The Night Marchers are one of Hawaii's most talked about legends. They are the ghostly procession of warriors following, in death, the tasks that they bore in life. In one example, as living warriors, there was a guards' detail entrusted to protect and proceed the Ni'au Pi'o, the most sacred chiefs, as they traveled from place to place.

The Ni'au Pi'o were considered so sacred that a person of any rank beneath them could not even look at them and was required to strip naked in their presence. Should even the shadow the Ni’au Pi’o be cast upon you, you would be killed by the guard immediately.

As brutal as it may seem, the Ni'au Pi'o chiefs cared for their people and set protocols in place to ensure that the people were warned ahead of time that the procession was coming. It is said they often traveled on the darkest nights, those few nights before no moon, so there was little danger of their shadow falling upon someone unawares. Drums would pound out a loud, rhythmic beat and then the pu, the Hawaiian conch shell, would sound. These were the signs that the chiefly procession, led by a line of warriors, were approaching.

It is this duty that the feared Night Marchers continue in the afterlife. If you see the line of ghostly torch lights coming down the mountain, if you hear the sound of drums where they should not be, if the haunting sound of the pu touches your ears, you'll know that it's time to leave. However, if you should catch the rotten scent of sulfur, it's already too late.

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Born and raised on 'O'ahu and spending his childhood summers on Hawai'i Island and visiting Maui frequently with his family, Lopaka Kapanui, also known as “The Ghost Guy,” grew up hearing all the old legends and ghost stories from his kupuna, his elders.

His family’s legends, history, customs and protocol were passed down to Lopaka in the traditional Hawaiian way, through mo'olelo, from mouth to ear, sitting at the foot of his Mom and his Aunty as they related the lessons to him. He learned of the night marchers who only appeared during a particular moon phase. He learned why it is important to never share food with anyone while walking through a haunted place. He also learned the significance of the proper prayers to offer in ceremonial blessings, to enter or leave a sacred place, to ask for protection or forgiveness, or before gathering greenery in depths of a Hawaiian forest, and the importance of intent.

Having been in the storytelling business for more than 20 years, hundreds of people have come forward to share their own stories with Lopaka as well, making him a repository of sorts for some of our islands' spookiest tales.

Sharing more than just Hawaiian ghost stories, Lopaka shares his knowledge of the history and legends of 'O'ahu and Hawai'i.

Lopaka Kapanui's http://Mysteries-of-Hawaii.com is Hawaii’s Original Ghost Tours and Chicken Skin Tours. Established in 1997 as a part of Glen Grant’s famous Haunted Hawaiian tours, helping to set the stage for all other ghost tours on Oahu and across the Hawaiian Islands. The realest, most exciting Historical and Haunted Tours of Hawaii.
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Before becoming a world-class destination, before ghost tours, before outside visitors... the islands of Hawai‘i were steeped in oral traditions of shape shifting beings in the upland forests or waterfalls which were inhabited by a translucent force that dragged young men into their dark depths in order to suck the spiritual life out of them. Even King Kamehameha found it necessary to appease the very gods themselves in order to secure victory in his campaign to bring the Hawaiian archipelago under one rule.

Master storyteller, Lopaka Kapanui, brings to life the feared Nightmarchers, the goddess Pele, Menehune, e‘epa, mo‘o and more. But… Hawaiian deities and spirits aren’t the only things residing in this island paradise. Here is also where the Japanese dog demons, the inu-gami, are sent to ruin the lives of unsuspecting families. Here is where the Filipino vampire-like creature, the aswang, roams in search of her next victim. And here is where the Portuguese witch, the feiteceira, spins her spells and curses at her whim. Rich in culture and traditions, these islands are overflowing with stories of ghosts and hauntings, creatures and curses. Lopaka is the keeper of these stories.

For more information about The Ghost Guy, Lopaka Kapanui, & the legends and ghost stories in Hawaii, visit his website, http://mysteries-of-hawaii.com.

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