Hawaiian god of fertility, rain and peace
Lono
Lono is a god of Hawaiian mythology linked to fertility, agriculture, rain, music and peace. His figure is tied to the great Makahiki festival, and his legend became entangled with the arrival of Europeans in Hawaii.
The myth
According to Hawaiian tradition, Lono is a god of fertility and music who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural traditions he is identified with rain and food plants. He is counted among the four gods who existed before the world was created, alongside Kū, Kāne and Kāne's twin brother Kanaloa.
The best-known story about Lono concerns his departure and his promised return. According to the tradition recorded by Martha Beckwith, a god Lono appeared as a man, established games and perhaps the annual tax, then left for Kahiki, promising to return by sea on the ʻAuwaʻalalua canoes. Other accounts attribute this figure to human chiefs called Lono-i-ka-Makahiki, or to the legendary Laʻa-mai-Kahiki, a younger member of the Moikeha family of Tahiti who brought the drum and flute of the hula and took wives in several districts, especially on Oahu.
Worship and religion
Lono was the god of peace, and the great annual Makahiki festival was held in his honor. During this period, from October to February, war and unnecessary work were forbidden under kapu. Oahu was a stronghold of his worship, and some families there claimed descent from him.
Legacy
Some Hawaiians saw Captain James Cook as Lono returned, and scholars debate whether this belief contributed to Cook's death, though it is unclear whether he was taken for the god or for one of the historical or legendary figures also called Lono.
Ancient sources: The main sources are the traditions recorded in the twentieth century by Martha Beckwith and Mary Pukui, which transmit Hawaiian oral traditions.