The significance of ancient cultures, traditions, rituals, and sculptures is deemed essential, and humans are expected to respect the same and are met with consequences if they don’t. According to Hawaiian legends, humankind’s violation of specific rules and cultures is handled severely by the spirit world.

Of many prevalent legends of Hawaii, the one of the Hawaiian night marchers is the most feared and valued. Hawaiian night marchers, who are said to roam around mostly at night, used to be ancient Hawaiian warriors.

As the legend goes, the Hawaiian night marchers carry torches as they walk along the night marcher trails.

1. Hawaiian Social Structure

The legend of the night has traversed through many bedtime stories and ghost stories told by Hawaiian residents until its written documentation in 1883.

The legend dates back to old Hawaii’s dark history of severe casteism. The story of this legend is rooted in the social structure of Ancient Hawaii.

The system divided the Hawaii residents into high-ranking chiefs(Aliʻi), priests(Kahuna), commoners(Makaʻainana), and untouchables or outcasts(Kauā). The chiefs or Aliʻi prospered and grew through the hard work of commoners.

The Makaʻainana had no rights whatsoever and were treated harshly by their chiefs. The Hawaiian chiefs, or the Aliʻi, were thought to have a high spiritual value(mana) and were believed to be reincarnations of Hawaiian gods.

The atrocity inflicted by these chiefs upon Hawaii residents was immense, and a part of this atrocity is the legend of the night marchers.

A Hawaiian Chief’s march across a village or a street proceeded with the sound of conch shells and war drums by ancient Hawaiian warriors, the chief’s footsoldier. During this, the commoners were expected to strip off their clothes, look straight at the floor, and never make eye contact with any ancient warriors. If one dares to look straight in the eye, they would be met with instant death(Kapu).

2. Ghost Warriors of Hawaii

Even though this practice dates to 1400 AD, the legend of the night remains that the night marchers’ job does not end with their death but continues onto their next state of existence. There is no afterlife for these ghost warriors.

The ancient Hawaiian warriors used to believe their Hawaiian kings or chiefs to be reincarnations of Hawaiian gods. Their undying loyalty toward the same continues to their next state of existence, where their souls remain even after their physical body’s death.

It is believed that they make nighttime visits to sacred sites, burial sites, and sacrificial temples in areas surrounding Oahu’s windward coast. The Kamehameha Schools campus, Ka’a’awa Valley, Kalihi Valley, and Kualoa Ranch are some places where the night marchers have been rumoured to have been witnessed.

The Hawaiian night marchers can be seen in and around such areas on the last four moon phases until the night sky goes completely dark. They carry torches and wear distinctive ancient Hawaiian clothes, with the shrilling sound of a conch shell and war drums going around for their nighttime visits.

3. Purpose of Existence

In 2021, a video of an influencer climbing up the Mayan Pyramid surfaced on the internet, and the consequences were not very good. Similar incidents of climbing Egyptian Pyramids in 2018 and 2020 have occurred, and such people have been punished severely by being charged a fine or even five years of jail.

Storyteller Lopaka Kapanui says that the night marchers’ sole purpose is to protect its people, not to terrorize people. The night marchers are believed to be the guardian spirits of ancient Hawaiian chiefs, protecting the tradition they set off and ensuring they have proper respect.

4. An Encounter

While there have been instances of people falling off Ka’ena Point and ending up meeting their ultimate destination of instant death, there have been some instances where the night marchers showed mercy and spared people. A night marcher will spare a life if their body parts smell like urine. It is said that the urine smell repels and disgusts the night marchers.

Ti plants are believed to draw away the attention of night marchers.

If none is possible, one can only hope to hear the words, Na’u, from the army of ghost warriors. The night marchers spare people who have an ancestor among the army of the dead.

5. To Conclude

While the truthfulness of mythological stories and legends can never fully be assessed, one can be warned of the physical world’s dangers. The legend of the undead army has a history of immense political and economic inequality, casteism, and torture of the commoner.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

How do we know if night marchers are coming?

The arrival of night marchers is accompanied by conch shells, chanting, and marching sounds.

What happens if a night marcher sees you?

If a night marcher catches sight of you, you will hear shrieking sounds, and the call of death will march upon you. 

What to do if night marchers are seen in Hawaii?

The first thing to do would be to run away, but if that feels a bit impossible, lay still and pretend to be dead.

Do Hawaiian Night Marchers exist?

The tale of the Hawaiian Night Marchers is a Hawaiian Legendary Mythical story.

What time of the day can one expect to encounter a Hawaiian Night Marcher?

Night Marchers usually only ever come out at night.