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I think the origin predates the hawaiians. …

Comment posted on Big Kahuna by telltalelover

i think the origin predates the hawaiians. “kahuna” is a variation on the word “kohen” (pronounced “ko-hain”) which is a hebrew word for priest. the priestly class consisted of the first “high priest” aaron, brother of moses, and his progeny. in hebrew “high priest” is “kohen gadol”. the word “gadol” in hebrew is an adjective meaning big, great, and large. the term was introduced to the hawaiians by christian missionaries and appropriated by the hawaiian priests. the hawaiians could not pronounce “kohen” so it became kahuna.

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