In Hawaiian, “he ola ka pohaku” means, “in the rock there is life.” Many strange tales of living stones haunt this culture. I myself have heard them whisper. The Obake Files is a 1996 collection of famous Hawaiian ghost stories and folklore. Large stones, bigger than a man, are sometimes found which seem oddly possessed. In one story, a construction crew was unable to move such a stone even an
inch. Even their powerful equipment couldn’t budge it. As much as they dug, it seemed to entrench itself even deeper. A local Kahuna, or shaman, was consulted – he said it is not a stone, but a man, who just needs coaxing. The Kahuna suggested laying food and other such offerings for the stone. They gave an offering, and after lifting it upright, the stone began to move by itself into its new place – in front of multiple witnesses. Another such story involves a very special stone, called Pohaku-o-Kane, six feet high four feet across, and located on a point in Pearl Harbor. Said to be imbued with the spirit of the god Kane, it was able to see, move and talk. It stood silently for centuries until January 17, 1893, the day the Hawaiian monarchy was unjustly overthrown by the U.S. Navy, intent on establishing their Pacific empire in preparation for war. On that day, Pohaku-o-Kane disappeared, and was nowhere to be found. Many Hawaiians believed it had foreseen the overthrow of Hawai’i and robbery of the land, and vanished like the kingdom itself. Other ‘healing’ stones have elicited much devotion over the years.
Surfing the Tao – A Revolution of Free Will
By Angela V. Michaels 2004.
(Celestial Secrets)