The Legendary Night Marchers

Everyone Wants to Know, “Who Are the Night Marchers?”

The oral traditions of the much-feared night marchers have survived countless years by being passed down from mouth to ear and then by the learned art of writing and documentation. Their tales have survived the influx of missionaries and different cultures. Their stories have spread through hushed whispers during late-night storytelling around the dinner table. Their procession has been witnessed by Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians from different walks of life. The night marchers hold us in rapt attention as their deeds are recounted in private and public settings. However, the question always becomes, “Who are the Night Marchers?”

‘Oi‘o, Na huaka‘i o ka Pō, Huaka‘i Pō, Night Marchers, Spirit Ranks… there may be different names for them but each name refers to the same ghostly procession.

The ‘oi‘o comprised a great number of spirits. The term is generally used to mean a procession (more than one) of the souls of the dead, so by that definition, a person will never see a singular “night marcher.” A warrior alone would otherwise be just a “lapu,” or ghost.

The most common description of the night marchers’ legend can come from any person who has lived in Hawai‘i for several years. They are a group of warriors marching in death in a haunted procession. Their announcement strikes fear into the hearts of those who bear witness and comes in several forms; the sound of the pū, or conch shell, the pounding of distant drums getting closer, the music of the nose flute, the sound of stomping feet, a line of torch lights traveling along a path. One might even feel the earth shake or catch the scent of sulfur. Some have said that they witnessed a column of mist moving across the land.

If you are in their way, you should run. If it is too late to run, you must lay prone and cover your head. Shut your eyes tight, chant your lineage, and pray that an ancestor walks among the dead to speak for you. If you have no one there amongst the ranks willing to claim, “Na‘u,” then your life is forfeit. With no ancestor to save you, then you may hear the call of “O-ia!” This is the order to “Let him be pierced!”

If you do not know the lineage of your ancestors, your next hope is to strip off your clothing and lay flat on your back to convince those in the procession that you are mad and, therefore, have pity for you and leave you intact. Some sources even say you should rub urine on your body so that the huaka‘i pō find you so repulsive that they move on.

Lopaka’s extensive research on the subject of Night Marchers led to him being the night marcher Consultant on Netflix’s family adventure movie, “Finding Ohana.” Click the links below for more information and stories about night marchers featuring Hawaii’s night marcher expert, Lopaka Kapanui.

Hawaii’s Night Marchers: A History of the Huaka’i Po by Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Read more about the history and the legend of the haunted procession in our latest book, with over 40 eyewitness encounters with the Huaka’i Pō.

Available on Amazon

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