Who is the Hawaiian god of war?

Kū is the Hawaiian god of war. He is one of the four great gods of Hawaiian religion, alongside Kāne, Lono, and Kanaloa, and is also connected with politics, farming, and fishing.

Kū was worshiped under several names that expressed different manifestations or functions. His best-known war title is Kū-kaʻili-moku, often translated as “Kū the Snatcher of Land.” This aspect became especially prominent in the political and military history of Hawaiʻi, where Kū was regarded as a powerful patron of conquest and rulership.

The high chief Kamehameha I identified strongly with Kū-kaʻili-moku during his campaigns to unite the Hawaiian Islands. Images of the deity, including rare feathered god figures, were kept in temples and associated with chiefly authority. Some rituals dedicated to Kū involved human sacrifice, a practice that distinguished his worship from that of the other three great gods.

The listed alternatives are also major Hawaiian deities, but they have different primary associations. Lono is linked with agriculture, peace, fertility, and rain; Kāne with creation and life; and Kanaloa with the sea and certain forms of healing.