Members of the BYUH ohana share how they balance their faith and the superstitions in their culture
Cultural superstitions are created to keep people safe and secure, according to Maria Fonoimoana Latu. Luckily, being grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide more safety than superstitions will, even if it still doesn’t hurt to follow superstitions as a way to honor your culture, shared Latu, the academic multimedia lab manager.
Latu said even though she is well-grounded in the gospel, she never wanted to risk the warnings from superstitions. “There’s a lot of superstitions I don’t follow. But if it means I have to make somebody feel comfortable, then I’ll do it,” she continued. Because of Church members' knowledge of the gospel, “we seek safety and security in the sure places: the gospel and Jesus Christ,” Latu explained.
Timoci “Timothy” Kean, a sophomore from Fiji majoring in Pacific Island Studies and political science, said superstitions are heavily believed in his country. He said they mostly come from the elders who remind the younger generation to be careful of doing something that could lead to unwanted consequences.
Before Christianity began, in Fiji people had their own cultures, traditions and ways of worshipping, said Kean. Although superstitions are not encouraged in his faith, Kean said, “I think superstitions are partly good because you just want to be safe always.”
Christina Ingleton, a senior from Utah majoring in anthropology, said superstitions are not necessarily true. “Some people have adopted [superstitions] to be part of their culture,” she shared.
Superstitions throughout generations
Polynesian superstitions have a history in their cultural folklore based on stories from the past, said Latu. She is not a superstitious person, she said, but growing up she was careful not to step on a crack because of the saying, “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” When Latu was pregnant with her first child, she said she was consistently told what she should not do. “Pregnant women are not supposed to drink from a can. You have to pour the drink into a cup and then drink it,” she said.
According to the book “Some Modern Samoan Beliefs Concerning Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy,” it is believed that drinking from a can will result in the baby being “born with a crooked, large or damaged mouth.”
Latu said when Hawaiians go out to fish and they are on their way to the beach, you are not supposed to ask them if they are going fishing. “It’s a suggestion of warning the fish,” she shared. She said to just say, “Hey. Have a great day” and be on your way.
Latu talked with her co-workers about Po-kane Night in Hawaii, which she said is “the night the Hawaiian warriors march from the ocean to the mountains.” She said this happens on a moonless night.
Latu shared a story from one of her ancestors about Po-kane Night she was reading recently. “[My ancestors] had a home near the temple. He said in the evenings, he would see my great-grandfather talking to people in his room and he would ask, ‘Who are you talking to?’ Her great-grandfather would reply and say it was just his friends, Latu continued.
She said this only happened inside her great-grandfather’s room. Later, her ancestor found an old Hawaiian map showing the trails the Hawaiian warriors used to go up to the mountains, she said. “He said one of the paths went right through the corner where his father [her great-grandfather] stayed.”
Respecting the land through superstitions
Kean said one of the most common superstitions they have in Fiji is females are discouraged from showering at night. He explained, “The elders say an evil entity will come off the shower after dark.” Kean said another superstition is they are not allowed to sweep the floor at night. He said the act of sweeping, collecting and throwing away, is like “you’re sweeping away your blessings.”
Kean said superstitions in Fiji have a lot to do with respecting the land because it is a living thing. “When you shower before it gets dark or when you don’t sweep at night, it’s like showing reverence towards the land or the place you are at,” he explained. Kean said growing up with superstitions affected him in a positive way. “It kept us in line, and we [learned] to obey our parents.”
Precautions against bad luck
Some of the superstitions Ingleton has encountered were about Friday the 13th and seeing a black cat, she said, which both mean you will have bad luck.
Ingleton said she has heard about superstitions from Japan and Korea. In Japan, elevators do not have a fourth floor, she said. According to a website called Sakura House, the No. 4 in Japanese sounds similar to death, which is why they omit the number in their elevators and parking lots.
In Korea, it is bad to sleep with the fan turned on, said Ingleton. According to npr.org, old people fear “if you sleep with an electric fan in the room, you may never wake up.” Although this superstition has been debunked many times, the belief persists, says npr.org.