Traditional Hawaiian burial practices involve the preservation and protection of
iwi or bones with the belief that
iwi carry the
mana or spiritual essence of a person. Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, head of the Oʻahu Island Burial Council, explains.
WONG-KALU:
I ta wā ma mua, hoʻotomo ʻia ke tino tūpāpaʻu i loto o ta imu. Hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻia nō a pau. Wehe ʻia tēlā alualu, hemo a pau loa, loaʻa pono mai ka iwi, a uhi ʻia a paʻa i loko o te tapa. Hiti nō ta poʻe mālama maikaʻi a hūnā pono.