<P> Although it is unclear when settlers first came to the Hawaiian Islands, there is significant evidence that the islands were settled no later than 800 AD and immigration continued to about 1300 AD . Settlers came from the Marquesas, Tonga, Samoa, Easter Island, and greater Polynesia . At some point, a significant influx of Tahitian settlers landed in the Hawaiian islands, bringing with them their religious beliefs . </P> <P> Early Hawaiian religion resembled other Polynesian religions in that it was largely focused on natural forces such as the tides, the sky, and volcanic activity as well as man's dependence on nature for subsistence . The major early gods reflected these characteristics, as the early Hawaiians worshiped Kāne (the god of the sky and creation), Kū (the god of war and male pursuits), Lono (the god of peace, rain, and fertility) and Kanaloa (the god of the ocean). </P> <P> As an indigenous culture, spread among eight islands, with waves of immigration over hundreds of years from various parts of the South Pacific, religious practices evolved over time and from place to place in different ways . </P> <P> Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui, who was raised in Kaʻū, Hawaii, maintained that the early Hawaiian gods were benign . One Moloka ʻi tradition follows this line of thought . Author and researcher Pali Jae Lee writes: "During these ancient times, the only' religion' was one of family and oneness with all things . The people were in tune with nature, plants, trees, animals, the' āina, and each other . They respected all things and took care of all things . All was pono ." </P>

Native hawaiian leader known as keeper of the secret