To make a very long story short, I was in a psychic reading and dots were connected that I should probably look at including a god next to my patron, Brigid, and that god would probably have to do with water. I used my pendulum on a few books and came up with Kamohoali'i, the Hawai'ianshark god.
So my question is this. What do I do now and does anyone have any experience working with Hawai'ian gods or shark gods?
I don't have any experience with Hawaiian god's in particular but I do work with a wide range of deities from different pantheons. The best thing to do is start researching the culture of the Islands, its history, legends surrounding the god. Learn about his likes, dislikes, association with other gods, is he serious in personality or is he a laid back kind of god? etc.. Just learn and more will come to you, if you were meant to follow this god then he will probably show you some signs once he sees that your making an effort.
No offense intended, but I think you need to move on to another God and culture.
Hawaiian culture has been shattered by colonization (white folks getting what they want by any means) and unless invited in by native Hawaiians, you are the one out of place. I'd recommend just moving on, because outside of Hawaii itself, I don't know of anyone who practices the native faith. You can try to find a group willing to teach you, but it might take a while because they won't take you in on a whim and you have to do the legwork.
But it is NOT okay to just decide to become involved in a closed culture that is not your own. This is cultural appropriation and should be something even those (or especially those) in pagan faiths should be aware of and take note.
I remember going to Kauai for XMas. There, I honored Pele and Kamohoali'i. I got no ill will from them and it was my duty to show them respect in their own home. I absolutely LOVE polynesian culture and I encourage your research on it. Your path is your own experience and no one else dictates that. If you feel drawn to them, go for it. Ignite that passion. And if it isn't a match, that's okay too. You have many other pantheon to explore and many different experiences to encounter.
I disagree with you Norse hippie, as an idegenous person by blood I have too say People have already tooken stuff away from us enough as it is. Don't take from others peoples culture. I'm not Hawaiian, but people already do this to them in the huna tradition, which was made by white people who proclaim it to be authentic Hawaiian.
As said before. Other people do not dictate experiences. Each person has their own personal path to walk and no one has any right to intrude on that. There's a fine line between cultural appropriation and then there's appreciating the culture, learning about it, studyingand preserving it, regardless of ethic background. As for myself, I'm usually into Norse gods, but Ganseha has made an appearance into my life. Who am I to deny the Lord of success? :)
To me the guidelines of cultural appropriation usually include nit/cherry picking of certain indigenous cultures. A good example is the headdress costume that a lot of people use and it definitely is harmful. Now, if you appreciate the culture, learn it, study it, and immerse yourself in it, I honestly don't see the issue. I'd like a little more insight to your P.O.V if that's okay.
Trinitarian, if you are already working with Brigid then why not stay within the pantheon to which she belongs? Instead of taking on the deity of the indigenous peoples of Hawaii and Polynesia, why not work with the Irish Celtic god of the seas, Manannan mac Lir?
Here are some sites about Manannan mac Lir you might find interesting and which could help you determine whether he might be the deity related to water you wish to follow.
The difference is, NorseHippie, in whether it is an open/closed culture and whether you have been invited in if it is a closed culture.
For example:
True Hawaiian culture and religion is closed to the people of the island (not white people who've moved in and taken over). Korean culture is another closed culture. Many First Nations cultures are closed cultures. Vodoun can be a closed culture depending upon which form it is.
Within all of these cultures, one can learn about and respect their beliefs and practices regardless of the individual's race or ethnic origin. However, that does not mean that one can or should practice it unless invited in by people of that culture. So if you are interested in it, reaching out and talking to the people of that culture would be the most appropriate approach; explaining your interest and why and whether you can be accepted in. Most cultures have ways to adopt outsiders in, but that is again, their ways. Running about, demanding to be let into closed cultures is a white, Western attitude and it's not okay. We aren't privy to their cultures, we didn't earn the right, and trying to take someone else's stuff is stealing.
Some cultures aren't closed, however. Hellenic/Greek, Nordic (not all Nordic, but your basic Germanic, Britiannia, etc are), and Kemetic (not Khemetic which is a closed culture) are all the ones I can name off the top of my head. These are open cultures because within the traditional/historical record and within the modern world, these groups were open to all peoples interested in their Gods.
Kemetic in particular is the one I can speak for, so I shall briefly to make a point. In ancient Egypt/Kemet, if you were a foreigner with foreign Gods, that is what you were. However if you were born within the country, if you moved into the country and adopted Egyptian ways, if your Gods were adopted into the pantheon (which many were), if your lands were one of the conquered, you would be Egyptian. Your race or ethnic origins made no difference; it was purely whether you were Egyptian in your heart and soul. It's a form of nationalism that made you Egyptian. This is why, in the modern day, Kemetic groups generally accept all people openly. The handful that do not are what I separated as Khemetic as the h is generally added within those groups that are Afro-Centric. For obvious reasons, Khemetic groups are not for white folks.
~~~~
Cultural appropriation is about not being a colonizer, not stealing other people's cultures, not letting your privilege as a white person run all over others. It's about respect. You can walk a fine line with it, yes, but if you are telling someone "do what you want, nobody will get hurt", I have to disagree. People have gotten hurt in the past and people are getting hurt by this today.
Being culturally appropriate is hard, committing cultural appropriation is easy, but if we're going to be better people to our neighbors, if we're going to show we care for more than just ourselves, we have to try to be better than we were.
