to contain all the Winds of Hawai‘i, which could be called forth by chanting their names. Each Wind name is associated with an Ahupua'a (land section) or place and represents the characteristic or most famous Wind of that area. Memorizing the chants with dozens of Wind names and associated place names would have been part of the training of a Navigator."
".... The gourd, representing the heavenly dome, was also used in traditional times to control the winds: “…the high priest possessed a magic calabash, a miniature universe, which had holes bored in a circle at equal distances around its middle, representing the openings on the horizon through which the thirty-two winds of the compass were supposed to blow. When a voyage was contemplated to a distant island the priest was induced to stop up all the holes in the calabash except the one at the particular point of the compass from which the prospective travelers desired the wind to blow for the speedy consummation of the voyage."
".... The gourd, representing the heavenly dome, was also used in traditional times to control the winds: “…the high priest possessed a magic calabash, a miniature universe, which had holes bored in a circle at equal distances around its middle, representing the openings on the horizon through which the thirty-two winds of the compass were supposed to blow. When a voyage was contemplated to a distant island the priest was induced to stop up all the holes in the calabash except the one at the particular point of the compass from which the prospective travelers desired the wind to blow for the speedy consummation of the voyage."
Original sketch, then filled with fine tip black ink
Art Show at Paradiso in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia ~ November 1st, 2014
